Federal Updates

ED Presents "What's New for 2003-2004"

Looking for the latest information about the 2003-2004 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) processing cycle? You may want to register for the upcoming satellite videoconference from ED's office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) entitled "The FSA Application Processing System: What's New for 2003-2004." The videoconference will be held on October 24, 2002, from 12-2 p.m. CDT.

Topics
The videoconference will cover the following topics:

• Enhancements to Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) Access to the Central Processing System (CPS) Online
• Changes to the FAFSA
• The simplified FAFSA on the Web for students who qualify for an Automatic Zero Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and the Simplified Needs Test
• Improved electronic communications with students
• The ED PIN
• Changes and enhancements to the Renewal Application Process, the Student Aid Report (SAR), the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), and Data Matches
• EDExpress Update

To Register
Those who are interested in participating in the videoconference can register for the event at www.edvideo.walcoff.com.

More Information
For more information on "The FSA Application Processing System: What's New for 2003-2004," visit the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) web site at www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/ANN0205.html.

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FY 2000 Cohort Default Rates: In the Mail and on the Web

If you haven't received it already, check your mailbox. ED officially mailed fiscal year (FY) 2000 cohort default rates (CDRs) to schools on September 9, 2002.

ED subsequently published a press release announcing the availability of the FY 2000 cohort default rate database at the following web site: www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/defaultmanagement/cdr.html. Users can search for CDRs by school or download the entire list.

National Cohort Default Rate
According to ED's press release, available at www.ed.gov/PressReleases/09-2002/09122002.html, the national cohort default rate increased slightly from 5.6 percent (the all-time low, in FY 1999) to 5.9 percent (in FY 2000). The announcement attributes the fluctuation in the rate to changes in the economy. Also in the press release, Secretary of Education Rod Paige credited schools and student loan agencies for their increased awareness programs and student debt management counseling as factors in helping to keep default rates low.

More Information and Questions
For more information about the consequences of cohort default rates and how to appeal them, see Shoptalk Online Edition 169. For questions about the FY 2000 official cohort default rate appeal procedures, contact Ken Johnson at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4701, or send an e-mail message to ken.johnson@tgslc.org.

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Closed School Corner

Newly reported closures from the Postsecondary Educational Participants System and from the August 2002 Closed School Monthly Report supplied by the Department of Education:
OPE ID#	School Name/ School Address	Unofficial Closure Date	ED's Official Closure Date
02155200	Flair Beauty Institute 2016 Staples Mill Rd. Richmond, VA 23230	N/A	2/12/1996
02107400	Jon Louis School of Beauty 2981 Hempstead Turnpike Levittown, NY 11756	N/A	5/22/2002
00458302	Michiana Institute 2 Executive Campus #200 Cherry Hill, NJ 08002-9936	N/A	6/20/2002
01114800	National Education Center - Bryman Campus 9215 N. Black Canyon Phoenix, AZ 85021	N/A	12/31/1989
02149308	SCS Business & Technical Institute 516 Main St. East Orange, NJ 07017	N/A	1/11/1995
02218500	South Texas Vocational Technical Institute 2255 N. Coria Brownsville, TX 78520-8779	N/A	4/5/2002
02497302	Trinity College - Business 620 Folsom San Francisco, CA 94107	N/A	12/30/1994
ED Closure Date Revisions:
OPE ID#	School Name/ School Address	Previously Reported Closure Date	ED's Official Closure Date
01314300	Jon Louis School of Beauty 210 East 188th St. Bronx, NY 10458-9998	4/15/2000*	7/11/2002

* This location moved to the Bronx address on 4/15/2000. This address change was erroneously reported as a closure. Subsequently, the Bronx location closed on 7/11/2002.

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