In Collaboration with Financial Aid Professionals, Federal Student Aid Has Designed Management

In collaboration with financial aid professionals, Federal Student Aid has designed management assessment modules to help schools enhance their services. The modules contain links to applicable laws and regulations. If you have questions regarding how to use this useful tool please visit our FAQ page.

This chart features examples of specific compliance issues and provides recommendations for related assessments that your school may want to complete.

This denotes a new assessment.

This denotes an updated assessment.

Students / Schools
Student Eligibility
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Verification / Institutional Eligibility
Default Prevention & Management
Consumer Information
Automation
Managing Funds / Innovations
Fiscal Management
Return of Title IV Funds
FWS
FSEOG
Perkins Awarding & Disbursement
Perkins Due Diligence
Perkins Repayment
Perkins Forbearance & Deferment
Perkins Cancellation

The Policies and Procedures assessments are designed to help new and established schools develop new policies and procedures as well as evaluate and improve existing policies and procedures. To make it easy
to find the activities that are appropriate for your school, they have been divided into the three sections
outlined below. To view the templates for each section, click on any of the Titles: Beginners (New Schools), Intermediate or Advanced

Beginners (New Schools)

If your school is new, it will be very beneficial for you to begin with the Getting Started with Developing Institutional Policies and Procedures Worksheet. This worksheet will help ensure your school meets the basic regulation requirements in the following policy areas:

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Admissions
Refunds
Returns to Title IV and HEA Programs

Each of these four sections provides a working Topic Template to assist you with the development of your policy and procedure design. Although not required, they can be useful guides.

Once your school has satisfied the basic requirements, you will be ready to move on to the assessments provided in the Intermediate section of the Policies and Procedures Chart.

Intermediate

Use the activities and resources in the Intermediate section of the Policies and Procedures Chart if:

your school is new and has satisfied the basic requirements;
your staff is unsure about the existing policies and procedures; or
your school wants to enhance existing policies and procedures.

The activities featured in the Intermediate section are designed to help your school meet the minimum general requirements. This section also provides working Topic Templates and programs related requirement activities to assist you with the development of your policy and procedure design. Although not required, they can be useful guides.

The Policies and Procedures Chart is structured as follows:

Topic Template: Click on a topic and it will link to the template for that policy and procedure. Use the template to either help create a new policy and/or procedure or to test current policies and procedures by completing a related assessment.
Program Related Requirement: Click on the text and it will link to an activity that lists the elements required for a written process for that topic.
Related Assessment Activities: If an assessment is identified in this column, we encourage you to complete the associated activities to help evaluate your policies and procedures.

Once your school has satisfied the minimum general requirements, you will be ready to move on to the activities provided in the Advanced section of the Policies and Procedures Chart.

Advanced

Use the activities and resources in the Advanced section of the Policies and Procedures Chart if:

your school has satisfied the minimum general requirements; and
your school wants to go above and beyond its existing policies and procedures and institute
good practices; or
your school wants to test existing policies and procedures by completing the appropriate activity.

Policies and Procedures Activities At-A-Glance is an additional chart that makes it easy to review the areas identified in the linked activities. It identifies areas outlined in the law and regulations that require a written policy and procedure and also provides links to the regulations for you to review.

Knowing the regulations will assist you in being good stewards in the development and implementation of your policies and procedures. It will also assist you in your audit and program review experiences.

Intermediate

This chart provides Topic Templates and Activities that will help Intermediate level schools meet Minimum General Requirements.

