The NASFAA Resource Catalog is a guide to publications, tools, and services
that the Association offers to Members.

• NASFAA Regulatory Resources
  
• NASFAA Management Resources
  
• NASFAA Research Resources
  
• NASFAA Training Resources
  
• NASFAA Conferences
  
• NASFAA Publications
  
• NASFAA Membership Resources
  
• NASFAA College Access Resources

• College Cost Reduction and Access Act Resource Page provides analysis, regulatory and legislative language, media coverage and Department of Education guidance on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA).

• Ask NASFAA a Regulatory Question (AskRegs) allows NASFAA Members to ask Association staff questions about regulatory and compliance issues.

• NASFAA's Compiled Title IV Regulations provides a searchable PDF document for each of the major parts of CFR 34. Each document contains a table of contents that is linked to the regulatory sections in that part for easier navigation. NASFAA incorporates new regulations for each award year in a format that shows what text will change the following July 1, while retaining the compiled regulations from previous years for reference.

• CORE In-Service Staff Training is a comprehensive tool containing 13 instructional modules that is updated each spring. Every CORE module includes an instructor's guide, participant handouts, and PowerPoint presentations. CORE covers the full scope of student financial aid including application, need analysis, cost of attendance, professional judgment, verification, return of Title IV funds, and more. A full set of CORE materials is over 1,500 pages and available on CD-ROM only. Modules cannot be purchased individually.

• The NASFAA Encyclopedia of Student Financial Aid, known by many as the "bible of student aid," is primarily a Web-based too that reflects current statutes and regulations governing federal student aid programs in an easy-to-read format with detailed indexing system. Areas covered include General Program Administration, Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, FWS, Perkins (NDSL), FFEL, and Direct Loans. Information on subscribing to the NASFAA Encyclopedia is available on-line.

• Fall Training addresses topics of interest that have been identified by Association Members and the Training Committee, and is offered in most states under the auspices of state and regional financial aid associations. Materials from past Fall Training workshops are available for purchase.

• NASFAA's HERA Implementation Resources page provides schools with a single source of essential information and tools for implementing the provisions of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005.

• How to Communicate with ED and Other Agencies provides guidance on making your views known about regulatory issues.

• The Hurricane Resource Page provides policy guidance from NASFAA, ED, HHS, DHS, and others related to the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Information is also presented for schools that helped displaced students, sources of assistance, and more.

• LearnStudentAid.org is the first learning community on the Web created by financial aid administrators for financial aid administrators. It was developed and is supported by NASFAA. LearnStudentAid.org courses are available only on the Web, and reflect the knowledge and experience NASFAA brings with over 30 years of training FAAs. This on-line training also relies on the best practices of on-line learning, which have been developed and shared by higher education institutions, associations, agencies, and corporations.

• NASFAA's Policies & Procedures Tools show how to create and maintain a Policies & Procedures Manual for the proper administration of student financial aid in an electronic age. The Tools include a user-friendly electronic template for a Policies & Procedures Manual and a wide array of other aids for formulating, implementing, evaluating, and revising policies and procedures. It's a well-stocked toolbox to help build a financial aid foundation.

• Professional Judgment in Eligibility Determination and Need Analysis (NASFAA Monograph 21) identifies a variety of situations in which it may be necessary to use professional judgment in need analysis. Alternatives are suggested to help aid administrators assess more sensitively the ability of a family to pay for postsecondary education.

• Satisfactory Progress: A Balancing Act (NASFAA Monograph 14: updated in 2004) is a guide for evaluating and establishing written satisfactory academic progress policies and procedures that assures compliance and meets the needs of students, while taking into consideration the goals of the institution as a whole.

• NASFAA's Self-Evaluation Guide for Institutional Participation is an in-house assessment device that helps institutions determine the effectiveness of their administration of the Title IV programs and reflects NASFAA's understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to the award years covered by each Guide. The Guide is updated each winter over the course of several months, with sections posted on the Web site as they are completed, until the entire Guide is on-line.

• NASFAA's Sept. 11 Resource Page provides policy guidance, related news and resources, and information on scholarship funds for families of victims.

• Title IV Eligibility Checklist: Considerations for Adding New Programs & Locations helps schools in the task of adding new academic programs and/or locations at their institutions. In addition to highlighting areas of regulatory concerns, the chart includes resources for additional research. The chart also provides current Case Management and Oversight contact information.

