Federal Student Aid (FSA) is pleased to announce the availability of Frequently Asked Questions that provide information and operational guidance on Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Section 117).
To access the Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Reporting Frequently Asked Questions page, click here.
Section 117 requires institutions of higher education that receive Federal financial assistance to disclose semiannually to the U.S. Department of Education (Department) any gifts from and contracts with a foreign source that, alone or combined, are valued at $250,000 or more in a calendar year. The statute also requires institutions to report specific information when the institution is owned or controlled by a foreign source.
The contents of these Frequently Asked Questions do not have the force and effect of law and do not bind the public or create new legal standards, beyond what is required by Section 117. This document is designed to provide clarity to the public regarding existing reporting requirements. Where appropriate, these Frequently Asked Questions also include examples that illustrate how Section 117 might apply to various scenarios to help institutions comply with their Section 117 reporting obligations.
These examples do not dictate the outcome of any particular matter; rather, in each case, the Department’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) office would engage in an individualized, fact-specific assessment to determine whether an institution has satisfied the statutory reporting requirements.
FSA recognizes that schools, colleges, and universities that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department may be subject to additional Federal, State, or local laws relating to the disclosure of gifts or contracts involving foreign sources. These Frequently Asked Questions do not address those other laws.
The questions are grouped by categories and may be updated periodically. New and/or updated questions and answers will be marked NEW or UPDATED and include the date added or updated.
Contact Information
If you have technical questions or access issues with the reporting portal, please contact ForeignGiftsAccess@ed.gov. For all other questions that have not been addressed, submit them to ForeignSourceReporting@ed.gov.