Pop Quizzes

• Pop Quiz – Are Schools Required to Check Satisfactory Academic Progress After the Second Academic Year?
  September 24, 2020 - The school had the same satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy for a long time, but recently hired a new Director of Financial Aid. The director reviewed the institution's policies and procedures but did not see where the school evaluated studen...
• Pop Quiz – When Is the Earliest that Title IV Aid Can Be Disbursed?
  June 10, 2020 - The school has modules which it combines to form a single summer term. There is a session that extends the regular 10 weeks and there is also a module that is four weeks long and does not start the end of June. If students are only registered for the...
• Pop Quiz – Can Title IV Aid Be Disbursed to a Graduate Student with an Unofficial Transcript?
  April 23, 2020 - The school has a graduate student with only an unofficial transcript on file with the school at the time the term starts. Can Title IV aid be disbursed for the student? Think you know the answer? Read on to see if you got it right!
• Pop Quiz – How Do We Handle Readmitted Students With a Change in SAP Policy?
  March 9, 2020 - The school had the same satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy for a long time, but effective for the 2019-20 academic year, the required pace of completion for SAP was changed from 75% to 67%. The school evaluates SAP annually. Is the school re...
• Pop Quiz Update – Must a School Have a Signed Statement to Update Degree Level on the FAFSA?
  February 27, 2020 - The school has a number of students who complete their undergraduate program in December, the end of the fall term, and then go on to their graduate program in the spring. The school runs a report to update the student’s ISIR on their behalf. S...
• Pop Quiz – What Documentation Is Needed to Award Graduate Level Aid to a Student in a Joint Undergraduate/Graduate Program?
  December 20, 2019 - School A offers a joint undergraduate/professional degree program, with the undergraduate portion being offered at School B. Since School A does not grant the undergraduate degree, can School A collect other documentation from School B to show the st...
• Pop Quiz – In Completing Verification, Does the School Have Enough Information to Determine if the Parent Should File a Tax Return?
  November 21, 2019 - A school received an IRS Wage and Income Statement to confirm a parent’s income. The parent indicated she is medically discharged and receiving disability benefits. On the wage and income statement, there is a Form SSA-1099 Benefits Statement a...
• Pop Quiz – How Does a School Document a Student Qualifies for the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship?
  October 17, 2019 - As part of its process, a school sent out a general notification about the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship (CFHS). It has had two students come into the financial aid office stating they believe they qualify. How does a school document that a s...
• Pop Quiz – Can Verification Be Completed in the Situation?
  September 20, 2019 - The school has a student whose father filed taxes as married filing separately and whose mother worked but did not file. The mother did not file an extension and the parents are still married and living together. Can I complete verification for this ...
• Pop Quiz – Can a Student Have Both a Federal Work-Study Position and a Non-FWS Position?
  August 13, 2019 - The school has a student who is employed 20 hours per week in its office of financial aid in a Federal Work-Study (FWS) position and is also employed with another department on campus in a non-FWS position. The student desires to work 20 hours in eac...
• Pop Quiz – Is Satisfactory Academic Progress Reset for a Transfer Student?
  July 24, 2019 - School A has a student who withdrew and enrolled at another school for a year. The student then returns to School A. Does the student return under the same satisfactory academic progress status, or can the school start fresh? Think you know the answe...
• Pop Quiz – Must This Student File Even Though He is Not Selected for Verification?
  June 21, 2019 - A school has a dependent student who is not selected for verification. As a result of the parent's income, the student is only eligible for unsubsidized loans. On the FAFSA the student reported income earned from working which exceeds the tax filing ...
• Pop Quiz - Can a Transferring Student Be Paid Federal Work-Study During the Summer at the Previous School?
  May 14, 2019 - If a student attends University A during the fall and spring terms, and then plans to attend University B during the upcoming fall term, can the student work at University A during the summer months (break of enrollment), if University A sends the st...
• Pop Quiz – Can a School Accept a Lower Payment on a Defaulted Perkins Loan?