• Training Materials from previous workshops address topics of interest that have been identified by Association Members and the Training Committee. Materials from past training workshops are available for purchase.

• Using Federal Tax Returns in Need Analysis is NASFAA's annual reference tool on how to use federal income tax returns, schedules, and forms in need analysis. It includes a Forms Comparison chart and a Guide to Implied Assets and Income chart to refer to IRS forms and the institutional output document for the FAFSA. There is also a section on the use of W-2 forms for verifying certain sources of income that may not be accurately reported on the FAFSA.

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• NASFAA's Award Letter Evaluation Tool offers schools a framework in which to provide clear, concise and complete award materials that deliver "what families want to know" in a language understood by all. The tool strives to offer flexibility in the delivery of information while promoting a factual review to make sure families will have the detail necessary to make informed decisions.

• Choosing, Using, and Appraising a Student Financial Aid Consultant provides basic guidelines to assist financial aid administrators in locating, evaluating and selecting qualified consultants. NASFAA members and nonmembers may access this publication on-line.

• College Access, Financial Aid, and College Success for Undergraduates from Foster Care examines the effects of foster care on college access and success for undergraduate students.

• The NASFAA Encyclopedia of Student Financial Aid, known by many as the "bible of student aid," is primarily a Web-based too that reflects current statutes and regulations governing federal student aid programs in an easy-to-read format with detailed indexing system. Areas covered include General Program Administration, Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, FWS, Perkins (NDSL), FFEL, and Direct Loans. Information on subscribing to the NASFAA Encyclopedia is available on-line.

• The Financial Aid Night Slide Presentation and Guide developed by NASFAA provides high school counselors and other interested persons the basic knowledge and information they need to conduct a financial aid night presentation. The accompanying guide, Planning and Conducting a Financial Aid Night, includes important steps on how to set up a financial aid night, as well as a narrative for the slideshow. The slideshow presentation is available on-line in several different formats.

• Financing Graduate and Professional Education: 2003-2004 (NASFAA Monograph 17) summarizes the strategies students in graduate and professional programs use to finance their educational experiences.

• Foster Youth FAFSA Tips helps aid administrators and foster youth complete relevant portions of the FAFSA.

• NASFAA's Guide to Federal Tax Benefits for Tuition and Fees provides help explaining two federal tax credits for college expenses--the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credit, as well as available tax deductions for tuition and fees and links to related IRS Publications. A version also exists for distribution to parents and students or as a link from a campus home page.

• Don't Get Hooked provides free promotional materials for financial aid offices to distibute to help college-bound students and their families avoid scholarship scams.

• Free Financial Education Guide and Materials for Financial Aid Professionals includes a step-by-step, how-to-guide to help campus administrators and financial professionals develop and implement successful financial education programs on college campuses and three financial education brochures that can be distributed to students. The materials are free and can be downloaded, printed, and personalized by any campus.

• The NASFAA Career Center lets you advertise for needed staff or look for new opportunities for yourself.

• Key Factors in Financial Aid Office Staff Sizes: Results of the 2006 NASFAA Staffing Survey and Development of the Staffing Model provides an objective methodology for predicting financial aid office staff sizes for institutions with similar characteristics.

• NASFAA's Policies & Procedures Tools show how to create and maintain a Policies & Procedures Manual for the proper administration of student financial aid in an electronic age. The Tools include a user-friendly electronic template for a Policies & Procedures Manual and a wide array of other aids for formulating, implementing, evaluating, and revising policies and procedures. It's a well-stocked toolbox to help build a financial aid foundation.

• A Primer on Economics for Financial Aid Professionals is available on-line at no charge. Jointly sponsored by NASFAA and The College Board and written in 1996 by Sandy Baum, the Primer links basic economic concepts to college enrollment and student aid, and also analyzes need analysis from an economic perspective, essential to a stronger understanding of the key principles that shape our need analysis systems. A paper version is also available. Member: $10.00; Non-member: $15.00. 15% discount on orders of 10 or more.

• The Salary Analysis Online Tool (2004) lets financial aid staff at member institutions determine their average or normative salary based on a number of factors, such as education level, institution type, job title and primary duties, and geographic location of their institutions.

• NASFAA's Salary and Staffing Models area includes on-line salary and staffing analysis tools, and results of the Association's salary and staffing surveys.

