It’s an important responsibility for financial aid professionals.
Knowing how to properly use and protect the sensitive information provided by students and their families is a key component in the administration of student aid programs.
An Electronic Announcement released by the Department of Education addresses the permitted and prohibited use of personally identifiable information (PII) from the FAFSA by state grant agencies and institutions of higher education.
The guidance does not include federal tax information (FTI) which, according to the Department, will be covered in a future Electronic Announcement.
The comprehensive announcement addresses the following topics:
- Description of FAFSA Data
- Governing Laws
- HEA
- FERPA
- Privacy Act
- Application, Award and Administration of Aid
- Consent Requirements
- Means-Tested Benefits
- Scholarships
- Support Services
- Use of FAFSA Data for Meeting Legal Requirements
- Use of FAFSA Data for Research
- Providing FAFSA Data in Response to a Subpoena
- Sharing Data with Applicant or Contributor(s)
For more information on FERPA and other student privacy issues, visit https://studentprivacy.ed.gov. FERPA questions can be submitted to https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/contact.
