federal update dan madzelan office of postsecondary education jeff baker federal student aid
TRANSCRIPT
Federal Update
Dan MadzelanOffice of Postsecondary
Education
Jeff BakerFederal Student Aid
Program Appropriations
Higher Education Legislation
Title IV Program Regulations
Title IV Program Budgets Appropriations
FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007*(AY 05-06) (AY 06-07) (AY 07-08)
Pell Grant $12,364,997,280 $13,045,230,000 $12,738,770,000 (Max Award) $4,050 $4,050 $4,050
FSEOG $ 778,720,000 $ 770,932,800 $ 770,932,800
FWS $ 990,257,056 $ 980,354,485 $ 980,354,485
Perkins $ 66,131,680 $ 65,470,363 $ -
LEAP $ 65,643,000 $ 64,987,000 $ -
ACG/SMART $ - $ 790,000,000 $ 850,000,000
Program
* President's FY 2007 Budget Submission
Title IV Program Budgets Aid AvailableFY 2006 FY 2007*(AY 06-07) (AY 07-08)
Pell Grant $ 12,745,900,000 $ 12,986,000,000 (Max Award) $4,050 $4,050
FSEOG $ 975,900,000 $ 975,900,000
FWS $ 1,172,000,000 $ 1,172,000,000
Perkins $ 1,135,000,000 $ 133,000,000
LEAP $ 165,000,000 $ -
ACG/SMART $ 790,000,000 $ 850,000,000
Loans $ 60,577,000,000 $ 66,082,000,000
TOTAL $ 77,560,800,000 $ 82,198,900,000
Program
* President's FY 2007 Budget Submission
Title IV Program BudgetsStatus of Appropriations
FY 2006 FY 2007* FY 2007*(AY 06-07) House Senate
Pell Grant $13,045,230,000 $13,009,000,000 $12,606,713,000 (Max Award) $4,050 $4,150 $4,050
FSEOG $ 770,932,800 $ 770,933,000 $ 770,933,000
FWS $ 980,354,485 $ 980,354,000 $ 980,354,000
Perkins $ 65,470,363 $ 65,471,000 $ 65,471,000
LEAP $ 64,987,000 $ 64,987,000 $ 64,987,000
ACG/SMART $ 790,000,000 $ 850,000,000 $ 850,000,000
Program
* Committee-passed Bills
Title IV Program Budget PrioritiesAdministration
• Pell Grants – Eliminate Shortfall
– Mandate Annual Increases
– Establish $1,000 State Scholars Award
Congress• Pell Grants
– Shortfall Eliminated
• AC/SMART Grants – Mandatory Spending
Authorized: $4.53 Billion over 5 Years
Title IV Program Budget PrioritiesAdministration
• Make Active Duty Military Independent
• Clarify FAFSA “Drug Question”
• Revise CB Formulas• Eliminate/Recall
Perkins
Congress• Active Duty Military
are Independent• Applies to those in-
school and receiving aid
• Not Addressed• Not Addressed
Loan Program Budget PrioritiesAdministration
• Create 25 basis point Loan Holder Fee
• Reduce insurance to 95%
• Eliminate special SAP on tax-exempt financings
• Not proposed
Congress• Recapture excess
interest earnings• Lender insurance
reduced to 97%• Special SAP largely
eliminated
• Phase-out origination fees
Legislation• Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005• Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act
for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006
• Second Continuing Resolution, 2007 – Through December 8, 2006
• Third Higher Education Extension Act of 2006– Through June 30, 2007
Third Higher Education Extension Act• New restrictions on Eligible Lender
Trustee arrangements with Postsecondary Institutions
• Definition of Hispanic-Serving Institution
• Clarification of GA Account Maintenance Fees
• New Loan Discharge for Survivors of 9/11 Victims
Hurricane Help for Institutions• Hurricane Education Recovery Act
– $95 Million to 18 Louisiana Institutions– $95 Million to 38 Mississippi Institutions– $10 Million to 99 U.S. Institutions– $30 Million “Retained” by 18 Gulf Institutions
• Higher Education Recovery Awards– $50 Million to 41 Gulf Institutions
• Natural Disaster Student Aid Fairness Act– $28 Million Reallocated to 29 Campus-Based
Program Institutions
Regulations• Interim Final Regulations – Comments
Invited– ACG/SMART Grants – July 3, 2006– Other HERA Issues – Aug. 9, 2006
• Final Regulations– ACG/SMART Grants – Nov. 1, 2006– Other HERA Issues – Nov. 1, 2006– New September 11-Related Discharges
– Dec. 29, 2006
RegulationsNegotiated Rulemaking for 2008-2009 and Beyond • Tentative Calendar
– Sessions: Dec. 2006, Feb. and March 2007– NPRM: May 2007– Comments: July 2007– Final Rule: Nov. 1, 2007– Effective Date: July 1, 2008 with possible
early implementation
