Dear Colleague:
We are pleased to announce the launch of our 2025–26 FSA Fundamentals Training Series. This training series comprises two courses:
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FSA Fundamentals Online, a self-paced, online course that is now available in our FSA Training Center, and
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FSA Fundamentals Virtual Workshop, scheduled for September 2025 through May 2026. Each virtual workshop is instructor-led, four and one-half days in length, and conducted online.
Participants wishing to register for and attend an FSA Fundamentals Virtual Workshop must first successfully complete the FSA Fundamentals Online Course. Together, the online course and virtual workshop comprise the FSA Fundamentals Training Series.
Participants who successfully completed the FSA Fundamentals Online 2024–25 course will be allowed to register for one of the virtual workshops scheduled through May 2026. Participants who completed the 2024–25 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 September 2025 through May 2026. Please note that the virtual workshops are categorized by school type: clock-hour/nonterm credit-hour or credit-hour.
The following Questions and Answers provide important information about the workshops.
Q1: Who must attend the training?
A1: If your school meets either of the following criteria, you must attend the FSA Fundamentals Training Series:
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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 FSA 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 FSA’s school eligibility staff at Caseteams@ed.gov.
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 the FSA Fundamentals Training Series. 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 also 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 choose the Start Your Training Here icon on the home page of the FSA Training Center.
Q3: I work at a clock-hour/nonterm credit-hour school. May I attend any training session?
A3: No. The virtual workshops are divided into clock-hour/nonterm credit-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/nonterm credit-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 FSA Fundamentals Online Course and the FSA Fundamentals Virtual Workshop 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 must a school 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 student departures 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 FSA Fundamentals Virtual Workshop must first successfully complete the online, self-paced prerequisite course, FSA Fundamentals Online. 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 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.
To access the FSA Fundamentals Online Course and receive information about the registration process, follow these steps:
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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 log-in 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 FSA Fundamentals Training Series home page in its entirety. To begin the FSA Fundamentals Online Course, select FSA Fundamentals Online Course under Step 1 and navigate to the online course.
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Select the Start Here button on the self-enrollment page for the FSA Fundamentals Online Course and proceed with the training.
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If you have already completed the FSA Fundamentals Online 2024–25 course and wish to register for a workshop, select Virtual Fundamentals Workshop under Step 2 to complete the registration process.
Q7: When are the virtual workshops?
A7: The virtual workshops will be offered September 2025 through May 2026. The schedule is as follows:
Sept. 15–19, 2025
Jan. 12–16, 2026
April 20–24, 2026
Dec. 15–19, 2025
March 9–13, 2026
May 11–15, 2026
Important: Workshop registration closes 12 days prior to the course start. Please plan to complete the FSA Fundamentals Online Course in time to register for your preferred workshop.
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.
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 FSA Fundamentals Online Course and have gained access to the registration page.
Q8: Is there a charge to attend the workshop? What do I need to have on hand?
A8: There is no charge to attend the workshop.
Once you have registered, your registration confirmation email will provide specific instructions for the downloading and printing of 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 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 FSA 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 FSA 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 FSA Fundamentals Training Series or the registration process, please send an email to helpdesk.fsatraining@ed.gov.
Sincerely,
Federal Student Aid