Michigan High School Counselor Videoconference Federal Update

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Michigan High School Counselor VideoconferenceFed
eral Update

• November 12, 2003

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What is Federal Financial Aid?

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity
  Grant
• Federal Work-Study
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Federal Family Education Loans
• Federal Direct Loans

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How To Apply?

• Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Paper application
• Web-based application

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What the FAFSA Includes

• Step One Student demographics
• Step Two Students financial information
• Step Three Determination of dependency status
• Step Four Parents financial information

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What the FAFSA Includes

• Step Five Independent student household
  information
• Step Six List of schools to receive data
• Step Seven Certification and signatures

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How Is the Data Used?

• In a statutory formula called the Federal
  Methodology
• Looks at income, assets, and size of family to
  determine familys ability to contribute to the
  students educational expenses
• Result is called an Expected Family Contribution

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2004-2005Independent Criteria

• Born before January 1, 1981
• Working on a masters or doctorate program
• Married
• Has children/dependents for whom he/she provides
  more than half the support
• Both parents are deceased
• Is/was a ward of court until age 18
• Is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces

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The Paper FAFSA

• Color of the FAFSA
• Pink for Students (Pantone 196 CVU)
• Purple for Parents (Pantone 263 CVU)
• FAFSA will include
• Return receipt postcard
• Revised insert
• New, reworded, and reordered questions and
  instructions

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The Paper FAFSA

• 2004-2005 FAFSAs will be sent to high schools in
  early November
• Counselors may request additional forms by
  calling
• 1-877-4EDPUBS
• OR
• www.edpubs/org.ml

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The Paper FAFSAPage 1

• Redesigned first page
• More information about federal and state
  deadlines
• More prominent instructions for correcting
  estimated tax return data once return is
  completed

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The Paper FAFSAPage 2

• Added Web site reference for exchange rates
• Further clarified what is not an investment

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The Paper FAFSAPage 3

• Question 13 Students e-mail address
• Moved from Step Six to Step One
• 40 characters long, pre-printed _at_ symbol
• Explains how e-mail address will be used
• Question 31 New number for the drug question

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The Paper FAFSAPage 4

• Step Two
• Questions 43 45 Students asset net worth
  questions reordered
• Step Three
• Question 49 Wording for graduate dependency
  question revised to be clearer
• Question 53 Revised to read Are both of your
  parents deceased, or are you or were you (until
  age 18) a ward/dependent of the court?

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The Paper FAFSAPage 5, Step Four

• Added questions about students parents
• Questions 59 and 63 Parents first initial
• Questions 60 and 64 Parents date of birth
• No longer ask Age of older parent question

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The Paper FAFSAPage 6

• Step Six Enrollment questions --
• Moved from Step One
• One question for all terms
• Separate response for Not sure
• Certification will include statement that student
  cannot receive Pell from more than one school for
  same period of time

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Output For Students

• Paper application without students e-mail
  address will result in paper Student Aid Report
  (SAR)
• Paper application with students e-mail
  address will result in e-mail with web site for
  SAR on the Web

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Paper Student Aid Report

• Printed on white paper with pink wash across top
  of page
• Added variable text on first page of SAR when
  student has eligibility issues
• Parent e-mail address printed on SAR, but will
  not be correctable

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FAFSA on the WebScreen Shots and Demonstration
Site

• In early October 2003, a PowerPoint presentation
  containing FAFSA on the Web screen shots became
  available on IFAP
• FAFSA on the Web demonstration site will be
  available in early December 2003
• To access site, go to http//fafsademo.test.ed.gov
  
• Enter
• User Name eddemo
• Password fafsatest

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FAFSA on the Web Toolkits

• Were mailed in October to --
• Postsecondary schools
• High schools
• State agencies
• Libraries
• PTAs
• TRIO Centers

• Toolkits include
• Brochure
• Poster
• Tips Card
• PIN Flyer
• Web-Link Graphics Flyer
• Post-it Notes
• FAA Access Flyer

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FAFSA on the Web www.fafsa.ed.gov

• Apply
• Reapply
• Go to PIN Web site
• Check status of FAFSA
• View SAR information
• Make corrections
• Simplified FAFSA for residents of certain states

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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Spanish FAFSA on the Web

• Spanish FAFSA on the Web will include Spanish
  versions of
• Pre-Application Worksheet
• Worksheets A, B, and C
• Income Estimator Worksheet
• Drug Conviction Worksheet

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FAFSA on the Web

• Includes new and revised paper FAFSA questions
• New parent e-mail address
• If valid parent e-mail address provided --
• E-mail sent to parent when FAFSA processed
• If signature(s) are missing, e-mail will include
  information about how to sign
• Correctable on the Web or through FSAIC

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FAFSA on the WebEnhanced Edits and Skip Logic

• Dependent students required to provide parents
  SSN, last name, first name initial, and DOB
• If students parent is single --
• Skip logic presents only one parent SSN, last
  name, first initial, and DOB
• Student asked if information is for father or
  mother
• Housing Plans questions
• Student required to answer on FOTW

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FAFSA on the WebElectronic Signatures

• Students and parents can electronically sign
  within Web applications
• May request PIN number prior to completing the
  FAFSA
• www.pin.ed.gov

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Without Electronic Signature

• Print signature page and submit within 14 days
• If signature page not received by Central
  Processing System within 14 days, student
  receives rejected Student Aid Report
• Rejected SAR must be signed and submitted

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(No Transcript)
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Output For Students

• Web application without students e-mail
  address will result in paper SAR Information
  Acknowledgement
• Web application with students e-mail address
  will result in e-mail with web site for SAR on
  the Web

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CPS Database Matches

• Social Security Administration
• Immigration and Naturalization Service (renamed
  Department of Homeland Security (DHS))
• Selective Service
• Veterans Administration
• National Student Loan Data System

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CPS ChangesSSN Database Match with SSA

• Pending passage of legislation authorizing IRS
  income verification match, need successful
  SSA/SSN match for at least one parent of a
  dependent applicant
• Parent SSN match with SSA --
• Will not send parent SSN if same as students
  (will set parent SSN to blank)
• Will use same match flag results as students

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CPS ChangesParent SSN Match with SSA

• Applicant whose parent has SSA Date of Death
  (Match Flag 5) will receive a SAR comment
  instead of being rejected
• Parents allowed to change SSN, even if SSA gave
  clean match flag of 4

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CPS ChangesNew Rejects

• New rejects for missing/discrepant parent SSN,
  last name, first name initial, and DOB
• Reject 6 Fathers SSN not on SSA database
  (non-verifiable reject)
• Reject 7 Mothers SSN not on SSA database
  (non-verifiable reject)
• Reject S Fathers DOB not matched on SSA
  database (verifiable reject)
• Reject T Mothers DOB not matched on SSA
  database (verifiable reject)

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FSA for Counselorsifap.ed.gov/FSACounselors/index
.html

• Online info for middle school, high school, and
  TRIO counselors
• Includes High School Counselors Handbook and
  financial aid night info

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Student Aid on the Webwww.studentaid.ed.gov

• Customizes presentation based upon age of
  child/student
• Information related to Preparing for higher
  education, choosing a school, applying for
  admission, funding options, attending, and
  student loan repayment