Yes. Your application is safe on the Internet. FAFSA on the Web, in conjunction with the supported browser, uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to establish a secure session between the browser and the FAFSA on the Web server. All information passed by you to the FAFSA on the Web server will be scrambled through a process called encryption.

Three levels of encryption can be used with this site: 40-bit, 56-bit, and 128-bit encryption. To secure the privacy of your application, we recommend you use the domestic version of the browser (56-bit and 128-bit encryption), which has enhanced encryption features. Current laws and regulations allow only U.S. and Canadian citizens to use 128-bit encryption.

For added security, close the browser completely when you are finished using FAFSA on the Web. While online, the browser is using part of the computer's memory. If the browser is left open, it may be possible for someone to go back and use this memory to access your information. By closing the browser, the memory it used is cleared.

To close the browser in Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, and Macintosh Operating System 10.2 and 10.4 select File from the menu bar and choose Exit. If you are using Macintosh, select File and choose Quit.

You may also want to consider clearing the browser's temporary files. The browser's cache stores the contents of all the Web pages visited during a session.

To safeguard your information and prevent another user from viewing what was entered, you should clear the cache memory after completing the FAFSA. To clear the browser's cache, follow the instructions below:

Internet Explorer 5.x and 6.x users:

1. Select Tools, then Internet Options.
2. Select the General tab at the top.
3. Select the Clear History button.
4. Select Yes to confirm.
5. Select Delete Files.
6. Select OK.
7. Select OK to close the Internet Options screen.

Internet Explorer 7.x:

1. Select Tools, then Internet Options.
2. Select the General tab at the top.
3. Under Browsing History, select the Delete button.
4. Select the Delete Files button next to Temporary Internet Files.

AOL 5.0-7.0 and AOL Explorer 1.2 and 1.5 users:

1. Select System Information.
2. Select the Utilities tab.
3. Select Clear Browser Cache.

AOL 8.0:

1. Select Settings.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Select the Internet Properties (WWW) option.
4. In the Temporary Internet Files area, select the Delete Files button, and select OK.

AOL 9.0:

1. Select Settings.
2. Select the Essentials tab.
3. Select the Internet (Web) option.
4. Select the General tab.
5. In the Temporary Internet Files area, select the Delete Files button, and select OK.

Mozilla Firefox 1.5.x users:

1. Select Tools, then Clear Private Data.
2. Select the Browsing History, Saved Form Information, Cache, and Authenticated Sessions options.
3. Select the Clear Private Data Now button.

Mozilla Firefox 2.0.x users:

1. Select Tools.
2. Select Options.
3. Select the Advanced option.
4. Select the Network tab.
5. Select the Clear Now button.

Apple Safari 3.1.x users:

1. Select Edit, then Empty Cache.
2. Select Empty.

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