Have questions about student financial aid? Would you like to learn more about student financial aid? Check out this presentation to for a 101 course on financial aid.
2. Student Financial Aid - 101
Topics for this Session:
Considerations Prior to Applying
Any Reservations?
Pros & Cons
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3. Student Financial Aid - 101
What is the process for applying to
participate in the Federal Student Aid
Programs?
Where to begin? www.ifap.ed.gov
Questions to start the initial application -
www.eligcert.ed.gov
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Initial Eligibility Requirements:
You are urged you to review the student
financial assistance regulations regarding the
requirements that must be satisfied before a
school is approved to offer federal student aid.
The applicable federal regulations are: 34 CFR
Part 600 - Definitions
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=702
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34 CFR Part 668 - General Provisions
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&
Federal Student Aid Handbook – Volume
2
“School Eligibility & Operations”
http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/1415FSAH
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I. Minimum Eligibility Requirements
The school must be authorized by the State in
which it is located to provide an educational
program that is beyond secondary education.
The school must admit as regular students only
persons who have a high school diploma or
equivalent, or are beyond the age of
compulsory school attendance in the State
where the school is located.
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The school must provide at least one eligible
program that provides an Associate's degree or
higher, or provides training to students for
employment in a recognized occupation and is at
least 300 clock hours and 10 weeks in program
length.
The school must be accredited by an
accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of
Education to accredit schools to participate in
the Federal student aid programs.
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Three types of schools are recognized:
Public
Private nonprofit - a school that has been granted
a tax exemption by IRS under 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code
Proprietary (for profit)
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Your school must have provided its eligible
program for at least two years prior to applying
if:
it is a proprietary school, or
it is public or private nonprofit school that does
not offer a program that is at least 900 clock
hours and 30 weeks in length.
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II. Financial Responsibility
The school must be financially responsible. As
part of the application process, the school must
provide, for the two most recently completed full
fiscal years, financial statements that are prepared
according to Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles, and audited according to Generally
Accepted Government Auditing Standards
(GAGAS).
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III. Administrative Capability
The school must be administratively
capable. This includes (but is not limited
to) having:
A capable individual responsible for
administering all of the Title IV programs;
A system of internal checks and balances
for administering federal student financial
aid;
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A division of functions of determining
student awards and disbursing funds that
result from those award decisions;
Frequent, periodic reconciliation of fiscal
office and financial aid office award data;
(Monthly)
System to identify and resolve
discrepancies in information you receive
from various sources about a student's
application for financial aid;
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A satisfactory academic progress (SAP)
policy for recipients of federal student
financial aid;
Procedures to ensure that requests for
federal cash do not exceed the amount of
funds you need immediately to make aid
disbursements to students;
A policy for refunding tuition when a
student withdraws from classes;
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A process to ensure that you submit a
required annual financial statement
audit on time;
A process to ensure that you submit a
required annual compliance audit on
time;
A policy that you use the electronic
processes (technology);
A process to notify ED within 10 days of
any important changes.
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Questions to Start Initial Application
If you believe you qualify and want to apply for
approval, you must provide ED with certain basic
information.
http://www.eligcert.ed.gov/ows-doc/initialApp.html
Complete page 1 of the form
Fax it to your case management team
ED will provide you with your OPEID #
You will then have access to the electronic app to
file electronically.
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The Program Participation Agreement
To participate in the FSA programs, a
school must have a current Program
Participation Agreement (PPA), signed
by the school’s president or chief
executive officer and an authorized
representative of the Secretary of
Education.
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Purpose and scope of the PPA
Under the PPA, the school agrees to comply with
the laws, regulations, and policies governing the
FSA programs. After being certified for FSA
program participation, the school must administer
FSA program funds in a prudent and responsible
manner.
Additional details and information regarding the PPA are
available at
http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/attachments/1415FSAHbkVol2Ch1.pdf
Volume 2, Chapter 1 of the of the Federal Student Aid Handbook .
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How a Student Applies – www.fafsa.ed.gov
Title IV Programs:
Pell Grants
Direct Loans
Subsidized
Unsubsidized
PLUS
Graduate PLUS
FSEOG
FWS
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Resources
Information for Financial Aid Professionals
(ifap) website
http://www.ifap.ed.gov
Federal Student Aid Handbook
http://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/byAwardYear.jsp?type=fsahd
FSA Coach
http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/fsacoach/index.
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Resources
Student Web Application Products
PIN Web Site
FAFSA on the Web
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Audit Guidance
https://www.ifap.ed.gov/ifap/byYear.jsp?type=aguides
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Resources
Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) Guide
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/ifap/byAwardYear.jsp?
type=efcformulaguide
Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR)
Guide https://www.ifap.ed.gov/isirguide/1415ISIRGuide.html
Student Aid Report (SAR) Comment Codes & Text
https://www.ifap.ed.gov/ifap/byAwardYear.jsp?
type=sarcommcodestxt
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Resources
The Blue Book
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/bbooks/102005BlueBo
ok.html
Cohort Default Rate Guide
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/DefaultManagement/fi
nalcdrg.html
Financial Aid Assessments
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/qahome/fsaassessment.html
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