1. Consumer Information: There’s a lot you have to tell people!
Presenter:
Rose Mary Stelma, College Foundation, Inc.
Spring Conference April 9 – 11, 2018

2. What We’ll Talk About Availability of Employees
Distribution of Information
Information you must Disclose
We’re going to talk about information that you must disclose to the public and/or report to the US Department of Education.
We’ll also talk briefly about disclosures made about alternative/private loans and federal student loan counseling requirements.
We’ll discuss distributing information and who on your campus provides this information.

3. True Or False
Someone on your campus has to be designated to provide consumer information to prospective and enrolled students
TRUE
Posting information to your website meets disclosure requirements
FALSE
Verification requirements have to be disclosed to all students
FALSE – you only have to share that information with students selected for verification
Let’s start out by testing our knowledge of these requirements.

4. True Or False
The financial aid office is responsible for coordinating the distribution of consumer disclosures
FALSE
You must use the Department’s Shopping Sheet
You have to disclosure campus crime, security policies, and fire safety information
TRUE

5. Which must be disclosed?
Accreditation and licensure information
Gainful employment programs and information
Completion, graduation, and transfer-out rates
Net Price Calculator
Withdrawal and Refund Policies
Copyright Infringement Warning and Policies
Vaccination Policies
Emergency Response, Evacuation, and Missing Student Notification Information
Which of these items must be disclosed to prospective and enrolled students and/or employees and/or the public? Note that there can be more than one of these items that you must disclose.

6. Who Assists Consumers On Your Campus?
Must designate an employee or employees who are available on a full time basis to assist enrolled or prospective students in obtaining information on
The school
Financial Assistance
Graduation and Completion Rates
Security Policies and Crime Statistics
Availability upon reasonable notice during normal administrative working hours of your campus
Who on your campus provides information to students and employees?
Financial aid staff?
Admissions staff?
Registrar’s office staff?
Campus Police or Security?
Institutional Research/Information?
Others?
Department may waive this requirement if total enrollment or portion participating in FSA programs is too small to necessitate an employee being available on a full time basis. You still have to carry out information dissemination and be available on a part-time basis.

7. Distribution of Information
May post the information on-line
For enrolled students or current employees, you may post on an internet website or an intranet website that is reasonably accessible
For prospective students or prospective employees, you may post on an internet website
Have to provide the exact electronic address
Have to say that you will provide paper upon request
Have to meet deadlines specific to various reports
How does your school distribute information?
If you post on-line you can use an intranet for current employees and enrolled students but you have to use an accessible internet website for prospective students.
You have to notify people of the exact location of the information. Don’t just say “
There are specific deadlines for providing some of the reports.
If someone requests it, you have to provide the information via paper/printed format.

8. Notice to Enrolled Students
Each year notify about the availability of information in these general categories
Report on participation in Greek social life
General disclosures
Annual security report and annual fire safety report
Annual report on fundraising activities through the campus foundation(s)
Report on athletic program participation rates and financial support data
FERPA information
Report total number of scholarship recipients
Report total tonnage of trash picked up and total tonnage of recycled items
Let’s review what you have to provide to your enrolled students.
Any questions?
You actually do not have to provide some of the information listed here – Greek social life – fundraising activities – scholarship information – tonnage of trash and recycled items

9. Notice to Enrolled Students
Each year notify about the availability of information in these general categories
Financial aid availability
Availability of consumer information
Code of conduct
Strategic planning policies
Your president’s twitter account
Cash management Tier One and Tier Two arrangements
Let’s review what you have to provide to your enrolled students.
Any questions?
You actually do not have to provide some of the information listed here – Greek social life – fundraising activities – scholarship information – tonnage of trash and recycled items

10. Notice to Enrolled Students
List and briefly describe the information
Tell students how to obtain it
Can be provided on an individual basis
Mail
Simply posting on a website does NOT constitute a notice!!!!!
Name 2 ways you can provide this notice to enrolled students – mail and .
Remember, simply posting information on the website does not constitute a notice – you have to tell your students that the information has been posted.

