This guide is intended for college financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook consists of the…

This guide is intended for college financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook consists of the…

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill®)--enacted as Title V of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252)--provides educational assistance payments to eligible individuals (service-members and veterans, and their dependents) from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in accordance with their…

Changes in the payment and reporting procedures of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants are proposed. Removing the Student Eligibility Report (SER) as a payment device is advocated. The SER is useful as an acknowledgement form to the applicant, a data correction device, and a document to begin validation efforts. (MLW)

A bibliography on the development, implementation, and refinement of the process of verification of student financial aid application information is presented. The concept of verifying the information supplied by applicants has taken place since the federal financial aid programs began. Abstracts for 50 documents prepared since 1978 are presented.…

Results of an investigation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) administration of the college housing loan program are presented. Management weaknesses in the selection of projects for funding and delays in final approval of loan agreements are discussed. The review concentrated largely on construction projects, but…

The purpose and direction of the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) quality improvement program are described. The background and context for the Pell Grant quality control (QC) design study and the meaning of QC are reviewed. The general approach to quality improvement consists of the following elements: a strategic approach that enables OSFA…

The objectives of the Pell Grant quality control (QC) system and the general definition of QC are considered. Attention is also directed to: the objectives of the Stage II Pell Grant QC system design and testing project, the approach used to develop the QC system, and the interface of the QC system and the Pell Grant delivery system. The…

An ongoing corrective action framework for the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) is presented. Attention is directed to the formal management structure in OSFA and current initiatives to improve management, and the placement of the corrective action process in the organizational hierarchy. Four formal mechanisms needed to implement the…

Specifications of the current student financial aid system, with attention to the Pell Grant, Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL), and campus-based programs, are provided. The methodology used to develop the specifications is also described. The campus-based programs include the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program, the College Work Study…

The type, number, and scope of errors on Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) program applications were estimated in a replication of a 1976-1977 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Comparison Study. Information reported on BEOG applicants and IRS income tax returns was compared for various categories of applicants. The study provides information…

Basic information about the federal Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program, including its status and the level of participation, is presented, and policy issues concerning cost, equity, efficiency, and administration are also identified. After specifying six criteria for evaluating options for change in the program, specific options are listed…

Ways to improve college student loans, work-study, and grants programs are suggested, based on the experience of the financial aid director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is recommended that emphasis be shifted from the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program to the National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) Program, which is more…

The effects of the current student financial aid delivery system on five major participant groups are examined: federal government, states/guarantee agencies, postsecondary institutions, lenders and secondary markets, and applicants and families. Attention is directed to effects of the current system, including: administrative costs, fund…

An evaluation model for the student aid delivery system is described, and extensive tables that make up the model are presented. The model can be used to evaluate the effects of specific activities and subsystems of the delivery system for major participants, as well as to estimate the likely effects of activity changes. A conceptual model for…