• Negotiated Rulemaking Website:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2007/nr.html
FY 2004FFEL and Direct Loan
Default Rates
National Student Loan Default Rates
Default Rates by SectorSchool Type FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004
Public – 2 Year 8.5% 7.6% 8.3%
Public – 4 Year 4.0% 3.3% 3.6%
Private – 2 Year 6.1% 6.3% 7.4.%
Private – 4 Year 3.1% 2.6% 2.9%
Proprietary 8.7% 7.3% 8.8%
Foreign 2.0% 1.8% 1.5%
National Rate 5.2% 4.5% 5.1%
Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005
Enacted: February 8, 2006
Institutional and Program Eligibility• Weeks in academic year for clock-hour
programs reduced to 26• 50% rules do not apply to telecommunications• Programs of distance education must be
specifically accredited• Short-term telecommunications programs are
eligible • Provision for programs using assessment to
measure progress
FFEL and Direct Loans
• Extends eligibility for PLUS Loans to graduate and professional students– Eligibility criteria is the same as for a parent,
including credit checks and no in-school status. Student would be eligible for an in-school deferment
– Student must file FAFSA– Effective for any loan certified or originated on or
after July 1, 2006
PLUS Loan Eligibility to Graduate Students
FFEL and Direct Loans
• Increases annual base loan limits for:– First-year students from $2,625 to $3,500– Second-year students from $3,500 to $4,500
• Increases annual additional unsubsidized for:– Graduate students to $12,000– Prep for Grad Program to $7,000– Teacher Certification to $7,000– Effective for loans first disbursed on or after
July 1, 2007• Aggregate loan limits are not increased
Annual Loan Limits
FFEL and Direct Loans
• First disbursement of loan• Loan can be certified/originated prior to July• Loan period must either begin on or after July
1 or include July 1 (cross-over period)• If loan period begins before July 1:
– Delay certification/origination– Delay first disbursement until July 1 or later– Certify/Originate another separate loan for
the increased amount
Annual Loan LimitsLoans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2007
FFEL and Direct Loans
• Fixed rate of 6.8% for new Stafford loans first disbursed or or after July 1, 2006
• Fixed rate of 8.5% for new FFEL PLUS loans first disbursed or or after July 1, 2006
• Fixed rate of 7.9% for new Direct Loan PLUS loans first disbursed or or after July 1, 2006
Interest Rates for New Loans
FFEL and Direct Loans
• Phased reduction of the four-percent Direct Loan fee to one percent
• Phased reduction of the three-percent FFEL origination fee to zero
• Requires that the one-percent FFEL default fee be deposited into the federal fund of the FFEL guaranty agency. Requires the agency to either deduct from loan proceeds or pay from non-federal sources
Stafford Loan Fees
FFEL and Direct Loans
• Generally no re-consolidation of a single consolidation loan
• FFEL loans consolidated into Direct only if borrower certifies unable to obtain a FFEL consolidation loan
• Eliminates in-school consolidation in Direct Loans and “early conversion to repayment” consolidation in FFEL
• Eliminates joint consolidations
Consolidation Loans
FFEL and Direct Loans
• An institution with cohort default rates of less than 10 percent for the three most recent years is exempted from the requirement that FFEL and Direct Loans:– Be issued in at least two disbursements
for one-term loans– Be delayed for 30 days for first-time
students
Low Default Rate Disbursement Waivers
FFEL and Direct Loans
• Permanently and retroactively extends the authorization of the increased loan forgiveness of $17,500 for "highly qualified" math, science and special education teachers at qualified low-income schools– Effective on date of enactment,
retroactive to October 1, 2005
Teacher Loan Forgiveness
FFEL, Direct and Perkins Loans
• Provides for a military deferment of up to three years for FFEL, Direct and Perkins Loans that were first disbursed on or after July 1, 2001. Includes definitions of “active duty”
Active Duty Military Deferment
