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Federal Regulations
The law that governs the administration of the federal student aid programs is the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Some aspects of the HEA are clear and concise and do not require more detailed guidance. Some provisions, however, merely express congressional intent and require additional interpretation, clarification, or guidance. Such guidance is provided in the form of federal regulations.
Federal regulations are periodically revised due to amendments to the HEA, revisions in policy, or technical corrections to the text of the regulations. The National Council of Higher Education Loan Program (NCHELP) Program Regulations Committee develops an "integrated" version of ED's compilation of regulations on an as-needed basis throughout the year. This version allows users to see the language that has been stricken from the regulations as well as language that has been added. Included on this page are the most current integrated versions of the regulations for Parts 600 (Institutional Eligibility), 602 (The Secretary's Recognition of Accrediting Agencies), 603 (Secretary's Recognition Procedures for State Agencies), 668 (Student Assistance General Provisions), 682 (FFELP), 685 (FDLP), 686 (TEACH Grant program), 690 (Federal Pell Grant Program), and 691 (ACG Program).
Program Integrity Final Rules
On October 29, 2010, and June 13, 2011, the Department of Education (ED) issued final rules which impact public, private nonprofit, and for-profit schools in a number of significant ways. To help schools understand these final rules on Program Integrity issues, TG provides numerous articles and other resources.
Negotiated Rulemaking
Negotiated rulemaking, sometimes abbreviated as "Neg Reg," began in the early 1980s and is currently required under the Higher Education Act. Under negotiated rulemaking, ED works to develop proposed regulations in collaboration with representatives of the parties who will be affected significantly by the regulations.
NCHELP Topical Index
The NCHELP Topical Index is developed by the NCHELP Program Regulations Committee to be used as a resource tool for researching certain federal regulations and/or the HEA. The index is arranged in alphabetical order for ease of use and covers a wide range of topics.
