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TG Policy and Regulatory Training Program
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TG offers Policy and Regulatory Training Program sessions through the TG Learning Center.
Or to discuss training options, contact your
TG account executive
at (800) 252-9743, or
send an email message to relationship.management
@tgslc.org.
In an environment where laws, regulations, policy, or all of the above are always changing, schools need a reliable training resource. The TG Policy and Regulatory Training Program can allow higher education institutions to train and maintain — helping both their rookie and veteran staff members to master the financial aid basics.
The TG Policy and Regulatory Training Program focuses on an array of complicated administrative tasks that are often some of the most problematic areas in federal student aid administration, and are often the focus of school program reviews.
Find out how TG training can enhance your policy know-how.
Verification — Part 1: Ensuring the Accuracy of Student and Parent Data
To obtain federal student aid, students and parents must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Accurate FAFSA data is critical, since this information is used to determine the kinds and amounts of aid for which a borrower qualifies. Schools play a role in verifying FAFSA data. This session is one of a two-part set that details a school's verification process, including how schools —
- Determine which applications must be verified and which may be exempt from verification;
- Identify what information must be verified versus what may be verified as a matter of school policy; and
- Select and use various types of documentation for verification purposes.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Verification — Part 2: FAFSA Items to Verify for the 2013-14 Award Year
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is essential for determining the kinds and amounts of financial aid for which a borrower qualifies. Schools help ensure the accuracy of this data in a process called verification. This module is the second in a two-part set that details a school's verification responsibilities. Verification Part 2 builds on information in Part I, but also —
- Details the FAFSA data that must be verified on selected applications for the 2013-2014 award year;
- Reviews the documentation that a school must obtain for each applicant selected for verification; and
- Offers some resources for learning more about the verification process.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Satisfactory Academic Progress — Part 1: Standards, Requirements, and Special Situations
To maintain eligibility for federal financial aid, students must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress, or SAP, in their programs of study. In meeting SAP standards, students show they're more likely to complete their degree or certificate program, graduate, and go on to repay their student loans. The first in a two-part set, this module —
- Defines satisfactory academic progress and explains its importance to the federal student aid program;
- Explores the quantitative and qualitative components of SAP; and
- Describes how SAP applies in various circumstances, for example, transfers, changing majors, and academic amnesty and renewal.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Satisfactory Academic Progress — Part 2: Appeals, Evaluations, and Regaining Title IV Eligibility
Maintaining satisfactory academic progress, or SAP, is required of all students who receive federal financial aid. Part 1 of this two-part module set defines SAP and describes how to measure the quantitative and qualitative components of the SAP standard. Part 2 in the series adds details to the picture and does the following —
- Describes the appeal process for students who fail to meet SAP;
- Defines the process for evaluating SAP by payment period and frequency;
- Outlines the potential elements of a student academic plan; and
- Provides an overview of how students can regain Title IV eligibility if they fail to make SAP.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Return of Title IV Funds — Part 1: Basics of the R2T4 Calculation
Consider a student's financial aid as a paycheck that the student receives all at once, but that he or she actually earns over the course of a period. What happens to these funds when a student withdraws, drops out, or ceases to be enrolled before the end of a period? Sometimes the student leaves, owing, or needing to return, Title IV funds. Sometimes the student leaves, having "earned" a return. This two-part module series explores the elements and process of a return of Title IV (R2T4) funds calculation. It also —
- Describes when the R2T4 calculation must be performed and when it does not apply;
- Reviews the worksheet for returning funds by credit- and clock-hour; and
- Offers an overview of the post-withdrawal disbursement process.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Return of Title IV Funds — Part 2: Beyond the R2T4 Basics
Part 2 of a two-part series on the return of Title IV (R2T4) funds reviews why and how students return federal aid when they withdraw from a program of study. This module details how to handle the R2T4 calculation in cases where a student withdraws from a modular program. It also —
- Illustrates the R2T4 calculation from modular programs with various examples;
- Considers how to manage R2T4 in some special situations, including an inadvertent overpayment and the death of a student during the period;
- Reviews common audit and program review findings and offers strategies for avoiding these situations; and
- Provides a listing of helpful resources for understanding and performing the R2T4 calculation.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Professional Judgment — Making the call
Given certain circumstances, the federal government allows schools to make adjustments that can affect a student's eligibility for federal financial aid. This module explores the principles of professional judgment. Specifically, it —
- Describes situations where professional judgment may be applied, according to a school's discretion;
- Details the types of adjustments schools can make in exercising professional judgment; and
- Reviews what schools must do after making a decision involving professional judgment.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Student Eligibility — Qualifying for federal student aid
Each year, the federal government disburses billions of dollars in federal student aid. To make sure this money goes to eligible students, the government established eligibility requirements for each federal aid program. A school follows these requirements in awarding aid, and, in so doing, ensures that the right aid goes to the right student. This module —
- Reviews the general federal student aid eligibility requirements that apply across all federal aid programs;
- Focuses on eligibility requirements by specific programs, including grants and loans; and
- Considers details of campus-based aid, such as Federal Work-Study, the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Perkins loan.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Cost of Attendance — Understanding the cornerstone of a student's financial aid
A school's cost of attendance, or COA, is a little like a bill for all the services that relate to a student's postsecondary education. Technically, the COA is an estimate of the student's educational expenses for a period of enrollment. The COA limits the amount that a student may receive in terms of federal student aid, minus any other estimated financial assistance. As such, it serves as the cornerstone for determining a student's financial need. This module —
- Explores the components, or allowances, that make up COA;
- Describes exceptions to the normal cost allowances;
- Examines situations in which it may be appropriate to adjust the COA using professional judgment;
- Reviews COA allowances given various circumstances; and
- Discusses handling COA when educational costs are paid or waived.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Packaging Financial Aid — Helping students pay for college
Federal financial aid is essential for most students who want to obtain a postsecondary degree. To provide that aid, schools complete a process of awarding, or packaging, aid without exceeding the student's financial need. This module provides an overview of the packaging process. It also —
- Reviews how to determine a student's financial need;
- Details the award limits by federal aid program; and
- Offers examples that demonstrate how a school might package aid for a hypothetical undergraduate and graduate student.
