“Whenever there is a transition to a new president and new political party, there is always a delay in new policy guidance and development, as a new administration makes its plans and chooses its leaders for the tasks ahead.” Harry S. Weber At the U.S. Department of Education, the prior and current administrations seem to […]
Recent audits and U.S. Department of Education program reviews reveal several areas which if mishandled or overlooked can cause problems for institutions. In our efforts to alert you to potential problems, we also offer solutions or procedures to avoid dangers in managing Title IV for your school. Here are a few: Return of Title IV […]
Having survived federal financial aid transactions through eight presidents, I offer my thoughts on the ninth—President Donald Trump—and how his administration may affect the education system and financial aid regulations. Education regulations and programs are initiated by the U.S. Congress and ushered in under a president who does not object and, thus, receives credit for […]
Overseeing the financial aid office is a daunting task with many possible points of failure and a whole new vocabulary. When the office is not running at optimum health, errors and omissions will appear in audits or program reviews by the U.S. Department of Education. Such financial aid office trouble can result in great cost […]
Christian colleges, universities, and schools face a myriad of challenges that threaten much-needed revenue streams. The majority of schools lack substantial endowments and must rely on net tuition dollars to meet growing expenses. This financial challenge is compounded with the following realities in today’s higher education market: Demographics are evolving in ways likely to create […]
People with good academic ideas often don’t consult their financial aid officer before beginning their new venture. That oversight can cost the school and the person with the great idea valuable time, money, and wasted effort. Federal regulations are sometimes ridged, but they are also flexible enough to allow institutions to be creative in developing […]
Students are not only smart, they can be industriously unethical too. Some have learned how to attend a school just long enough to get financial aid and then leave the school to attend another school to repeat the offense. These students fraudulently receive grant funds while not receiving credits for attendance. Beginning last July such […]
The purpose of this presentation is to remind institutions of the US, Department of Education’s (ED) requirements for implementing various Title IV policies, procedures, and disclosures to students. Each year a school must distribute to all enrolled students a notice of the availability of information in the following general categories: General disclosures for enrolled […]
It was not an uncommon mistake. When Yellowstone Christian College (YCC) achieved candidacy with their accrediting agency, they chose a highly recommended third party servicer to help with the complexity of launching Federal Student Financial Aid. They expected the servicer to do the heavy lifting. What they did not expect was to be told they could […]
“Our job is to educate, and any involvement with Financial Aid will just complicate our mission.” Historically, that has been the mindset of academia in general and the administrative divisions of colleges, universities and seminaries, in particular. This is especially true as education access becomes more complex, including such delivery methods as massive open online […]
