We put the students on a follow-up log if they need verification sheets for their budgets. There is always a time delay for getting these sheets back if they need a parent signature, etc. There should be an easier method for this.

The parent should feel that they are able to voice their concerns regarding their child's education. The support of the parent is very important especially if the student lives with the parent.

When the student defaults we consolidate to get them out of default but are we really assisting the student in not continuing to default on the consolidation? They need continuing education and guidance about the importance of not defaulting.

Hello, Can you tell me why a student cannot make a correction to the SNAP question? We get a lot of students who answer no to this question but later we find out that they did receive this benefit. Only the school can go in and make this correction. Thank you, Cortni

Hello, I have heard of schools holding TIV funds at the end of the year to help with their 90/10. I don’t believe this is ethical and what is the schools liability? Why would schools do this? Would’t the DOE see that no funds are being posted for a period of time or do they not see that? Holding disbursements seems to hurt the school and more import the student. Have you seen this happen before? Thank you, Cortni

Hello, Recently there was a discussion at my college about inadvertent overpayments. One of my advisors thought that he had an inadvertent overpayment. The discussion started because the disbursement was posted after the LDA but before the DOD. He argued that because the disbursement was made after the LDA the funds had to go in the CHBD column of the R2T4. My thoughts were that we did not know the student had withdrawn until the DOD. We are an institution that takes attendance. Therefore, the aid should have been in the disbursed column. Who is right? Cortni

I appreciate the resources available at the school I work for. I am just taking this Financial Aid course to learn more about that department. In the near future, if available, I may be considering changing my current position. This course has exposed me to some key elements that I should know. Everything has been very helpful. Thank you.

Hi, I do know that this is a US-based forum, but I'm trying to learn the basics or setting up a guideline, for the Business Processing Office - Financial Aid here in Canada. Would you be able to tell if there is a similar refund process for OSAP? Thank you!

The idea of sending good credit letters is awesome! It gives the student value and recognition. It also shows them the importance of paying on time and building that good credit.

I do believe that the surroundings of the school or facility make a statement. It is the first thing that the students sees when they walk into the school or office. The idea of having framed posters, plants, and decorations will make a difference. When the student walks in that's the first impression they will remember.

One of the subject discussed in this course is about the unborn child. We need to clarify that the 19 year old student may add the unborn child as a dependent only if the student works or receive funds of any kind. If the student doesn't work or doesn't receive any funds and lives with parents, then the unborn child can't be added as her dependent because it will not be supported by the student more than half of her income.

It is amazing the amount of processes/procedures we have to know as Financial Aid Professionals. As I went through this module, I knew most of this, and realized how "crucial" it is for someone at the Institutional Level to know this. Also, how important it is that deparments communicate with the individual that updates/manages the ECAR. If a program is changed from clock hours to credits, it usually would be developed, and designed in the Education department. They need to know to notify the FA Office for ECAR revisions. If they don't the school could be out of compliance in that particular program. Laura Minnick

I really appreciate the reminder to offer solutions, rather than dead ends -- "sorry, I don't know" sounds powerless. I want to be known as Administrative support to the students. When I don't have an answer on the tip of my tounge, or in my mind, I often say - I'll research this and get back with the answer within 24 hours. -Laura Minnick

We are a Barber school and have found that product sales have helped us in our 90/10. Are there any other avenues you have seen increased revenue outside of Title IV?

Do you plan to continue to collect a Verification Worksheet or do you plan to go to individual worksheets based on the Verification Categories V-1 through V-5? Is there a compelling reason to collect the Verification Worksheet in your opinion?

The disbursement notification/acknowledgement process is enlightening for me as it helps me to identify which students need further guidance in and explanation of their financial aid. Often times, a student will have no idea what to make of the information I give them on their disbursement notification form [FRIGHTENING!]. This gives me the opportunity to go over the basics with the student maybe in a different way than it was originally explained to them: this and this are loans that you are going to have to pay back, this is a grant which you will not have to pay back, this is only a piece of your financial aid package, further disbursements will come as you progress in the program, at the very end of the program X is the total amount that you will responsible for paying back, etc. I definitely recommend requiring student acknowledgements of the disbursement notification- true, it can be laborious and time consuming but it requires interacting with students one and one to go over their disbursements and thus gives the chance to see exactly who needs a little extra clarification. If students have a clear understanding of their loans, they'll be less overwhelmed and better equipped to handle the responsibility of repaying the loans in the end!

We offer our upcoming Grads an Exit Counseling Seminar, which takes place during their last class required to complete the program. We usually show them a video and give them a folder that contains the Exit Counseling Guide from the Department of Education, a sheet that provides important websites that they can use to track their loans, the contact information for the school's third party company that handles the default prevention, and the contact information for the Student Accounts Department. We also have the students complete a form where they have to update their contact information and provide three current references.

At our school, we have developed a Default Awareness Booth. We set it up right before the students' break and we give them information regarding student loans and how to manage them. The way that we get their attention is by providing a prize for all students that give us updated demographic information or references. We also attract them by having a bowl of candy.