11. General Student Disclosures
Make available to any enrolled or prospective* student through
Appropriate publications
Mailings
Electronic media
Prospective student is one who has
requested from an eligible school
information about enrolling there
or who has been contacted by the
school directly or indirectly through
advertising, about enrolling.
How might you make this information available to enrolled or prospective students?
Publications – mailings – electronic media.
Can you define a prospective student?

12. Financial Assistance Information
Description of federal, state, local, private, and institutional need-based and non-need-based student financial aid programs
Procedures and forms for application
Student eligibility requirements
Criteria for selecting recipients from the eligible applicants
Criteria for determining the amount of a student’s award
Can describe your own financial aid programs by listing them in general categories
Obviously your office will be directly involved in providing information about financial assistance.
Describe available student financial aid programs
How does a student apply for these programs?
What are the student eligibility requirements she has to meet?
How do you select recipients for each program?
What guidelines do you use to determine the amount of a student’s award?
Note that you can describe your own financial aid programs by listing them in general categories – scholarships, grants, employment, loans.

13. Financial Assistance Information
Rights and responsibilities of students receiving financial aid (and specifically federal aid)
Criteria for continued student eligibility under each program
Satisfactory academic progress standards and how to regain eligibility
Disbursement methods and frequency
How Pell-eligible students can obtain or purchase required books and supplies by the seventh day of a payment period
Terms of loans (Direct/FSA) as well as terms of any loan received as part of the financial assistance including a sample loan repayment schedule and that loans have to be repaid
General conditions and terms of employment
Exit counseling that the school provides and collects
Rights and responsibilities, including this information

14. Financial Aid Counseling
Loan Entrance Counseling
Loan Exit Counseling
TEACH Grant Counseling is available at the NSLDS Student Access site
Your counseling can include financial literacy information
You may also want to provide special counseling for at- risk students that you identify
Withdrawals
Students with satisfactory academic progress issues
Let’s talk specifically about counseling related to loans and the TEACH Grant
Entrance counseling is required for all first-time student borrowers (Federal Direct Loans).
You cannot require additional counseling, but your counseling can include additional information about financial literacy. Anything you add must be reasonable as to the time and effort involved and must be relevant to the student’s borrowing decisions.
Exit counseling is for students who leave school, graduate, or drop below half-time enrollment.
TEACH Grant counsling is required – both entrance and exit counseling – on the TEACH website.

15. Disclosures Related to Alternative/Private Education Loans
If you have a preferred lender arrangement, there are additional disclosures you have to make
Even if you do not have a preferred lender arrangement you must inform the prospective borrower that
She may qualify for federal loans or other federal assistance
Federal loans may have more favorable terms and conditions than the alternative loan

16. Disclosures Related to Alternative/Private Education Loans
Self-certification form (lender has to get this form from the borrower)
Preferred lender disclosures
See 15 USC 1638(3)(1)(12 CFR (a ) for more details

17. Academic Programs, Costs, Facilities and Policies Information
Current degree programs and other educational and training programs
Instructional, laboratory, and other physical facilities related to the programs
Faculty and other instructional personnel
Plans to improve academic programs, if there is such a plan
Description of any Written Arrangements it has entered into

18. Academic Programs, Costs, Facilities and Policies Information
Tuition and fees, estimated costs for necessary books and supplies, estimates of typical charges for room and board, estimates of transportation costs, any added costs of a program a student is enrolled or interested in
Withdrawal procedures, refunds, and return of aid
Requirements and procedures to officially withdraw
Refund policy
Requirements for the return of federal grant or loan funds

19. Academic Programs, Costs, Facilities and Policies Information
Accreditation and licensure
Services and facilities available to students with disabilities (including intellectual disabilities)
Statement that student’s enrollment in a program of study abroad approved for credit may be considered enrollment for the purpose of applying for federal student financial aid
Names of associations, agencies, governmental bodies that accredit, approve, or license the school and its programs
Procedures on how to review related documents and contact information for filing complains with the school’s accreditor, state approval or licensing entity, or any other state official or agency

