This is the 11th paper in AGB's series summarizing federal and state public policy issues affecting higher education. We hope that governing boards, institutional and university-system leaders, and senior staffs will find it useful for board discussions and retreats and in formulating institutional responses to these issues. For the next two…

An overview of recent litigation involving attempts by the federal government to recover allegedly misspent funds. Suggests that the administration intends to ensure that federal funds for education not be misused or abused. (MLF)

The "Student Financial Aid Handbook" explains the policies and procedures required for institutions of higher education to administer federally funded student financial assistance programs properly. This volume describes how a school calculates and pays Pell awards to eligible students and how it reports those payments to the Department…

This document is intended to help institutions of postsecondary education understand their rights and responsibilities relating to school cohort default rates for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)Program. Section 1 focuses on the calculation of FY 1993 official cohort default rates including how student loan activity is tracked and…

In fiscal year 2004, lenders made about $65 billion in loans through the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) to assist students in paying for postsecondary education. The Higher Education Act (HEA), which authorizes FFELP, broadly defined eligible lenders, including schools. The Department of Education's (Education) Office of Federal…

Reviews issues surrounding college tuition discounting, and outlines sources of confusion, defines various discount types, provides historical background prior to recent changes in fund accounting rules, describes the new rules' impact, outlines different uses of tuition discounting by three groups, and applies the accumulated definitions to an…

A federal tax official specializing in tax-exempt organizations discusses the relatively new use of coordinated examination audits. Significant issues being raised as the use of such audits expands are examined, including employment tax, contractors, withholding on students, unrelated business income, bond financing, the audit process, corporate…

Congress has approved new penalties to be assessed against employers who improperly file required tax forms. Includes a 20-factor control test developed by the Internal Revenue Service to help determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. School business officials should review payment procedures to ensure that proper tax…

This guide for institutions of higher education and other schools receiving funds under the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program details required and recommended procedures for the reconciliation process. The reconciliation process is explained to include cash management (the accounting for Direct Loan funds drawn down and disbursed to borrowers)…

The "Student Financial Aid Handbook" explains the policies and procedures required for institutions of higher education to administer federally funded student financial assistance programs properly. This volume clarifies a school's responsibility with respect to Stafford and PLUS loans. These loans are offered through two delivery…

The "Student Financial Aid Handbook" explains the policies and procedures required for institutions of higher education to administer federally funded student financial assistance programs properly. This volume describes student financial aid programs administered at the state level. Students must meet state eligibility criteria to…

This document provides information for postsecondary institutions to allow them to review and correct errors in the federal student loan program cohort default rate data that the guaranty agencies provide to the U.S. Department of Education prior to the final calculation of official cohort default rates. Data are provided to schools through a new…

The magnitude of special education funding requirements has placed strains on both state and local budgets. Funding formulas for special education can be grouped as resource based, child based, or cost based. A table provides a summary of the incentives and disincentives associated with each type of funding. (13 references) (MLF)

This guide is intended to help financial aid administrators (FAAs) interpret student financial aid information that appears in the Student Aid Report (SAR), a paper output document sent to the student, or in an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which is an electronic record sent to the institution. The guide explains the codes and…

The "Student Financial Aid Handbook" explains the policies and procedures required for institutions of higher education to administer federally funded student financial assistance programs properly. This volume focuses on institutional eligibility and explains how a school becomes eligible to participate in the Student Financial Assistance (SFA)…