Answers to your questions about federal regulations in effect this summer

By Catherine Mueller

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It may not be all the help financial aid professionals need right now in dealing with changes in processes and regulations, but it may answer some questions.

In a May 20 Electronic Announcement, the Department said it has received a number of policy questions from the higher education community regarding final regulations, in particular those requirements related to financial responsibility and certification procedures.

The Department said in order to address these questions, the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) has published two sets of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on their website of policy guidance:

  • Financial Responsibility Regulations FAQs: Examples include the required alignment of an institution’s fiscal year used for Title IV purposes and the one used for tax return purposes, as well as whether these regulations apply to foreign schools participating in the Federal Direct Loan Program.
  • Certification Procedure Regulations FAQs: Examples include further explanation of the disclosure requirements for programs leading to licensure or certification; additional guidance on the transcript withholding requirement; and how the Department determines whether a prospective student is considered enrolled in distance education.

OPE will add future FAQs to this site when the Department receives additional questions that are of interest to the full higher education community.

Additional questions can be sent through the Contact Customer Support form link in Federal Student Aid’s Help Center. When selecting a topic, please select “Policy Guidance.”

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