• Satisfactory Academic Progress: A Balancing Act (Monograph 14) is a guide from NASFAA for evaluating and establishing written satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policies and procedures that assure compliance and meet the needs of students, while taking into consideration the goals of the institution as a whole. The monograph was updated in May 2004.

• NASFAA's Self-Evaluation Guide for Institutional Participation is an in-house assessment device that helps institutions determine the effectiveness of their administration of the Title IV programs and reflects NASFAA's understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to the award years covered by each Guide. The Guide is updated each winter over the course of several months, with sections posted on the Web site as they are completed, until the entire Guide is on-line.

• The NASFAA Standards of Excellence Review Program is an innovative program of voluntary peer reviews of institutional financial aid programs. It includes a confidential report that assesses a program's strengths and proposes recommendations for improvement. In developing this assessment, the team of experts reviews specified areas, including Program Compliance, Operations, and Delivery; Systems, Automation, and Technology Utilization; Human Resources and Facilities; and Customer Service.

• NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principles provides a set of principles for financial aid administrators that serves as a common foundation for accepted standards of conduct.

• Student Aid Transcript is NASFAA's award-winning magazine, a forum for management and student aid issues. Most popular issues featured stories on the Internet and financial aid, distance learning, affirmative action, and handling stress. Student Aid Transcript is also available on the Transcript Web site.

• NASFAA's Title IV Eligibility Checklist NASFAA's Title IV Eligibility Checklist highlights the major areas that an institution should review when establishing new academic programs and adding locations.

• Using Federal Tax Returns in Need Analysis is NASFAA's annual reference tool on how to use federal income tax returns, schedules, and forms in need analysis. It includes a Forms Comparison chart and a Guide to Implied Assets and Income chart to refer to IRS forms and the institutional output document for the FAFSA. There is also a section on the use of W-2 forms for verifying certain sources of income that may not be accurately reported on the FAFSA.

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• The Annotated Bibliography of Student Financial Aid provides brief summaries of student aid research published from 1988 to the present. NASFAA's Web-based bibliographies allow researchers to search for summaries of research related to financial aid. Included in the bibliography are journal articles, reports, and other projects related to student aid. Researchers may search for articles by subject, title, author, or year of publication.

• College Access, Financial Aid, and College Success for Undergraduates from Foster Care examines the effects of foster care on college access and success for undergraduate students.

• Completing the Common Data Set: A Guide for Financial Aid Professionals (Monograph Number 19) enhances Member knowledge of the Common Data Set (CDS) Initiative and provides advice on completing the college costs and financial aid sections of the CDS reporting forms.

• Financial Aid Professionals at Work: SUFAPPP 2001 is the fourth in a series of studies on the processes used by on-campus aid administrators to award financial assistance to undergraduates. Also available: Financial Aid Professionals at Work: SUFAPPP 1996

• Financing Graduate and Professional Education: 2003-2004 (Monograph 17) summarizes the strategies students in graduate and professional programs use to finance their educational experiences.

• Fixing the Formula: Need Analysis for Independent Students takes an innovative approach to determining independent students' ability to pay for education. It challenges many of the fundamental tenets of traditional need analysis and proposes new ways of thinking about the resources available to independent students in varying circumstances.
  

• The Graduate Aid Study [SOGAPPP:98] was undertaken to gain added knowledge and insight into the distribution of financial aid funds to graduate and professional students, and into the financial aid operations and management issues facing financial aid administrations who serve these students.
  

• Institutional Grants and Degree Attainment provides convincing evidence of the need to focus more attention on persistence issues to ensure that financial aid is both providing student access and assuring student degree completion.
  

• The Journal of Student Financial Aid, NASFAA's award-winning research publication, is mailed to Association Members three times a year and also available on the Web. It is one of the few NASFAA publications available to non-members, to enable libraries, researchers, and others to learn of the research taking place in financial aid. Article submission guidelines are available on the Journal Web site.

• The National Profile of Federal Student Aid Programs provides detailed information about each of the programs authorized under Title IV, including program descriptions, number of students served, and program appropriations over the past ten years.
  

• A Primer on the Federal Budget Process (Monograph Number 18) enhances member knowledge of the legislative process that develops and completes the federal budget, and comments on the complexities of federal student aid appropriations.

• Report on College Access and Tax Credits looks at the links between federal higher education tax credits and college enrollment.
  

