Navigating R2T4

1. Navigating R2T4 NHASFAA 2012 Allene Begley Curto Springfield College

2. Navigation Tools for Return of Federal Aid • When we are requiredto return federal aid • When we are requiredto offer federal aid not yet disbursed • How a student earns federal aid based on attendance • How we know when a student has begun or has withdrawn (officially or unofficially)

3. The Basic Concepts behind the Requirements… • If you never began attending, you are not eligible for federal aid • If you began but did not complete the term, you may not be eligible for all of the aid that you received • If you began but did not complete the term, you may still be eligible for some of the aid that you did not yet receive • US ED requires the school to know if a student began attendance and whether they completed the term

4. We are requiredto return federal aid… • If a student began attendance, but withdrew before completing 60% of the term • If a student failed to pass at least one course that “spanned the term” and the school can not document that the student completed at least 60% of the term

5. We are required to offera post-withdrawal disbursement.... • If a student began attendance, did not complete the term, but has earned aid which has not yet been disbursed, and • The student meets the requirements for a late disbursement

6. What Aid has been earned? • Did they begin? • Did they complete? • If they began but didn’t complete, what percent of the term did they complete? • In how many courses did they actually begin? • What do we know and when did we know it?

7. What Aid “could have been disbursed”? • Was Stafford loan originated prior to WD? • Did student complete MPN prior to the calculation? • Was SEOG/Perkins awarded prior to WD? • Just because it could have been disbursed doesn’t mean that you will disburse it!!

8. Who Knows? Who Tells FAO? • How does the school know if a student began attendance in at least one course? • How does the school know if the student stopped attending? • Who reviews students who fail to pass at least one course in a term? • How is FAO notified on any and all of the above? • How is it documented by the school?

9. Percentage Completed Days Attended divided by Days in the Term = Percentage completed Exclude scheduled breaks that are at least 5 consecutive days from both Days Attended and Days in the Term

10. Nonterm Credit HoursClock Hours • Nonterm Credit Hour programs – Number of Credit hours expected to be completed in payment period divided by number of credit hours completed at withdrawal. • Clock Hours – Total number of clock hours scheduled to be completed at time of withdrawal divided by total clock hours in period

11. Modules • Do all courses span the entire term? • Are there groups of courses that begin and end in less than the full term? • Do you have formal modules within the term with a specific begin and end date?

12. Formal Modules • Segments within the term • If withdraws from one segment must calculate return unless signs statement plans to enroll for next module • Even if signed statement will need to calculate return if does not enroll

13. Courses that do not span the term • Attends course that has class meetings/academic activities that do not span the term • If does not begin attendance in other courses, recalculate aid • If does not attend the full portion of term for which the course is scheduled may need to return aid and/or recalculate aid

14. Attendance • Must be documented by school – not just a statement by the student • If you are “required” to take attendance, you must use the last date of attendance (and not date of withdrawal for example) • Attendance can be an academic activity and not just a scheduled class date

15. Grant Overpayment • Limited to the amount by which the original grant overpayment is greater than half of the total Title IV grant funds received by student • A student does not have to repay a grant overpayment of $50 or less

16. Programs from which Funds are Returned • Pell Grant, SEOG, FFEL, Federal Direct Loan, Federal Perkins Loan, ACG, SMART • No funds are returned from FWS

17. Post-Withdrawal Disbursement Counseling • School required to contact student prior to making a post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds • Explain obligation to repay loan funds • Confirm loan funds still required by student • Document result of contact in file • Post-withdrawal from loan to school requires consent even if student owes balance to school

18. Return of Funds Timeline • Must return unearned funds within 45 days of the date that it determines that student has withdrawn • Note that date that school determines student has withdrawn is not the date that FAO became aware of the fact! • Note that return is required in 45 days, but the calculation must still be done in 30 days from date school determined WD!

19. Why we should know if a student began/completed the term… • Successful completion of the educational program is the goal • Enrollment retention requires knowledge of who is really here • Students need response/support/action if not attending or don’t register

20. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS