Federal Updates

Another volume of the 2009-10 Federal Student Aid Handbook now online

ED has released "Volume 3: Calculating Awards & Packaging" of the 2009-10 Federal Student Aid Handbook (FSA Handbook).

What's new?
As shown below, ED has moved some information previously located in Volume 4 to Volume 3, and has also provided new or additional guidance on several topics within Volume 3:

Chapter 1: Academic Calendar, Payment Periods & Disbursements

• Disbursement issues (imported from Volume 4)
• Payment Period completion requirements (imported from Volume 4)
• Timing of disbursements (imported from Volume 4)

Chapter 3: Calculating Pell Grant Awards

• Maximum duration of Pell eligibility (page 3-43)
• Two Pell grant scheduled awards in an award year (page 3-44)
• Minimum Pell grant award amounts (page 3-46)
• Crossover and multiple scheduled awards for 2009-10 (page 3-58)
• Summer terms & other crossover payment periods (page 3-58)
• Scheduled award(s) for summer terms (page 3-59)
• Transfer students (page 3-62)
• Awarding remaining Pell eligibility (page 3-64)

Chapter 4: Calculating ACG & National SMART Grants

• Grade level: general requirements (page 3-81)

Chapter 6: Stafford/PLUS Loan Periods and Amounts

• Unsubsidized Stafford loans for students whose parents have ended financial support and refuse to file a FAFSA (page 3-99)

In total, six volumes of the latest FSA Handbook have been released, including:

• The Application and Verification Guide
• Volume 1: Student Eligibility
• Volume 2: School Eligibility and Operations
• Volume 3: Calculating Awards & Packaging
• Volume 4: Processing Aid and Managing Federal Student Aid Funds
• Volume 5: Overawards, Overpayments, & Withdrawal Calculations

The current volumes are available on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/resources/fsa_handbook.cfm. Remaining volumes will be posted as they are released. Once the final 2009-10 FSA Handbook volume, "Volume 6: Managing Campus-Based Programs," has been released, TG will provide a single downloadable file encompassing all of the volumes. Watch future editions of Shoptalk Online for details.

Questions
For questions about the 2009-10 FSA Handbook, contact TG customer assistance at (800) 845-6267, or send an email message to cust.assist@tgslc.org.

  Back to Top

Current special allowance rates: Quarter ending September 30, 2009

The following rates apply for the quarter ending September 30, 2009:

• The average of the bond equivalent rates of the 91-day Treasury bills auctioned during the quarter ending September 30, 2009, is 0.16 percent.
• The average of the bond equivalent rates of the quotes of the three-month commercial paper (financial) rates in effect for each of the days in the quarter ending September 30, 2009, is 0.29 percent.

The FFELP special allowance rates for the most recent quarter are available at www.tgslc.org/policy.

Questions
For questions about special allowance rates, contact your TG lender consultant at (800) 252-9743.

  Back to Top