High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, plays a central and essential role in America`s postsecondary education community. Some of the most visible and essential services are the development, distribution, and processing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the fundamental qualifying form used for all federal and government-guaranteed commercial lenders` programs—as well as for many state, regional and private student aid programs. By filling out the online or paper FAFSA, applicants start the process of qualifying for aid. Each year FSA`s staff processes approximately 14 million FAFSAs.