Nautochia Webb October 28, 2015 U.S. Department of Education Unusual Enrollment History NYSFAAA Annual Conference

Agenda 2 Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) Overview Changes for 15/16 UEH Flag Data Analysis Resolution Operations Q & As and Resources

Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) 3 (UEH) flag award year Federal Pell Grant recipients

UEH – Overview 4 Resolution of a UEH flag is separate and distinct from verification

UEH Authority 5 Authority 484(a)(4)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires student to sign a Statement of Educational Purpose

UEH - 13/14 and 14/15 6 FAFSA filers assigned a UEH Flag: N - no unusual enrollment history issues 2 - requires review 3 - requires review and additional documentation

UEH UEH Flag has expanded An applicant’s prior receipt of a Federal Direct Loan (in addition to Pell Grant funds) The prior four award years (instead of three years) For , UEH Flag evaluation includes the , , , and award years March 16, GEN-15-05

UEH Flags 8 A UEH Flag with a value of ‘2’ indicates an unusual enrollment history that requires review by the institution of the student’s enrollment records. A UEH Flag with a value of ‘3’ indicates that the institution must review academic records for the student and, in some instances, must collect additional documentation from the student

UEH – Overview Data 9

UEH – Demographic Data 10

UEH – Institutional Impact Data 11

UEH – Outcome Data 12

UEH – Resolution 13 UEH Flag value is ‘N’: No action is necessary UEH Flag value is ‘2’: No action if 4 award years of receiving Pell and/or Direct Loan is at current institution - unless there is another reason to believe student enrolls long enough to collect funds. GEN-13-09

UEH – Flag #3 Resolution 14 –UEH Flag value is ‘3’: Use NSLDS to identify institutions. –Determine if academic credit was earned during the award year student received Pell Grant and/or Direct Loan funds *Official transcripts are NOT required

UEH – Flag #3 Resolution 15 Academic Credit Earned: no further action is required – unless institution has other reasons to believe student enrolls just to receive credit balances Academic Credit Not Earned: must obtain documentation from student explaining why they failed to earn academic credit ( Institutional determinations are final and reasons must be documented and maintained.)

UEH – Flag #3 Resolution 16 Personal reasons –Illness, a family emergency, a change in where the student is living, and military obligations Academic reasons –The student might explain that the first enrollment was at an institution that presented unexpected academic challenges, or –The academic program did not meet the student’s needs, as determined by the student Justification for UEH :

UEH – Eligibility after Resolution 17 Approval of Continued Eligibility If school approves eligibility, it may: Require student to establish academic plan Counsel student about the impact of the student’s attendance pattern on future Pell and DL eligibility Denial of Continued Eligibility If student did not earn academic credit and does not provide acceptable explanation and documentation, school must deny student any additional title IV

UEH – Eligibility after Resolution Regaining Aid Eligibility Student must successfully complete academic credit to request renewal of eligibility can include meeting the requirements of an academic plan Pell Grant and campus-based aid - payment period Direct Loan - enrollment period 66

UEH – FAQ 19 Circumstances when a student’s ISIR included a UEH Flag of ‘2’ or ‘3’, but the UEH Flag value is ‘N’ on the student’s ISIR If you have previously resolved the UEH issue, there is no need for any further review If you have not satisfactorily resolved the UEH issue, you should, but are not required to, hold disbursement of Title IV aid for until you resolve the earlier UEH issue In doing so, you must review not only the student’s academic record for the , , and award years noted in DCL GEN-13-09, but also the more recent award year

UEH – FAQ 20 Circumstances where you suspect that a student for whom the Department did not assign a UEH Flag of ‘2’ or ‘3’ on his ISIR may be applying for and receiving Title IV aid for purposes other than to provide financial support for postsecondary education In such instances, you may choose to hold disbursement of Title IV aid until you review the academic history of the student In doing so, you must document the reasons why you took this action, as well as the specific steps the institution took to resolve the institutional selection for UEH review

21 Unusual Enrollment History Flag NSLDS has edits to identify records with unusual enrollment histories and set the NSLDS Unusual Enrollment History Flag Pre-Screening - Unusual Enrollment History Flag: UEH – Operations Four flag values (N, Blank, 2, 3) Note: 1 is not used 2 UEH code appears here

UEH – Operations 22 Unusual Enrollment History Flag FAA Access – Student Inquiry/eSAR UEH in Student Inquiry UEH in eSAR

23 UEH – Operations Unusual Enrollment History Flag NSLDS Unusual Enrollment History Flag DescriptionSAR C Flag? SAR Comment 1For Federal Student Aid Use Only N/A 2Unusual Enrollment History 2 (Possible enrollment pattern problem, school may need to resolve) Yes359 3Unusual Enrollment History 3 (Questionable enrollment pattern, school must resolve) Yes360 NEnrollment pattern not unusual (No school action required) NoN/A BlankRecord not sent for matchNoN/A

UEH – Operations 24 Comment No. SAR CommentSchool Action to include 359Your school may request additional information to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. Note: This comment will generate a SAR C flag as already documented. Action depends on whether the school is a new school for the applicant for If not a new school, school not required to take any action but may look into the applicant’s enrollment history. If new school for applicant, school must take certain actions that will be developed by FSA and OPE policy. 360Based upon data provided by the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), your school will request additional information to determine your eligibility for federal student aid and before disbursement of funds can be made.” Note: This comment will generate a SAR C flag as already documented. School must take certain enhanced actions that will be developed by FSA and OPE policy. Comments for 15/16 not updated with 4 year review and DL funding

25 UEH – Operations #Post screening Reason 24 If found during postscreening, reason code appears here 2

UEH – Data Notes 26 UEH Data: Table 1: Data retrieved from Central Processing System (CPS). Data based on last transaction and includes rejected applications. UEH Data: Table 2: Data for the number of applicants with Flag 2 and Flag 3 retrieved from Central Processing System (CPS). Data for disbursements and for the number of previous recipients not flagged for UEH retrieved from National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Data based on last transaction and includes rejected applications. UEH Data: Figure 1: Data retrieved from Central Processing System (CPS). Data based on the last transaction on file through October 31 of the first year of each application cycle and includes rejected applications. UEH Data: Figure 2: Data retrieved from Central Processing System (CPS). For gender, information is student-reported with those not reporting gender excluded from analysis. For degree pursued, information is student-reported and excludes from analysis degree types ineligible for Pell grants as well as teaching credentials. For grade, information is student reported with non-undergraduate grades excluded from analysis. Data based on last transaction and includes rejected applications. UEH Data: Figure 3: Data retrieved from Central Processing System (CPS). Information based on the first-listed postsecondary institution on the application only. Data based on last transaction and includes rejected applications.

UEH – Resources 27 Dear Colleague Letter GEN March 8, 2013 UEH process and resolution of UEH Flags Dear Colleague Letter GEN – March 16, 2015 –New expanded requirements for UEH flag in and ISIR Guide FSA HDBK, Vol. 1, Chapter 3

Questions? 28

Contacts 29 New York School Participation Team Main Number: New York Training Officer Nautochia Webb

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