20. Academic Programs, Costs, Facilities and Policies Information
Transfer of credit policies
Criteria used to transfer credit earned at another school
List of postsecondary schools with which you have an articulation agreement
Title of person(s) designated to provide information to enrolled and prospective students and how to contact the person(s)

21. Penalties and Policies on Copyright Infringement
Explicitly inform students that unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material may be subject to civil and criminal liabilities
Summarize the penalties for violation of federal copyright law
School policies about peer-to-peer file sharing – include disciplinary actions if students use your IT system
Legal alternatives for downloading or getting copyrighted materials
File Sharing and Copyright Infringement

22. Additional Disclosures
Information about the student activities you offer
Information about student body diversity
Special services and facilities for persons with disabilities
Vaccination policies
Net Price Calculator
Financial Aid Shopping Sheet – use of this resource is voluntary
Helps meet a disclosure requirement of Executive Order for schools receiving federal funds under military and veterans educational benefits program
How many of you use the Shopping Sheet?

23. Completion, Graduation, Transfer, Retention, and Placement Rates
Who reports this information on your campus?
Report information to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System)
Annual rates must be made available to the public no later than July 1
You must disclose certain information about
GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT!!!!!!

24. Campus Crime and Safety Information
Annual reports to students and employees
If you have on-campus student housing, you have to provide an annual fire safety report
Crime and fire logs
Emergency response, evaluation, missing student notification
Must be distributed by October 1

25. Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention
Provide information to students, faculty and employees to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse and have a drug and alcohol prevention program
Drug-Free Awareness Program

26. Information About Athletics
If you have an intercollegiate athletic program, you have to provide information about your commitment to providing equitable athletic opportunities for male and female students
Publication deadline is October 15

27. Textbook Information
To the maximum extent practicable, you have to post verified textbook pricing information
Required and recommended materials

28. Foreign Sources and Gifts
Have to report if you have ownership or control by foreign sources
Have to report if you have contracts with or gifts from the same foreign source if the value is $250,000 or more for a calendar year

29. You have to tell the truth!
Misrepresentation
You have to tell the truth!
Penalties for misrepresentation may include
Revocation of your participation agreement
Limitations on your participation
Proceedings against your school

30. Anti-Lobbying Provisions
You cannot use federal student aid funds to lobby
If you use non-federal funds to lobby, you have to submit a disclosure form to the Department of Education

31. Voter Registration
Make a good-faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to your students

33. Helpful References 2017-18 Federal Student Aid Handbook
Volume 2 – School Eligibility and Operations
Chapter 6 – Consumer Information and School Reporting
HEA Sec. 485(f);20 USC 1092
Regulations
34 CFR
34 CFR (b), ( c)(2), (3)(2) thru (4) and (g)(1)ii)
34 CFR

34. Helpful References
FERPA Samples at
Suggestions for disseminating required information: The National Postsecondary Education Cooperative publication Information Required to Be Disclosed Under the Higher Education Act of 1965: Suggestions for Dissemination (NPEC ) –
Penalty information is at Sec. 487(c )(3)(B) of the HEA
Availability of employees is at 34 CFR 66

35. Helpful References
College Affordability and Transparency Center (
Sample statements and copyright requirements in GEN 10-08
GEN-13-07
Financial Aid Shopping Sheet offer/index.html

36. Helpful References www.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS
34 CFR
ndbookforCampusSafetyandSecurityReporting.pdf
34 CRF 86
34 CRF part 84

37. Helpful References
HEA Sec 486
20 USC 1092
NASFAA “Ask Regs”

38. Disclaimer
This is not an exhaustive discussion of Consumer Information and School Reporting.
Always refer to the source documents – regulations, laws, guidance offered by US Department of Education and Federal Student Aid publications and guides. When in doubt, ask an expert And remember, I am NOT an expert on this subject!
Rose Mary Stelma

39. Please visit them and let them know how much you appreciate it.
NCASFAA would like to thank our Professional Affiliates for their support.
Please visit them and let them know how much you appreciate it.
Spring Conference April 9 – 11, 2018