Appendix C

The FSA Assessments

In concert with the FSA Handbook, the FSA Assessments help explain how your school should administer the FSA programs. Federal Student Aid has coordinated with financial aid professionals to design the FSA Assessments to help schools with compliance and improvement activities. The FSA Assessments contain links to the applicable laws and regulations that underlie policy and operational guidance.

The FSA Assessments are updated each award year. The FSA Assessments are available in the Knowledge Center at: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/resource-type/FSA%20Assessments.

There are fifteen subjects covered in the FSA Assessments modules. Each subject has its own webpage, linked from the FSA Assessments homepage URL above. The subjects are:

  • Fiscal Management

  • Student Eligibility

  • Institutional Eligibility

  • Federal Work-Study (FWS)

  • Consumer Information

  • Verification

  • FSEOG

  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

  • Default Prevention & Management

  • Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4)

  • A Guide to Creating a Policies & Procedures Manual

  • Direct Loans

  • Perkins Cancellation

  • Perkins Due Diligence

  • Perkins Forbearance & Deferment

Within each of these categories, there is a summary of requirements for each subject area, several lessons to test your knowledge, and hyperlinks to additional guidance in the FSA Handbook, Dear Colleague Letters, and regulations. A brief description of each is below.

Category

Description

Fiscal Management

This assessment outlines the financial standards schools must maintain to participate in the Federal Student Aid programs.

Student Eligibility

This assessment outlines the eligibility requirements for students and parent borrowers and your responsibilities to ensure that recipients qualify for their aid awards.

Institutional Eligibility

This assessment outlines your school’s Institutional Eligibility responsibilities.

FWS

This assessment describes the requirements for the administration of the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program.

Consumer Information

This assessment describes the requirements for the consumer information that a school must provide to students, the Department, and others.

Verification

This assessment provides you with an opportunity to review procedures regarding verification.

FSEOG

This assessment outlines the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program requirements.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

This assessment provides you with an opportunity to review and evaluate your procedures regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Return of Title IV Funds

Schools are required to provide students with details of all refund policies applicable to the school as well as information on the Title IV program requirements for the treatment of Title IV funds when a student withdraws. This assessment provides guidance on R2T4 requirements.

A Guide to Creating a Policies & Procedures Manual

This assessment outlines the minimum policies and procedures requirements for administering Title IV Aid.

Default Prevention & Management

This assessment assists schools in understanding cohort default rate calculations, challenges, adjustments, and appeals, and provides default prevention resources.

Direct Loans

This assessment provides you with an opportunity to review and evaluate your procedures regarding Federal Direct Loans.

Perkins Cancellation

This assessment helps you review Federal Perkins cancellation procedures.

Perkins Due Diligence

This assessment outlines the Perkins due diligence process.

Perkins Forbearance & Deferment

This assessment outlines Perkins forbearance & deferment procedures.

Last Modified: 08/19/2022 • Published: 03/28/2021