This session is now available on the TG Learning Center!
Additional sessions
In addition to the modules listed above, TG offers other sessions on timely policy topics for state, regional, and national conferences and training events. These sessions include:
FFELP and Direct Loan Discharge and Forgiveness
The Department of Education has created loan discharge and forgiveness programs that provide borrowers with debt relief in certain circumstances. Generally, discharges help borrowers who are experiencing serious life disruptions, and forgiveness programs encourage borrowers to work in certain professions, in exchange for forgiveness of all or part of their student loan debt. This session provides an overview of the programs available to FFELP and Direct loan borrowers.
IBR — A Tool to Help Students Manage Repayment
Income-Based Repayment (IBR) will benefit certain borrowers by minimizing monthly payments and by providing loan forgiveness in some cases. Educating borrowers about this repayment plan and its benefits, through the loan counseling process and other information dissemination efforts, will provide the key to realizing IBR's full potential. This session presents a high-level introduction to the IBR plan, including how borrowers qualify for IBR, the forgiveness component of IBR, the benefits IBR provides to the borrower and the school, and ideas for educating borrowers about IBR.
Income-driven Repayment Plans — Options to Help Students Manage Repayment
Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), and Pay As You Earn are repayment plan options for certain borrowers of student loans made under the FDLP and/or FFELP. These plans will benefit borrowers by minimizing monthly payments and by providing loan forgiveness in some cases. Understanding the differences between these repayment plans will help you counsel borrowers as they consider the question, "Which repayment plan is the best option for me?"
Ins and Outs of Student Loan Repayment
While students receive information during loan counseling, they often have questions about how loan repayment works. Designed for students and financial aid administrators, this session describes the repayment options available to students as they prepare to enter the workforce. Topics include: taking inventory of your student loans; understanding the available repayment plans (including Income-Based Repayment) and the advantages of each; reviewing the details of consolidation; and learning about deferment, forbearance, forgiveness, and cancellation options.
Know Who You Owe?℠: Helping Borrowers Manage Split-Loan Servicing
In today's environment, many student borrowers are likely to have multiple federal student loans with more than one source. Managing "split loans" can be confusing for borrowers. The shift to the Federal Direct Loan Program should help reduce borrower confusion as the number of split loans diminish. In the mean time, schools and borrowers can take advantage of options and information to better manage split loans. This session will help financial aid administrators understand split-loan servicing from both the school's and the borrower's perspectives. It will also explore options available to help students take inventory and manage repayment of their federal student loans.
Federal Update
This session will provide information on recent activities that may affect the administration of both the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP) in addition to the other federal student aid programs. Updates on various issues including federal common forms, Dear Colleague/Partner letters issued by the Department of Education, proposed and final federal regulations, and pending legislation will be provided.
Show What You Know
Show what you know (and anonymously discover what you don't) about recent changes in federal student aid policy, regulations, and law. During this interactive session, participants click their answers to challenging questions on a variety of current federal student aid topics in a game format. Enjoy the fun, interactive nature of the presentation and leave with valuable, practical information. It's entertainment and learning all in one package!
Learn more
- Schedule a training
To receive in-person training on any of the sessions in this program, contact your TG account executive at (800) 252-9743, or send an email message to relationship.management@tgslc.org. - Tap into the power of the TG Learning Center!
TG offers TG Policy and Regulatory Training Program sessions through the TG Learning Center.
This anytime, anywhere training resource is available through myTG℠, a central online location for accessing TG products and resources. Check it out at mytg.tgslc.org by logging in on the Institutions side of the Web page.
TG offers the TG Learning Center at no cost to Texas colleges, and to certain colleges outside of Texas that have borrowers with TG-guaranteed loans. Contact your account executive for more details.
Tap into the power of the TG Learning Center or schedule a training today.
