(ANN-16-12) (ANN-16-12) Subject: Training Workshops - Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration

Publication Date: July 1, 2016

Subject: Training Workshops - Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration

Summary: This letter announces Federal Student Aid's instructor-led, Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training workshops scheduled for July 2016 through June 2017.

Dear Colleague:

We are pleased to announce our Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration training workshops scheduled for July 2016 through June 2017. Each in-person workshop is four and one-half days in length and is conducted at one of the Department of Education’s regional training facilities.

Please note that all participants wishing to register for and attend a Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration workshop must first successfully complete an online course titled Introduction to Federal Student Aid.The online course may take up to 20 hours to complete, so please plan accordingly.

This year we are pleased to offer three workshops that are exclusively for schools with clock-hour programs. The clock-hour-only workshops are scheduled for December 12-16, 2016 in Atlanta, February 6-10, 2017 in Dallas, and May 15-19, 2017 in Chicago. Please note that only schools with clock-hour programs will be allowed to attend one of these three workshops. Clock-hour schools may, however, enroll in any workshop that is available.

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

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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 Administration 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 the regional School Participation Division office that serves your school. Contact information can be found on the Electronic Application for Approval to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App) home page.

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 and complete 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. Please note that these two officials may attend different workshops; they do not need to attend the same session or same location. To get started, see Q4: How do I register for the training?

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 online course, Introduction to Federal Student Aid and the in-person workshop, Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration, address 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 of Education?

• 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: Anyone wishing to attend the in-person, four and one-half day workshop, Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration, must first successfully complete the online, self-paced tutorial, Introduction to Federal Student Aid. The online tutorial may take up to 20 hours to complete, so please plan ahead so that you can register for the in-person workshop you want to attend.

After successfully completing the online tutorial, you will be provided a link to complete a registration form. Once that form is completed, you will be provided a second link to the “Fundamentals Workshop Enrollment Dashboard,” where you will be able to register for one of the in-person Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration workshops. If you are unable to attend, we request that you cancel your registration so that other 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 for registration.

To access the online Introduction to Federal Student Aid tutorial and receive information about the registration process, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Federal Student Aid E-Training Web site, located at http://fsatraining.info.

2. Log in to Federal Student Aid E-Training with your username and password.

   If you do not have a username and password for Federal Student Aid E-Training, click on "Create new account" on the home page and follow the instructions to create a username and password.

3. After logging in, select “Required Training” on the main menu bar.

4. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose "Fundamentals Training Series" and select "Introduction to Federal Student Aid".

5. To launch the online course, click "Start This Course Here!"

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

A5: The in-person training workshops will be offered July 2016 through June 2017 at one of the Department of Education’s regional training facilities. The schedule and location information is as follows:

Workshop hours are 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. on Friday. Owners/Presidents/CEOs have additional, early classes Tuesday through Thursday that begin at 8:00 A.M.

Note: This information is provided for planning purposes only. As a reminder, you may not register for one of the in-person workshops until you have completed the online Introduction to Federal Student Aid tutorial and have received the registration link. Directions to each training workshop and information about nearby hotels is available through our registration system and can also be found on Federal Student Aid E-Training prior to launching the online tutorial (select the "Fundamentals Workshop Dates and Locations" link).

Q6: Is there a charge to attend the workshop? What do I need to bring?

A6: There is no charge to attend the workshop; please note that meals or refreshments are not provided.

Each participant must bring pens/pencils, highlighters, and a calculator. We will provide each participant with a large participant’s guide and other related materials, as well as metal rings to hold the materials together. Participants wishing to have a hard-cover, 3-ring binder must supply it themselves. Participants should allow room in their luggage to transport the materials afterwards.

Q7: Will I receive a certificate of completion?

A7: Upon successful completion of the in-person workshop, a certificate of completion will be provided.

We look forward to your participation in this training opportunity. If you have questions about the Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Training Series, please contact Trevor Summers at trevor.summers@ed.gov.

If you have questions about registration, please contact Scot Davisson at scot.davisson@ed.gov.

Sincerely,

John Brooks
Acting Service Director, Operations
Federal Student Aid