Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Alexis Moynahan - UMUC Gloria Holt - UMBC

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Objectives for today: Define quality assurance, and what it means for your office Discuss benefits Developing a process Promoting QA in FA Overview of QA processes

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid What does it mean? Compliance: the state or fact of according with or meeting rules or standards* Quality Assurance: the maintenance of a desired level of quality in a service of product, especially by the means of attention to every stage of the process of delivery or production* *Google

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Benefits: Identifies training/incentive opportunities Refresher training Trends Areas of strength Separate duties Peer trainers Promotion

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Benefits: Identifies errors so they can be fixed prior to an audit/program review

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Benefits: Supports compliance: Does the office have the required written procedures? Do the procedures align with federal/state/institutional policies? Is the staff consistently following established procedures?

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Developing a Process: What staff should be included? What processes, areas, units, should be reviewed? Forms?

Developing a Process: What to Review? Examples: Verification C-Flags Awards Unusual Enrollment History & High School Diploma Appeals Return of Title IV funds

Quality Assurance in Financial Aid Promoting Your Process: Highlighting the positive outcomes of QA Managers need to be onboard Discuss expectations Proper use of funds

UMUC Non-traditional 4yr, online public university, PeopleSoft Financial Aid Office: 60+ staff members, worldwide Approx 90,000 students, worldwide Approx 30% of student population receives financial aid

UMUC’s QA Process Why QA? Saw a need for the office. Implementation – New process for FAO Talking with other offices, research, talking with staff Time in the QA process – started in 2012 Currently 1 full-time staff member, and 2 teleworkers Challenges/Take Away’s – buy-in from various units, collaborating with these units to help serve their needs. Types of reviews – verification, R2T4, comment codes, Pell recalculations, loan limits, transfer monitoring, SAP, manual awards, UEH

UMUC’s QA Process Use queries, and reports to randomly select sample files to review for each QA area (verification, R2T4, manual awards, etc.) Designate quantity of files to review, generally higher for new employees, or new process Utilize spreadsheets to create, review, and submit reports Communicate with managers for respective units on any findings, or questions about internal business processes

UMBC Traditional 4yr, public university; PeopleSoft and ImageNow OFaS: 19 full-time staff – 4 Assoc. directors manage units Approx. 14,000 stdts (11,400 UG; 2,600 GR) Approx. 70 % of our stdts receive some form of financial assistance File review: Legislative audit suggestion

UMBC cont. Implementation – new process for OFaS Research, talking to other aid administrators, SCCE Conference – created a model based on our needs Time in the QA process – began with 2014/15 AY Currently 3 full-time staff, originally just me Challenges/Take Away's – staff truly buying in to the process; know that you will be appreciated in the end Types of reviews: federal verification, comment codes, Pell LEU, unusual enrollment, loan limits, PJ, SAP, DA, R2T4

UMBC’s QA Process Utilize queries to randomly select student files within a particular category for review (verification, comment code, loan limits, etc.) Can designate the percentage and/or specific staff for review Audit worksheets are used to document file review Flagged files are returned for staff review/update Updated files and files not flagged – QA checklist is posted Designates that a file was selected/reviewed Prevents a file from being selected again for the same audit type Checklist comments – review type(s)

Questions? ?

Contact Information Alexis (Lex) Moynahan (240) Gloria Holt (410)

Sample Forms