• Research Tools, Tips, & Resources for Financial Aid Administrators provides research tools, tips, and resources to help financial aid administrators undertake research tasks. The report also provides instructions for administrators who want to build research databases and strategies for publicizing the results of your research efforts.
  

• NASFAA's A Scan of Our Changing Environment, 2004-2005 reviews and analyzes the political, economic, and social events and trends that may affect the future of student financial aid. Developed by NASFAA's Research Committee, the last sections of the scan look at the economic and political environments facing aid administrators on campus and within NASFAA itself.

• So You'd Like To Do Some Research….An Introduction to the New ERIC offers a guide to the ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) library that opened to the public on September 1, 2004, and consists primarily of bibliographic records of journal articles and other reports on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education.
  

• NASFAA's Sponsored Research Grant Program awards grants to facilitate the initiation, completion, and distribution of original research activities in areas of interest to NASFAA and its Membership.

• Staffing and Salary Tools & Models provide access to NASFAA's periodic surveys on financial aid office staffing and salaries.
  

• State Tax Calculations Spreadsheet estimates the changes in parental contribution due to changes in the state/local tax allowances in the need analysis formula for 2005-2006.
  

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• CORE In-Service Staff Training is a comprehensive tool containing 13 instructional modules that is updated each spring. Every CORE module includes an instructor's guide, participant handouts, and PowerPoint presentations. CORE covers the full scope of student financial aid including application, need analysis, cost of attendance, professional judgment, verification, return of Title IV funds, and more. A full set of CORE materials is over 1,500 pages and available on CD-ROM only. Modules cannot be purchased individually.

• Fall Training addresses topics of interest that have been identified by Association Members and the Training Committee, and is offered in most states under the auspices of state and regional financial aid associations. Materials from past Fall Training workshops are available for purchase.

• Financial Aid Night and Counselor's Materials were developed by NASFAA and are updated annually to provide materials for financial aid administrators, high school counselors, and other interested persons to use when conducting financial aid night presentations.

• In Search of Best Practices provides an opportunity to delve into national topics of concern, learn from the experiences of others, and share ideas on current issues facing senior aid administrators today.
• LearnStudentAid.org is the first learning community on the Web created by financial aid administrators for financial aid administrators. It was developed and is supported by NASFAA. LearnStudentAid.org courses are available only on the Web, and reflect the knowledge and experience NASFAA brings with over 30 years of training FAAs. This on-line training also relies on the best practices of on-line learning, which have been developed and shared by higher education institutions, associations, agencies, and corporations.

• NASFAA's Policies & Procedures Tools show how to create and maintain a Policies & Procedures Manual for the proper administration of student financial aid in an electronic age. The Tools include a user-friendly electronic template for a Policies & Procedures Manual and a wide array of other aids for formulating, implementing, evaluating, and revising policies and procedures. It's a well-stocked toolbox to help build a financial aid foundation.
• NASFAA's Tips for Trainers is a PowerPoint presentation that reviews the top fears of presenters, discusses some strategies for addressing them, and shares tips for adding dynamics to your workshops.
• Training Materials. (Note: Pricing is available on the Order Form).

  • Fall 2007 NASFAA Training on how to explain to students and families in layman’s terms how their financial resources and family demographics are used to calculate the expected family contribution (EFC) under federal methodology (FM), and other options available to them when the standard approach does not work.

  • Fall 2006 NASFAA Training on Verification explained the difference between "verification" of data used to calculate a student's expected family contribution (EFC) and "conflicing information." In addition, the materials cover the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA), which changes several need analysis formula data elements.

  • Fall 2005 NASFAA Training on "Administrative Capability: Campus-Wide Compliance" presented compliance in the context of a campus-wide effort, focusing on developing strategies to ensure and strengthen the cross-campus communication necessary to demonstrate Title IV administrative capability.

  • Spring 2003 NASFAA Training addressed debt management: strategies, options, and implications; and Federal Work-Study: promoting community service. (The consortium agreements module is now out-of-date and no longer offered.)

  • Spring 2002 NASFAA Training FERPA Materials

  • Fall 2001 Training from Policies & Procedures 2001 - An Aid Odyssey have been updated and posted on the Web site as a benefit of Association Membership.

  • Fall 2000 NASFAA Training on Professional Judgment: It's Your Decision; Guiding Principles for Making Wise Decisions.

• NASFAA's Training Updates and Errata

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