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(Campus-Based) Subject: Participation in and Reporting Expenditures for the Work Colleges Program

Posted Date:February 2, 2017

Author: Sue O'Flaherty, Service Director, Program Management, Federal Student Aid

Subject: Participation in and Reporting Expenditures for the Work Colleges Program

This Electronic Announcement provides information necessary for schools to apply for participation in the Work Colleges Program under the Federal Work-Study Program for the 2017-2018 Award Year. To participate in this program the school must comply with all provisions of Section 448 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), and the applicable program regulations included in Subpart C of 34 CFR Part 675. This Electronic Announcement also provides information regarding reporting Work Colleges Program Expenditures for the 2016-2017 Award Year.

Any school interested in participating in the Work Colleges Program for the 2017-2018 Award Year (including schools that are participating in the 2016-2017 Award Year) must apply electronically, no later than March 6, 2017, via the eCB website. The application must be signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) using either the eSignature or manual signature processes described in the 2017-2018 Work Colleges Application Instructions. A Work Colleges participating school will use a similar process when it submits its expenditure report for the 2016-2017 Award Year no later than September 29, 2017.

Important: The Work Colleges Application is not an application to participate in the Federal Work-Study Program.

Applying for Participation in the Work Colleges Program for the 2017-2018 Award Year

A school interested in participating in the Work Colleges Program must submit a completed "Institutional Application and Agreement for Participation in the Work Colleges Program" for the 2017-2018 Award Year to the Department of Education (the Department) electronically via the eCB website. To access the application, log in to eCB, click on "Setup" at the top right side of the screen, and then click on "Work Colleges Application."

Instructions for completing the "Institutional Application and Agreement for Participation in the Work Colleges Program" are attached to this Electronic Announcement in the document titled "2017-2018 Work Colleges Application Instructions." The application provides a detailed definition of a Work College.

Electronic Submission of the Application and Agreement Required

The Work Colleges Application form and instructions documents are provided for reference only. The application must be submitted electronically through the eCB website.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Signature Required

In addition to electronic submission, the application and agreement must be signed by the CEO using either of the two signature options described below. The CEO is the person designated as such on the school’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA/ECAR) as submitted through the Department’s Electronic Application for Approval to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App) at https://www.eligcert.ed.gov.

  • eSignature (Recommended): After the application has been submitted through the eCB system, it may then be signed by the CEO electronically through the eSignature tab within eCB. Instructions for completing the eSignature process are available through the Help Tab.

  • Manual Signature: If you choose to submit the signature for the Work Colleges Application manually, you must print the submitted Work Colleges Application and Agreement form from the “Work Colleges Application” link at the top of the “Setup” page within eCB.

    • The original signature must be mailed or hand delivered to:

      United States Department of Education
      Federal Student Aid
      Grants & Campus-Based Division
      Work Colleges Program
      830 First Street, NE, Rm 63C5
      Washington, DC 20202-5453

    If the printed and signed expenditure report is to be hand delivered by a commercial courier, you must use the address provided above, except the zip code will be 20002.

Deadline for Submitting the Application and Agreement to the Department

The deadline for submitting a school's signed Work Colleges Program application and agreement to the Department is Monday, March 6, 2017.

  • Electronic Submission: The deadline for electronic submission of the application and agreement, as well as the eSignature (if used), is 11:59 P.M. (ET) on March 6, 2017. Transmissions must be completed and accepted by 11:59 P.M. (ET).

  • Signed Printed Copy: If the signed printed copy of the application and agreement is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, it must be postmarked by March 6, 2017. If the signed printed copy of the application and agreement is hand delivered by a commercial courier, it must be delivered to the address above by 4:30 P.M. (ET) on March 7, 2017.

Approval of the Application and Agreement

If a school's application and agreement is approved, we will notify the school via email in May 2017. We will send the email to the school's Financial Aid Administrator, as provided in the school's most recently submitted Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) or as updated via the "Contact Info" page on the eCB website. In the email, we will inform the school that its 2017-2018 Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program award is reflected in the Statement of Account posted on the eCB website.

Reporting Work Colleges Program Expenditures for the 2016-2017 Award Year

A school must report its Work Colleges Program expenditures for the 2016-2017 Award Year to the Department by electronically submitting the "Work Colleges Program Expenditure Report" for the 2016-2017 Award Year via the eCB website. To access the expenditure report, log in to eCB, click on "Setup" at the top right side of the screen, and then click on "Work Colleges Report."

Instructions for completing the "2016-2017 Work Colleges Program Expenditure Report" are attached to this Electronic Announcement in the document titled "2016-2017 Work Colleges Expenditure Report Instructions."

Electronic Submission of Expenditure Report Required

The attached Work Colleges Expenditure Report form and instructions documents are provided for reference only. The report must be submitted electronically through the eCB website.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Signature Required

In addition to electronic submission, the expenditure report, it must be signed by the CEO using either of the two signature options described below. The CEO is the person designated as such on the school’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA/ECAR) as submitted through the Department’s Electronic Application for Approval to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App) at https://www.eligcert.ed.gov.

  • eSignature (Recommended): After the application has been submitted through the eCB system, it may then be signed by the CEO electronically through the eSignature tab within eCB. Instructions for completing the eSignature process are available through the Help Tab.

  • Manual Signature: If you choose to submit the signature for the Work Colleges Application manually, you must print the submitted Work Colleges Application and Agreement form from the “Work Colleges Application” link at the top of the “Setup” page within eCB.

    • The original signature must be mailed or hand delivered to:

      United States Department of Education
      Federal Student Aid
      Grants & Campus-Based Division
      Work Colleges Program
      830 First Street, NE, Rm 63C5
      Washington, DC 20202-5453

    If the printed and signed expenditure report is to be hand delivered by a commercial courier, you must use the address provided above, except the zip code will be 20002.

Expenditure Report Deadline for Schools Participating in the Work Colleges Program for the 2016-2017 Award Year

The deadline for electronically submitting a participating school’s Work Colleges expenditure report and signature for 2016-2017 to the Department is Friday, September 29, 2017.

  • Electronic Submission: The deadline for electronic submission of the expenditure report, as well as the eSignature (if used), is 11:59 P.M. (ET) on September 29, 2017. Transmissions must be completed and accepted by 11:59 P.M. (ET).

  • Signed Printed Copy: If the signed printed copy of the expenditure report is sent through the U.S. Postal Service, it must be postmarked by September 29, 2017. If the signed printed copy of the expenditure report is hand delivered by a commercial courier, it must be delivered to the address above by 4:30 P.M. (ET) on September 29, 2017.

Contact Information

If you have questions about the information in this announcement or its attachments, contact the Campus-Based Call Center at 877/801-7168. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. (ET). You may also email CBFOB@ed.gov.