Bulletin ID
DLB - 99 - 23
| PublicationDate: 4/1/99 BulletinID: DLB - 99 - 23 April 1999 DLB 99-23 Subject: Entrance Counseling on the Web Dear Colleague: Those of you who attended the Direct Loan Annual Conference in March heard about the plans for entrance and exit counseling on the web, and many of you had a chance to go through the counseling sessions in the PC lab. We enjoyed talking with you and hearing your comments as you read through the materials and took the quiz. We listened and jotted down many of your ideas. Electronic Entrance Counseling As we promised, entrance counseling is now live on the web. You and your students may visit the site at www.ed.gov/DirectLoan/counsel/index.html. You will need a browser that is JavaScript enabled such as Netscape 3.0 or higher. The site is best viewed using Netscape Navigator 4.0. Please remember that you are not required to use the site. You may continue to conduct entrance counseling in person, by using a video with a financial aid expert available to answer questions, or, in limited cases, by mailing counseling materials to students. If you decide to use on-line counseling, we recommend that you provide printed counseling materials as supplements. The Entrance Counseling Guide for Borrowers and The Inside Scoop for Borrowers, which explains the master promissory note for students, provide comprehensive information. We incorporated many of your suggestions for the entrance counseling site before it went live. We plan to follow up on other suggestions. In particular, many of you at the conference asked about submitting the "entrance counseling certification" page electronically to financial aid administrators once a student has completed the quiz successfully. We intend to offer this enhancement in the future. School Requirements If you choose to use on-line entrance counseling as an alternative to in-person counseling, remember that you must meet the following conditions: · An individual with knowledge of Title IV student financial assistance programs must be readily available to answer questions within a reasonably short period of time (the same day or the next day) after a borrower has completed the counseling program, You may allow borrowers to submit questions by e-mail or telephone, and you may respond by e-mail or telephone. However, you must respond promptly (the same day or the next day), and you must be able to document that the borrower received the e-mail or that you spoke with the borrower. You may not leave a voice-mail response to a borrowers questions. · A borrower must not be able to circumvent or exit the counseling program before completing the session. · You must be able to document that a borrower completed the counseling. · The information given to a borrower during the counseling session must meet all applicable regulatory requirements. Future Improvements We will continue to modify and enhance the entrance counseling site, and we welcome your ideas and suggestions. You should forward your comments to Joyce_Rice@ed.gov. We also plan to have exit counseling on the web later this year and welcome your ideas on that site. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Direct Loan Program. Sincerely, Margaret E. White Acting Chair Direct Loan Task Force |