Improving Administration in

Your
Financial Aid Office
SFA’s Tools for Success

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Quality
How Do We Get There from Here?

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 Session Objectives
n Introduce SFA’s Tools for Success
n Review the SFA Title IV Assessment
Tool
n Review the Quality Analysis Tool
n Share Institutional Perspectives on
the Tools and How They Can Help All
Schools
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 “Attain”
“Attain” “Sustain”
“Sustain”
Toolsfor
Tools forAll
All Tools
Toolsfor
forAll
All
(onthe
(on the (on
(onthe
the
Web)
Web) Web)
Web)

“Advance”Tools
“Advance” Tools
forApproved
for ApprovedQA
QA
MemberSchools
Member Schools
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Thinking Out of the Box
… by providing all Title IV Schools
with tools to succeed …

υ Available for all Case

Management referrals involving
specific assistance
υ Most recent assessments online:
http://qaprogram.air.org 5
 SFA Assessment Tools
n Enhance the work of SFA and
schools
n Help schools by providing
guidance on key questions
about their Title IV stewardship

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 Benefiting Schools,
n Partnership in compliance Students,
n Better technical assistance SFA
n Enhanced administration of Title IV
Program
n Better service to institutions requiring
more comprehensive assistance
n Better service to students

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What is Self Assessment?

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A:
Can
Can youyou
ensure
ensure your
your
school’s
school’s
eligibility
eligibility
for
for Title
Title IV?
IV?
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Assessment A: Institutional Participation

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Assessment A: Continued

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B:
Do
Do you
you need
need
help
help
coordinating
coordinating
fiscal
fiscal
procedures?
procedures?
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 Assessment B: Fiscal Requirements
§ A sound fiscal system includes rules and
procedures for requesting, maintaining, disbursing
and otherwise managing funds under Title IV
§ Variables to consider:
Establishing Accounting Systems
Cash Management Procedures
Disbursement Policies
Coordinating Specific Funds
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C:
Are
Are your
your
students
students
eligible?
eligible?

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 Assessment C: Student Eligibility

n All students must meet eligibility

requirements outlined in 668.130-139
n Select a small sample of student files to
assess your school’s current
procedures for determining recipient
eligibility.
n Take note of missing, inadequate,
and/or conflicting documentation
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D:
Are
Are you
you
awarding
awarding aid
aid
to
to the
the right
right
students?
students?

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 Assessment D: Award Requirements
n For evaluating the effectiveness of
awarding procedures
n Use a sample of five student files
n Variables to consider: Program specific
eligibility, Institutional Award Allocations
(CB), Institutional Awarding Policies
(Packaging), Program Specific Award
Rules, Minimum and Maximum Program
Award Amounts, and Award Notification
Requirements 17
E:
Is
Is the
the money
money
reaching
reaching the
the
recipients?
recipients?

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 Assessment E: Disbursement
Requirements

n For evaluating the effectiveness of

disbursement procedures
n Use a sample of 5 student files
n Use the Student Financial Aid
Handbook in addition to Title IV
regulations to review disbursement
procedures
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F:
Can
Can you
you
balance
balance
your
your books?
books?

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Area F: Reconciliation and Reporting

n For assessing reporting and

reconciliation procedures
n Select 10 random student files
n Verify that your school’s reporting
and reconciliation policies are
carried out on a student-specific
basis
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G:
Can
Can you
you
show
show that
that
automated
automated
procedures
procedures
are
are working?
working?
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 Assessment G: Automation

n To help determine if your school is in

compliance, locate a copy of your
policies and procedures related to
automation.
n [To be considered administratively
capable to participate in the SFA
Programs, a school must participate in
all electronic processes required by the
Department] 23
H:
Do
Do you
you need
need
help
help with
with other
other
management
management
issues?
issues?

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Assessment H: Administrative Practices

n Forassessing institution-specific
management operations
n Assessment worksheet topics:
NCAA, FERPA, Drug Free Schools
and Campuses, etc.

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 Work in Progress
n New Web-based &
interactive modules under
development
n Unveiling at EAC’s in
Nov/Dec ‘01
n Most problematic areas:
RT24, SAP, and
Recertification 26
 Sustaining Quality
n Promote greater sharing of
information between Title IV
institutions
n Share Effective Practices
information with:
• the entire Title IV community
• SFA leaders – to facilitate
change 27
 Effective Practice
n Online form for Reports
sharing practical
knowledge:
Your colleagues need your insights.
For more than 15 years, the Quality Assurance Program has promoted
student financial aid practices that work, in part by relaying accounts of problem solving
efforts that schools have devised and implemented. In advance, we thank you for again sharing
your practical knowledge with your student financial aid colleagues. Your partnership
in this continuing information effort will help all concerned to further the goal
of putting America’s students through school.
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 Advancing Quality
n Flexibilityto pilot alternative
management approaches in
administering Title IV aid
n Schools must volunteer and be
approved for participation in the QA
Program.
n Coming: A Federal Register Notice
inviting schools to apply to
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participate in QA.
 Quality Analysis Tool
n Available to all schools in ‘02-’03
n Analyze FAFSA application/ISIR data
n Generate reports showing effect of
data element changes on EFC/Pell
Grant eligibility
n Improve/customize verification program
n Data to suggest future changes in
federal verification selection criteria
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Locally Designed Verification
n Focuses on local sources of error
n Identifies changes to FAFSA fields that
have an impact on awards

What are the benefits of

school-designed verification
procedures?
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 The Power of Data
n The QA Tool allows schools to conduct
in-depth analysis of applicant data
n A series of reports can be constructed
using custom formats, selected fields
and queries to extract specific
information about your applicant
population

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 QA Tool Reports –
Fine Tuning Verification Procedures
n Corrected Records in EFC Range
n Custom Reports
n Field Change Report
n Field Range Report
n Pell Corrected Records Report
n Student Listing with Verification Flags
n Transaction Comparison
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What We’ve Learned So Far
n Improve FAFSA instructions for and/or
education efforts regarding estimating
income and tax information
n Incorporate tax “estimators” into
verification profiles
n Use - but don’t overly rely on
student/family income level when deciding
who to verify
n Consider collecting information on the
cost of verification. 34
 Institutional Perspective
Craig Cornell –
Associate Director of Financial Aid
Kent State University

2001 Winner
The Quality Assurance
Program - Model of Quality
Award
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n If you have questions, more
information can be found online at:
http://qaprogram.air.org
n Thank you for your interest

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