  April 22, 2019 - The school has a student in default on his Federal Perkins Loan. He has been granted previous hardship deferments and forbearance. In order to rehabilitate the loan, the student would need to make 9 consecutive, full, on-time payments. The student ow...
• Correction: Pop Quiz – Can This Student and Spouse Both be Head of Household?
  March 12, 2019 - The pop quiz question and answer we ran in Today's News yesterday incorrectly stated that the answer to this question was "yes." We have since updated the answer to reflect guidance provided in IRS Publication 17. We apologize for any confusion ...
• Pop Quiz – Do We Need Proof of Ability-to-Benefit?
  February 12, 2019 - School B has a student who transferred from School A with an associate degree. The student graduated from a foreign high school and does not have proof of a high school diploma or equivalent. The student began taking college level courses at School A...
• Pop Quiz – Can This Student Receive Federal Pell Grant?
  January 17, 2019 - A school has a student who withdrew from all courses for the fall semester in November after the 60 percent point; however, the student’s ISIR was not received until December 21. Can the student receive the Federal Pell Grant, even though the s...
• Pop Quiz - Which System Is Correct When Evaluating Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used?
  December 18, 2018 - When the school checks the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System, the Federal Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) shows over 600 percent and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) shows the Pell LEU as 100 percent. NSLDS show...
• Pop Quiz – How Do We Handle Disbursed Aid When Verification Selection Happens Between the Withdrawal and the Return Calculation?
  November 20, 2018 - The school has a student who was awarded, aid disbursed, and the student withdrew. The student was then selected for verification before the return to Title IV funds calculation was begun. The school then returned the student’s funds due to his...
• Pop Quiz – How Are Forgiven Grades Treated in Satisfactory Academic Progress?
  October 16, 2018 - For evaluating satisfactory academic progress (SAP) of its students, a school had historically used the academic grade point average, calculated by the registrar’s office. To assist students who left the institution and want to return to comple...
• Pop Quiz – Are We Required to Update Our PPA?
  September 13, 2018 - The school has just begun to offer online courses within an existing Title IV eligible program. The Program Participation Agreement (PPA) does not currently reflect any correspondence or distance education courses. Does this need to be updated with t...
• Pop Quiz – Are Schools Required to Report V4 and V5 Results Even If a Student Never Attends or Registers for School?
  July 23, 2018 - A school has students who apply and are accepted, but never end up registering for courses at the university. Verification documents are requested for all admitted students. Must these applicants still be reported to the Department of Education? Thin...
• Pop Quiz – Can a Student Be Paid for Repeating This Course?
  February 21, 2018 - A student received a D+ in a course. The student would like to take it over to receive a higher grade in the class. Is the student still eligible to receive federal financial aid for repeating the course? Read on to see if you got the answer right.
• Pop Quiz – Is a Refund Required?
  February 2, 2018 - A student who was scheduled to attend classes in module 1 and in module 2, attended one day of classes in module 1 and then withdrew. The student has confirmed attendance in his module 2 class; so he is not a withdrawal. Does the school have to give ...
• Pop Quiz – What Is an Institution Responsible for in the Event of a Data Breach?
  October 19, 2017 - School XYZ accidentally released personally identifiable information to the wrong students, which included the name of the student, the amount of financial aid the student was eligible to receive, and the student’s school identification number,...
• Pop Quiz – Do We Have to Verify Income Earned From Work During the 2018-19 Award Year?
  August 25, 2017 - A school is aware the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) is coming back online during the 2018-19 award year, but the school is confused regarding the information provided in the Aug. 7, 2017 Electronic Announcement, regarding income earned from work and ...
• Pop Quiz – Can a Student Add a School Code to the FAFSA After the End of the Award Year?
  July 25, 2017 - XYZ College has a student that attended during the 2016-17 award year, but failed to put XYZ's school code on the FAFSA form. The student would like to receive her Federal Pell Grant. Can she still receive it even though the award year has ended? Rea...
• Pop Quiz – May Loans Be Disbursed During a Module in Which the Student Is Not Attending?