Cost Of Attendance
• Cost of Attendance (COA) for less than half-time students may include room and board costs, at school’s option
• Cost of Attendance may include, at school’s option, the one-time cost of obtaining the first professional license or certification
Calculation Of EFC - 2006-2007Simplified Needs Test and Auto Zero EFC
• Increases the threshold to $20,000 under which a family would automatically have an EFC of zero
• Eliminates consideration of dependent student’s tax return for both SNT and Auto Zero EFC
• Tax return alternative if family received benefits from a federal means-tested benefits program
Calculation Of EFC - 2006-2007
• Treats all 529 Pre-Paid and Tuition Savings Plans as assets of the owner, unless the owner is the dependent student
• Excludes small businesses from assets• Adds active duty military to the criteria that
makes a student independent
Other EFC Changes
Calculation Of EFC - 2007-2008
• Increases Income-Protection Allowances• Decreases Asset Assessment Rates
Other EFC Changes
Drug Conviction
• Provides that an applicant loses eligibility for Title IV aid only if the drug-related offense for which he or she was convicted occurred while the student was receiving Title IV aid
Return Of Title IV Aid (R2T4)• Specifies that scheduled clock hours are
used to determine earned aid for clock-hour programs
• Limits a grant overpayment due from a student to the amount by which the original overpayment amount exceeds half of the total grant funds received by the student
A Couple of Other Issues
Preferred Lenders• Preferred Lenders Lists are allowed• No Automatic Referrals• Must process any loan request made by a
student or parent regardless of lender• May not have unreasonable delays• Publications, scripts and staff training should
comply• Violations could bring sanctions• Does not apply to FFEL/Direct Loan choice
Alternative Loans• Alternative loans must be included as
“estimated financial assistance” if enrollment is a condition for the loan– Does not matter where loan proceeds
are sent or whether school certified enrollment
– May replace EFC– Think about it like an outside
scholarship
More ACG/National SMART
ACG/National SMARTNSLDS Reporting
• December 16 – Reporting to COD Begins• December 17 – COD to NSLDS • December 17 – NSLDS FAP Access• January 1 – 2007-08 ISIRs include 2006-07
ACG/SMART disbursements• January 1 – Transfer Monitoring includes
2006-07 ACG/SMART disbursements– Will not include ACG/SMART if
previously reported on ISIR
ACG/National SMARTDetermining Enrollment Status
• Initial Calculation – Enrollment status determined at time of initial award calculation– Enrollment status could be different than
Pell• Recalculation – Must use same recalculation
policy (e.g., recalculation date, census date) that is used for Pell Grants
ACG/National SMARTLate Disbursements and R2T4
• May make late disbursement even if eligibility not determined before student no longer enrolled– Note regulatory time limits for late
disbursements• Included in R2T4 as “aid that could have been
disbursed” as long as eligibility is determined before R2T4 calculation– Could result in post-withdrawal disbursement
National SMART Designated Majors
• Must be designated with one of the approved “Classification of Instructional Program” codes (CIP Codes)
ACG/National SMARTAcademic Year Progression
• Basic Requirement – Academic year progression based on all credits earned in any ACG/SMART eligible program– Current Institution’s Credits – All credits
earned– Transfer Institution’s Credits – Only credits
accepted by current institution– Regardless of application to student’s
current program
ACG/National SMARTTransfer Students - GPA
• Upon transfer, the new institution must calculate GPA using the grades from all coursework accepted from prior institution(s)
• Once student has GPA at new institution, use new institution’s GPA
ACG/National SMARTRemedial Coursework
• Enrollment Status – Use credits or equivalent
• Academic Year Progression – Institutional policy
• GPA - Institutional policy