(GENERAL-24-05) 2023 Experimental Sites Initiative Report Now Available

Author
Federal Student Aid
Electronic Announcement ID
GENERAL-24-05
Subject
2023 Experimental Sites Initiative Report Now Available

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) produces an annual report to provide an update on current experiments and a summary of completed experiments conducted as part of the Experimental Sites Initiative (ESI). We are pleased to announce the publication of the 2023 annual report on the ESI Website.

This report complies with Section 487A(b)(2) of the HEA, as amended, and highlights key findings from the following current and historical experiments:

  • Pell Eligible Students with Bachelor’s Degrees Enrolled in Career Programs          

  • Pell Eligible Students Enrolled in Approved Short-term Training Programs

  • Direct Loan Single Disbursement of a One-Term Loan for Study Abroad Students

  • Direct Loan Early Disbursement - Students Studying Abroad and Foreign Schools

  • Direct Loan Unequal Disbursement

  • Direct Loan - Limiting Unsubsidized Loan Amounts

  • PLUS Loans for Parents of Students with Intellectual Disabilities

  • Eligibility of Dually Enrolled Students with Intellectual Disabilities

  • Prior Learning Assessments—Use of Title IV Aid for Costs of Prior Learning Assessments

  • Competency-Based Education-Disbursement to Students Who Are Enrolled in Competency-Based Education Programs: Split Disbursement 

  • Competency-Based Education-Disbursement to Students Who Are Enrolled in Competency-Based Education Programs: Satisfactory Academic Progress Only

  • Competency-Based Education-Disbursement to Students Who Are Enrolled in Competency-Based Education Programs: Subscription Period Disbursement

  • Limited Direct Assessment

  • Federal Work-Study for Near-Peer Counseling

  • Pell For Students Who are Incarcerated (Second Chance Pell)

  • Revised Pell for Students Who are Incarcerated (Revised Second Chance Pell)

  • Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP)

  • Dual Enrollment

  • Loan Counseling

  • Federal Work-Study Work and Learn

The Department will continue to publish additional annual summaries of experiments each year while completing comprehensive final reports for each individual experiment that has enough data to fully evaluate.

About the Experimental Sites Initiative

Congress authorized the ESI under section 487A(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. This initiative—or "experiments," as they are frequently called—tests the effectiveness of statutory and regulatory flexibility for participating institutions disbursing Title IV student aid. The Department has waived specific statutory or regulatory requirements at the postsecondary institutions, or consortia of institutions, approved to participate in the experiments. By contrasting the results achieved with the flexibilities with results under current regulations, the Department receives data to support changes to regulations and statute. The outcomes of experiments have the potential to benefit all postsecondary institutions and the students they serve.