(FS-2019-01) Subject: Options for Submitting Compliance Audits and Financial Statements for Foreign Schools

Posted Date:January 14, 2019

Foreign School Update ID: FS-2019-01

Author: Federal Student Aid

Subject: Options for Submitting Compliance Audits and Financial Statements for Foreign Schools

In this Foreign School Update, we provide foreign schools information about options for submitting Compliance Audit Reports and Audited Financial Statements.

Electronic Submission Option

Foreign schools now have the option to submit their annual Compliance Audit Reports and Audited Financial Statements (annual reports) electronically, provided any personal identifiable information or PII is duly protected by encryption (see information about encryption below). If a school submits its annual reports electronically, the school is not required to send hard copies. Annual Reports should be submitted to fsaforeignschoolaudits@ed.gov. This email address is for annual compliance audit and financial statement submissions only. The email should include the following information in the subject line:

  • Name of your institution;
  • OPEID ID number; and
  • Name of each document - clearly labelled

Passwords must be sent separately, with the same school identifiers in the subject line.

Protect Personal Identifiable Information and Encryption Instructions

Compliance audit reports and audited financial statements containing any Personal Identifiable Information (PII), as defined below, must be protected before transmitting the document electronically. PII is any information about an individual which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity (some examples are name, social security number, birth date, and place of birth). PII submitted electronically or on media must be submitted in a WinZip file (.zip file extension) encrypted with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption (256-bit is preferred). The Department of Education (the Department) uses WinZip. However, files created with other encryption software are acceptable provided that they are compatible with WinZip and are encrypted with AES encryption. Also, the Department must receive an access password to view the encrypted information. The password must be emailed separately from the encrypted data. Select a complex password at least 12 characters in length and which uses three of the following characters: upper case letter, lower case letter, number, special character.

Hard Copy Option

If a school opts to submit hard copies rather than electronic versions, send two (2) copies of the school’s compliance audit report and audited financial statement, if the latter is also required, to the Department using the following address:

U.S. Department of Education
Federal Student Aid, Program Compliance
Technical & Business Support Service Group
830 First Street, NE, Room 81I1
Washington, D.C. 20202-5340

Phone number for shipping label 1-877-263-0780
Room Clarification: eight, one, capital i, one

Contact Information

If your school has already submitted its compliance audit report and audited financial statements or if you have questions regarding the Department’s compliance audit or audited financial statement submission requirements, contact the eZ-Audit Help Desk. The appropriate Help Desk team member can be reached by phone at 1-877-263-0780, by selecting menu option 5 for questions regarding compliance audit report submissions or menu option 6 for questions regarding audited financial statements submissions.