<p>why does a student have to give out his social security no. while applying for financial aid. do his/her parents have to give out their numbers as well? if so, what are the numbers used for?
thanks in advance for any reply.</p>
<p>The social security number is used to match up the student/parent with his or her tax information, run credit checks, etc. to make sure that the information provided on the FAFSA is true. (Not each application is verified, but quite a few are.)</p>
<p>It's also a unique identifier.</p>