  June 16, 2017 - A school has a credit-hour program, with nonstandard terms that are not substantially equal in length, meaning it uses the nonterm rules for disbursing Direct Loans. A student registers for classes in modules 1-5 (all of Fall) and completes them...
• Pop Quiz – How is a Return of Title IV Funds Handled for a Student Who Died During the Term?
  November 9, 2016 - At the end of the term, a school is notified that a student stopped attending. The school finds out that the last date of attendance was earlier in the term. The student has since passed away. How should the return of Title IV funds be handled?&...
• Pop Quiz – How is NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Affected by a Student Applying for Graduation After the Term?
  August 29, 2016 - A school has a student who completes the fall term on December 6 and does not enroll in any subsequent term. The student applies for graduation after the end of the term. In February, the school determines the student met all graduate requirements an...
• Pop Quiz – Can Federal Work-Study Funds Be Used to Pay for Student Background Checks?
  July 26, 2016 - A potential new community service partner would require mentors who are Federal Work-Study (FWS) students to submit to a background check in order to be hired. Can FWS funds be used to pay for this cost the student would incur? Read on to see if you ...
• Pop Quiz - Can Title IV Funds be Used to Pay for Classes Not Applicable to a Student’s Program?
  June 23, 2016 - A school would like to use Title IV aid to pay for courses not applicable to a student’s program of study. The student has no remaining elective credits and would like to take a photography class. The student is majoring in business. If the stu...
• Pop Quiz - Can Attendance Be Assumed for the Return of Title IV Funds Calculation?
  May 27, 2016 - A school, which is not required to take attendance, processes official withdrawals on a daily basis. Can they review records after the term ends for what may be an unofficial withdrawal—any grades of “F”, “W”, or &l...
• Pop Quiz - Is This School Considered an Attendance-Taking Institution?
  April 22, 2016 - A school uses course room attendance such as discussion posts, assignments, and quizzes to validate participation in distance education courses up until its census date. The school is not required to take attendance by any outside agency or other ent...
• Pop Quiz - Does Every Student Need to Be Evaluated for SAP Using the Same Standards?
  March 18, 2016 - A school may have students come back and complete multiple programs. For example, Student A completes a program in medical coding, then comes back and completes a program in radiology. Student B completes a program in phlebotomy, then returns to comp...
• Pop Quiz - Does Citizenship Need to be Updated?
  December 18, 2015 - When the student initially filled out the FAFSA in February, she was an eligible non-citizen. She has become a citizen and has made other tax updates. Now that she is a citizen as of the date she made other updates, should she change this answer to "...
• Pop Quiz - Think You Know Your Stuff? See If You Can Answer Correctly…
  October 23, 2015 - Can a school retroactively pay a Federal Pell Grant after a student has been approved for a total and permanent disability (TPD) discharge? The student attended the spring 2015 term, but the discharge was not approved until after the semester en...
• Pop Quiz - Is This an Eligible Gainful Employment Program?
  September 28, 2015 - A college wants to offer a gainful employment (GE) program that prepares a student to work in a certain occupation, but would like to disclose that the program does not satisfy the educational prerequisites for licensure in State B, only those o...
• Pop Quiz - Impact of Proration on a Student's Remaining Eligibility Period
  July 21, 2015 - School XYZ's academic year is defined as 36 credit hours and 30 weeks of instructional time. Its academic year is composed of three quarters. Olivia, a student at School XYZ, will complete her program after the winter quarter. She is enroll...
• Pop Quiz - Defining Full-time Enrollment for the Summer Term
  May 20, 2015 - Full-time status, as a school that utilizes standard terms, is based upon taking 12 credits per semester and each semester is 17 weeks. If a school’s summer term is 9 weeks long, can the institution consider 6 credits in summer to be full-time ...
• Pop Quiz: Think You Know Your Stuff? See If You Can Answer Correctly…
  April 23, 2015 - An aid office has a student who tells them she has legally changed her name to “ Anonymous.” The office changes her name in their computer system, but now they are experiencing processing issues. Was the school required to ask for documen...