Topic Template / Program Related Requirement / Related Assessment Activities
Institutional Eligibility / Activity 2 / Institutional Eligibility
Adequate Staffing / Activity 1 / Fiscal Management
Consumer Information / Activity 1and3 / Consumer Information
Admissions Policy/ATB / Activity 2 and 3 / Student Eligibility
Secondary Confirmation / Activity 3 / Student Eligibility
Certification / Activity 3 / Student Eligibility
Satisfactory Academic Progress / Activity 1 / SAP
Return of Title IV/Refund Repayments / Activities 3 and 10 / R2T4
Awarding/Packaging Policies / Activities 4, 5, and 6 / FSEOG, FWS, Perkins Awarding and Disbursement
Verification / Activity 3 / Verification
Documentation / Activity 3 / Verification
Conflicting Data / Activity 1 / Verification
Professional Judgment / Activity 3 / Verification
Misrepresentation / Activity 3 / Verification
Adequate Checks and Balances / Activity 1 / Fiscal Management
Financial Aid Counseling / Activity 1 / Consumer Information,
Fiscal Management
Fiscal Reports and Financial Statements / Activity 1 / Fiscal Management
ACG and National SMART / Activity 8 / Fiscal Management
Federal Pell Program / Activity 7 / Fiscal Management
Federal SEOG Program / Activity 6 / FSEOG
Federal Work-Study Program / Activity 5 / FWS
Federal Perkins Loan Processes / Activity 4 / Awarding & Disbursement, Due Diligence,
Cancellation, Repayment, Forbearance & Deferment
FFEL Loan Process / Activity 9 / Fiscal Management, Consumer Information,
Default Management
DL Process / Activity 10 / Fiscal Management, Consumer Information,
Default Management
TEACH Grant Processes / Activity 11 / Fiscal Management, Consumer Information,
Default Management

This chart features examples of specific compliance issues and provides recommendations for related assessments that your school may want to complete.

This denotes a new assessment.

This denotes an updated assessment.

This assessment provides your school with an opportunity to review procedures regarding return of Title IV funds. The related links are listed throughout the assessment.

/ Policies and Procedures Chart

Why start with policies and procedures?

Reviewing and developing policies and procedures is a good place to begin when evaluating your financial aid operations. It is difficult to assess your compliance on an individual student level if your policies and procedures aren’t fully developed, are inaccurate or are not being consistently followed. Completing the policies and procedures prior to any other activities will help you identify additional areas to evaluate and will assist you in making the most of your compliance efforts

For return of Title IV we recommend that you start with the following activities from the policies and procedures Design Process Chart: Activity 3 (Title IV Refunds section) and Activity 10 (Payment of a refund or Return of Title IV section). In addition, you may find it helpful to select a topic related to Return of Title IV/Refund Repayments and it will provide you with a policy and procedure template. Use this template to either assist you in creating a new policy and procedure or to test those currently in place.

Schools are required to provide students with details of all refund policies applicable to the school as well as information on the Title IV program requirements for the treatment of Title IV funds when a student withdraws.

If you identify areas requiringcorrective action, we recommend that you complete the Management Enhancement Worksheet.

Activity Bar:
R2T4 Activity 1: Return of Title IV Funds File Review Worksheet

Additional Links:2008-09 FSA Handbook Overawards, Overpayments & Withdrawal Calculations, Chapter 2; Return of Title IV Aid Worksheets; DCL GEN-04-03; DCL GEN-06-05; DCL GEN-06-10; Federal Register, November 2, 2007

R2T4 on the Web is accessible through the FAA Main Menu of the FAA Access to CPS Online website ( and from the View menu in the EDExpress for Windows software.

General Return of Title IV Funds Requirements / Activity
Withdrawal Date (See Step 2 of the Return of Title IV Aid Worksheets)
668.22(b)(3), DCL-GEN-04-03
Calculation (See Steps 1 and 2 of the Return of Title IV Aid Worksheets), 34 CFR 668.22(a)(1); 2008-09 FSA Handbook, Overawards, Overpayments & Withdrawal Calculations, Chapter 2, page 5-38 through 5-40 / R2T4 Activity 1: Return of Title IV Funds File Review Worksheet
Post-Withdrawal Disbursements (See Step 4 of the Return of Title IV Aid Worksheets) 34 CFR 668.22(a)(3), and 34 CFR 668.22(a)(4)
Return of Funds - See 668.22(a), 668.22(g), 668.22(i), and 668.22(j).
Grant Overpayments (Refer to appropriate steps within Return of Title IV Worksheets) 668.22(h)(4)
Policies and Procedures Chart