Dear Colleague:
We are pleased to announce the launch of our 2022–23 Fundamentals Training Series program. This training series comprises two courses:
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FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23, a self-paced, online course that launches Aug. 1, 2022, in our FSA Training Center, and
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Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration virtual workshop, scheduled for October 2022 through September 2023. Each virtual workshop is instructor-led, four and one-half days in length, and conducted online.
Participants wishing to register for and attend a Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration virtual workshop must first successfully complete the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23 course. Together, the online course and virtual workshop comprise the Fundamentals Training Series.
Information
Participants who successfully completed the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2021–22 course will be allowed to register for one of the virtual workshops scheduled through September 2023. Participants who completed the 2021–22 Fundamentals Training Series (both the online course and instructor-led virtual workshop) will NOT be allowed to register for another virtual workshop due to space restrictions.
This announcement provides information about the virtual workshops scheduled for October 2022 through September 2023. Please note that the virtual workshops are categorized by school type: clock hour or credit hour.
The following Questions and Answers provide important information about the workshops.
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:
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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
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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 complete the online course and attend all four and one-half days of the virtual workshop to fulfill the requirement. Please note that these two officials may attend different workshops; they do not need to attend the same session. To get started, see Q6: 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. Please note that we now offer FSA Basic Training for New Staff in the FSA Training Center. This is a more flexible, self-paced training course ideally suited for newly hired financial aid administrators, staff from outside the financial aid office, and financial aid administrators in need of a refresher course. For more information on which course is right for you, please click on the Start Your Training Here icon on the home page of the FSA Training Center.
Q3: I work at a clock-hour school. May I attend any training session?
A3: No. The virtual workshops are divided into clock-hour and credit-hour sessions to streamline the training material for the online format. Please be sure to register for a workshop that covers your school type.
Q4: I work at a credit-hour school. May I attend any training session?
A4: No. The virtual workshops are divided into clock-hour and credit-hour sessions to streamline the training material for the online format. Please be sure to register for a workshop that covers your school type.
Q5: What will the training cover?
A5: The online course, FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23 and the virtual workshop, Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration, address the following topics:
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What are the Title IV federal student aid programs?
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How does a school obtain and maintain institutional eligibility?
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What must a school do to request and receive funds from the Department of Education?
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What policies and procedures does a school need to have in place?
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How does a school process aid for its students by determining eligibility, calculating financial need, packaging aid, adjusting aid, and recalculating aid?
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What are the requirements for disbursing aid to students?
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What must a school do regarding exit interviews and calculating a return of Title IV aid (R2T4)?
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What are the reporting requirements for a school?
Q6: How do I register for the training?
A6: Anyone wishing to attend the virtual, four and one-half day workshop, Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration, must first successfully complete the online, self-paced prerequisite course, FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23. The online course will be available on Aug. 1, 2022. Please plan ahead and complete the online training so that you can register for the virtual workshop you want to attend.
After successfully completing the online course, you will be provided a link to register for one of the virtual Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration workshops. If you are unable to attend, we require that you cancel your registration so that other individuals who wish to attend may do so. Your seat in the workshop is reserved until you cancel your registration.
Information
Each person wishing to attend the virtual workshop must register with their own unique email address. The registration system will allow an email address to be used only once for registration.
Reminder: As stated previously, participants who successfully completed the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2021–22 course will be allowed to register for one of the virtual workshops scheduled through September 2023. Participants who completed the 2021–22 Fundamentals Training Series (both the online and instructor-led training) will NOT be allowed to register for another virtual workshops due to space restrictions.
To access the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23 course and receive information about the registration process, follow these steps on or after Aug. 1, 2022:
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Go to the FSA Training Center, located at fsatraining.ed.gov.
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Log in to the FSA Training Center with your username and password.
If you do not have a username and password for the FSA Training Center, scroll down to "Create new account" at the bottom of the login page and follow the instructions to create a username and password.
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After logging in, select “Training Courses” on the black main menu bar.
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Select “FSA Fundamentals Training Series” from the dropdown selection.
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Read the Fundamentals Training Series home page in its entirety. To begin the 2022–23 FSA Coach Fundamentals course, select FSA Coach Fundamental Course under “Let’s Get Started with FSA Coach Fundamentals.”
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Select the Start Here button on the Self Enrollment page for the “FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23” course and proceed with the training.
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If you have already completed the FSA Coach Fundamentals 2021–22 course and wish to register for a workshop, select Virtual Fundamentals Workshop Registration under “Sign Up for a Virtual Fundamentals Workshop.”
Q7: When are the virtual workshops?
A7: The virtual workshops will be offered October 2022 through September 2023. The schedule is as follows:
Clock Hours Workshops
Oct. 17–21, 2022
Nov. 14–18, 2022
Feb. 13–17, 2023
March 20–24, 2023
May 15–19, 2023
July 17–21, 2023
Credit Hours Workshops
Jan. 23–27, 2023
April 17–21, 2023
Sept. 18–22, 2023
ALL WORKSHOP HOURS ARE NOTED IN EASTERN TIME (ET). Workshop hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET on Friday. In addition, participants will be required to complete activities before and after these core hours.
Reminder
This information is provided for planning purposes only. As a reminder, you may not register for one of the virtual workshops until you have completed the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2022–23 course (or the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2021–22 course) and have received the registration link.
Q8: Is there a charge to attend the workshop? What do I need to bring?
A8: There is no charge to attend the workshop.
Once you have registered, your registration confirmation email will provide specific instructions for downloading and printing all workshop materials. We recommend you have pens/pencils, highlighters, and a calculator on hand for the virtual sessions. In addition, because our goal is to replicate the in-person classroom experience as much as possible, a webcam on your local computer is required.
Q9: Will I receive a workshop record of completion?
A9: Upon successful completion of the virtual workshop, attendees may access their “Record of Learning” through the Dashboard menu link in the black main menu bar on the home page of the FSA Training Center. You will be able to view and print your Completed Learning page as proof of completion of the Fundamentals Training Series. In addition, upon confirmation of your attendance at all sessions of the virtual workshop, you will be able to print a certificate of completion for the Fundamentals Training Series in the FSA Training Center. Details will be provided at the end of the virtual workshop.
We look forward to your participation in this training opportunity. If you have questions about the Fundamentals Training Series or the registration process, please send an email to helpdesk.fsatraining@ed.gov.
Sincerely,
Federal Student Aid