DCLPublicationDate: 7/1/2000
DCLID: GEN-00-10
AwardYear: 2001/2002
Summary: SUMMARY: This letter provides advance information on the process for requesting electronic and/or printed Renewal Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (Renewal FAFSA) for the 2001-2002 processing cycle.


Student Financial Assistance 2001-2002 Action Letter


Action Letter #1
July 2000

GEN-00-10


SUMMARY: This letter provides advance information on the process for requesting electronic and/or printed Renewal Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (Renewal FAFSA) for the 2001-2002 processing cycle.

Dear Partner:

This action letter is the first of two on the 2001-2002 Renewal FAFSA process. It provides a summary of participation choices for the 2001-2002 application processing year, some helpful Q’s and A’s about the Renewal Application process, and a schedule of important dates. The second action letter is scheduled to be released in August 2000 and will contain more extensive information on how to submit your 2001-2002 Renewal Application request.

Each year, the Central Processing System (CPS) prints and mails paper Renewal FAFSAs to students who are eligible to participate in the Renewal Application process (see Enclosure A, Question #2 for a list of eligible students). The Renewal Application saves students time because most of the data from the previous year’s FAFSA is already filled in. Applicants simply need to change items that are now different and provide new information for a few remaining items. Eligible Renewal applicants who have shown a preference for applying for financial aid using the Internet are sent PINs instead of paper Renewal FAFSAs. These students can use their PIN to access, and sign, their 2001-2002 Renewal FAFSA on the Web.

As in previous years, you have the option to request that the CPS mail pre-printed Renewal FAFSAs for designated groups of students directly to your school so that you may distribute them to your students. Or, you may request that the CPS send you a Renewal Application Data (RAD) file of selected students so that you can print Renewal FAFSAs at your school and distribute them to your students. Enclosure B explains each of these options in greater detail.

In 2001-2002 you can continue to request that PINs be mailed to your students instead of paper Renewal FAFSAs. Sending selected students PINs will encourage them to use Renewal FAFSA on the Web.

Also, if you request that the CPS print and mail Renewal FAFSAs to your school to distribute to your students, you may continue to choose whether you want to receive an electronic Renewal Application Data (RAD) file in addition to the printed forms. The electronic RAD file will include a PIN indicator that you can use to determine whether a student received a 2001-2002 paper Renewal FAFSA or a PIN.

New for 2001-2002


We made one minor change to the Renewal FAFSA process for 2001-2002. The CPS automatically sends PIN mailers, instead of paper Renewal FAFSAs, to students who in 2000-2001 filed their applications using FAFSA on the Web, or who indicated they were a 5th year undergraduate or graduate student. Beginning with the 2001-2002 processing cycle, the CPS will also automatically send PIN mailers to students who made corrections to their 2000-2001 application using the Corrections on the Web site, provided they meet the Renewal Application selection criteria. The PIN mailer will provide students with information about the Renewal FAFSA process as well as information about how to use their PIN to reapply for financial aid using Renewal FAFSA on the Web.

Schools may begin submitting requests for 2001-2002 Renewal Application data on
October 2, 2000. All requests to have the CPS print and mail paper Renewal FAFSAs to schools, or for PINs to be mailed to students instead of Renewal FAFSAs, must be received no later than October 27, 2000.

About this Action Letter

We have provided important information about the 2001-2002 Renewal FAFSA process in the following enclosures:

Enclosure A features common questions and answers on the Renewal FAFSA and RAD request process, as gathered by CPS Customer Service.

Enclosure B features a chart on the available RAD request options, the information the CPS will send with each request type, the requesting school’s responsibilities, and the impact on affected students.

Enclosure C provides a detailed schedule of important dates for the 2001-2002 Renewal FAFSA processing period.

If You Have Questions

If you have any questions regarding the Renewal Application process, feel free to contact CPS Customer Service at 800/330-5947, or by email at CPS@NCS.COM.

We hope this information is helpful to you. Please watch for more information about the 2001-2002 Renewal Application Process in an August 2000 Action Letter. This letter will be posted to the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) web site.

We look forward to working closely with you this fall to ensure another successful application processing year.

Sincerely,



Jeanne Van Vlandren
General Manager, Students Channel
Student Financial Assistance


Enclosure A: 2001-2002 Renewal Application Process Questions and Answers
Enclosure B: RAD Request Options Table
Enclosure C: 2001-2002 RAD Request Schedule