(ANN-12-22) (ANN-12-22) Subject: Training Workshops - Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration (Updated September 14, 2012)

Publication Date: September 10, 2012

Subject: Training Workshops - Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration (Updated September 14, 2012)

Summary: This letter announces Federal Student Aid’s instructor-led, Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training workshops scheduled for October 2012 through September 2013.

Note: On September 14, 2012 we updated this announcement by clarifying the answers to Q1 and Q2.

Dear Colleague:

We are pleased to announce our Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training workshops scheduled for October 2012 through September 2013. Each in-person workshop is four and one-half days in length and is conducted at one of the Department of Education’s (the Department’s) regional training facilities.

Please note that for all Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration workshops beginning after October 1, 2012, all participants must successfully complete an online course titled Introduction to Federal Student Aid before registering for the Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration workshops. The online course takes at least 20 hours to complete, so please plan accordingly.

The following Questions and Answers provide important information about the workshop.

Q1: Who must attend the training?

A1: If your school meets either of the following criteria, you must attend the Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid training:

• Your school is applying to participate in the Title IV Federal Student Aid programs for the first time, and needs to fulfill the Fundamentals training requirement to complete your certification, or

• Your school is undergoing a change of ownership (in some instances).

Questions about these requirements should be directed to your school’s regional School Participation Team.

If your school meets one of the criteria above, you must ensure that the Owner/President/CEO (or their high-level school official designee) and Financial Aid Administrator attend Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training. Both the Owner/President/CEO (or their high-level school official designee) AND the Financial Aid Administrator must attend all four and one-half days to fulfill the requirement. See Q4: How do I register for the training? to get started.

Q2: Who may attend the training?

A2: Individuals who do not meet the criteria as outlined above but wish to attend as a refresher or as basic training on the Title IV programs may attend. See Q4: How do I register for the training? to get started.

Q3: What will the training cover?

A3: The Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training addresses the following topics:

• What are the Title IV Federal Student Aid programs?

• How does a school obtain and maintain institutional eligibility?

• What must a school do to request and receive funds from the Department?

• What policies and procedures does a school need to have in place?

• How does a school process aid for its students by determining eligibility, calculating financial need, packaging aid, adjusting aid, and recalculating aid?

• What are the requirements for disbursing aid to students?

• What must a school do in regard to exit interviews and calculating a return of Title IV aid (R2T4)?

• What are the reporting requirements for a school?

Q4: How do I register for the training?

A4: There is a new, two-step process to register for the Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration workshops that occur after October 1, 2012:

1. Participants must first successfully complete the online, self-paced tutorial, Introduction to Federal Student Aid. Most people will take at least 20 hours to complete this tutorial, so please plan ahead so that you can register for the in-person workshop you want to attend.

2. After successfully completing the online tutorial, participants will be provided a link to register for one of the in-person Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training workshops.

To access the online Introduction to Federal Student Aid tutorial and receive information about the registration process, use this link:

http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/training/fundamentals/index.html

Once registered for the in-person workshop we will send an e-mail confirmation to the participant. The participant should retain this confirmation, as it contains important information about the training workshop, including cancellation information. If unable to attend, we request that the participant cancel his or her registration so that individuals who wish to attend may do so.

Note: Each person wishing to attend the in-person workshop must register with their own, unique e-mail address. The registration system will allow an e-mail address to be used only once per workshop.

Q5: When and where are the in-person training workshops?

A5: The in-person training workshops will be offered October 2012 through September 2013 at one of the Department’s regional training facilities. The schedule and location information is as follows: