May 2013 SmartSessions
Pay as You Earn and changes to IBR and ICR can help borrowers successfully manage repayment. Learn more about these plans so you can better counsel students. This session will help you understand how students qualify for the various income-driven plans as you prepare for upcoming exit counseling sessions.
Specific topics covered include:
• Borrower eligibility criteria
• Plan comparisons and loan terms
• Forgiveness provisions
May 1st @ 12 PM, Eastern time
This participatory session reviews complex case studies to show how professional judgment can be a critical tool for providing financial assistance to students in special situations. Help students get the aid they need by making adjustments to either the elements that affect a student’s expected family contribution (EFC) or the cost components of a student’s cost of attendance. Our training consultants will review this act of authority in detail and offer opportunities for discussion.
Specific topics covered include:
• Why and when to use professional judgment
• Permissible actions and required documentation
• Common scenarios – loss of income, changes in assets, extraordinary expenses
• Dependency override
• Maintaining a professional judgment policy
May 2nd @ 12 PM, Eastern time
Credit-based Programs and R2T4
Return of Title IV (R2T4) doesn't have to be daunting. This session walks through a credit-based example to help you understand what it is and when it applies so you can effectively counsel students and help them make informed decisions about withdrawing from school.
Specific topics include:
• R2T4 basics: what it is, when it applies, the formula components for credit-based programs
• Reviewing a hand calculation
• Post-withdrawal disbursements
May 16th @ 2 PM, Central time
May 23@ 11 AM, Central time
Satisfactory Academic Progress: Moving Students in the Right Direction
To be eligible for FSA funds, a student must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP), and schools must have a reasonable policy for monitoring that progress. Learn the basics of the SAP policy and how it affects you. This session will review the requirements so you can respond to your students’ needs and move them toward successfully completing the program for which they are receiving aid.
Specific topics covered include:
• Understanding institutional requirements
• Identifying student eligibility requirements
• Appreciating the differences between qualitative and quantitative components
• Exploring consumer information requirements
May 1st @ 3 PM, Eastern time
May 15th @ 12 PM, Eastern time
FERPA: Interpreting the Intricacies
Protecting student privacy is paramount. Understand what needs to be included in your school’s Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) policy and gain a working knowledge of how to ensure FERPA privacy requirements are met in real-world scenarios. Consider this course not just an introduction to the basics of FERPA, but also an in-depth guide to understanding the rights of students and their parents regarding student education records. The materials presented have been vetted by our privacy specialists to ensure that you get the most accurate and comprehensive assistance available.
Specific topics covered include:
• Review of final rules
• Student and parent rights and FERPA
• Right to access, review, and amend an education record
• Compliance, complaints, and enforcement
May 22nd @ 3 PM, Eastern time
Repayment Refresher: Standard, Graduated, Extended, and Consolidation
Income-driven plans are all the rage. Yet millions of borrowers still go with traditional repayment plansundefinedstandard/level, graduated, and extended. Learn more about their place today, and consolidation, too. We’ll cover the pros and cons of each, and how you can help students evaluate their options during upcoming exit counseling sessions.
Specific topics covered include:
• Comparing benefits and considerations
• Understanding which borrowers qualify for each option
• Helping students develop a repayment strategy
May 28th @ 12 PM, Eastern time
Tax Filing Rules: What Financial Aid Administrators Need to Know
Get a refresher on tax filing rules in advance of the 2013-14 verification cycle to better identify and resolve issues during the file review process. This webinar will take you through tax rules to ensure the data elements used to calculate the expected family contribution are correct.
Specific topics covered include:
• IRS filing guidelines and thresholds
• Comparing filing status to FAFSA results
• Tax filing status and verification processes
May 29th @ 3 PM, Eastern time
Deferment, Forbearance, and Forgiveness Options for Borrowers
Federal student loans give borrowers a wealth of options for successfully managing repayment, including a number of deferment, forbearance, and forgiveness options. Brush up on them now, so you can effectively counsel students during upcoming exit counseling sessions, and help them exercise their options.
Specific topics covered include:
• Deferment
• Forbearance
• Forgiveness Programs
• Consequences of default
• Helping students develop a repayment strategy
May 30th @ 12 PM, Eastern time
Modular Programs and R2T4
Return of Title IV (R2T4) procedures for modular programs pose special challenges for an aid office. This session reviews the definition of modular programs and how the return of funds must be calculated to maintain Title IV compliance. We will review case studies and examples about how modular programs and student withdrawal dates impact the return of funds process and best practices for staying in compliance.
Specific topics covered include:
• Modular program definitions
• Earned and unearned funds
• Withdrawal dates and calendar days
• Best practices and case studies
May 14th @ 3 PM, Eastern time
May 21st @ 12 PM, Eastern time
A Guide to Great Lakes Default Prevention Tools
May 2nd @ 3 PM, Eastern time
