Great Lakes Free April Trainings for TASFAA Members
Susie McCormick
SMcCormick@glhec.org

April 2013 SmartSessions

Counseling Borrowers on Pay as You Earn and Income-Driven Plans
Pay as You Earn and changes to IBR and ICR can help borrowers successfully manage repayment. Learn more about these plans so you can better counsel students. This session will help you understand how students qualify for the various income-driven plans as you prepare for upcoming exit counseling sessions.

Specific topics covered include:

• Borrower eligibility criteria
• Plan comparisons and loan terms
• Forgiveness provisions

April 10th @ 11 AM, Central time
Counseling Borrowers on Pay as You Earn and Income-Driven Plans


Tax Filing Rules: What Financial Aid Administrators Need to Know
Get a refresher on tax filing rules in advance of the 2013-14 verification cycle to better identify and resolve issues during the file review process. This webinar will take you through tax rules to ensure the data elements used to calculate the expected family contribution are correct.

Specific topics covered include:

• IRS filing guidelines and thresholds
• Comparing filing status to FAFSA results
• Tax filing status and verification processes

April 22nd @ 11 AM, Central time
Tax Filing Rules: What Financial Aid Administrators Need to Know


New Professionals

Loans I: Understanding the Basics
Learn the basic details of the different federal loan programs so you can better understand, process, and encourage your students to make good borrowing decisions.

Specific topics covered include:

• Guidelines for educating students on the impact of borrowing loans
• Types of federal loans and how they compare
• Using NSLDS
• The consequences of delinquency and default and what you can do to help borrowers avoid them

April 11th @ 11:00 AM, Central time
Loans I: Understanding the Basics

April 25th @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Loans I: Understanding the Basics


Loans II: Helping Students Succeed in Repayment
Gain a deeper understanding of preparing students for repayment. This session will cover borrower options for repayment and the consequences of default. You’ll come away with a thorough knowledge of loan basics that will help you educate your students on the impact of borrowing student loans.

Specific topics covered include:

• Repayment options available to students
• How to prepare your students for repayment
• The consequences of delinquency and default and what you can do to help borrowers avoid them

April 16th @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Loans II: Helping Students Succeed in Repayment

April 30th @ 11:00 PM, Central time
Loans II: Helping Students Succeed in Repayment


Financial Aid for Beginners
Learn the basics of financial aid and gain an understanding of how different programs work and how financial need is determined. This session will review how students apply for financial aid and how the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) fits into the application process to help you better respond to the needs of your students and help them see that a college education is possible.

Specific topics covered include:

• Deciphering the language of Financial Aid
• Student eligibility requirements
• Types of financial aid programs
• Importance of FERPA privacy provisions

April 2nd   @ 11:00 AM, Central time
Financial Aid for Beginners

April 17th @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Financial Aid for Beginners


Understanding the Verification Process
Baffled by the complexities of verification? This session will give you the information you need to simplify the verification process into three easy steps. We’ll also define some common issues found during the review process and how you can resolve them.

Specific topics covered include:

• Understanding verification requirements
• Step-by-step instructions for reviewing documentation and completing the verification process
• How to resolve verification findings

April 10th @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Understanding the Verification Process

April 16th @ 11:00 AM, Central time
Understanding the Verification Process


Applying Federal Methodology
How is a student’s financial need determined? Learn how Federal Methodology is used to calculate a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC)undefinedand be able to calculate an EFC. You’ll be better prepared when making financial aid awards.

Specific topics covered include:

• Purpose of Federal Methodology
• Guiding principles of Need Analysis
• Components
• Manual EFC calculations
• Special circumstances

April 9th @ 11:00 AM, Central time
Applying Federal Methodology

April 23rd @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Applying Federal Methodology





Database Matches: Resolving Common Comment Codes
This session reviews how the database matches following FAFSA completion impact student aid eligibility and what you can do to help resolve any issues that arise. Leave feeling confident about resolving C-codes and conflicting information.

Specific topics covered include:

• Review of the Central Processing System database matches
• Guidance on resolving database mismatches
• Types of conflicting information and how to resolve them

April 11th @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Database Matches: Resolving Common Comment Codes

April 24th @ 11:00 AM, Central time
Database Matches: Resolving Common Comment Codes


Understanding the FAFSA: It All Starts Here
Get a comprehensive overview of the FAFSA. This session steps you through the FAFSA line by line. We’ll help you feel comfortable assisting your students so they can correctly complete this crucial first step to receiving federal financial aid.

Specific topics covered include:

• Applying for financial aid
• Answering dependency questions
• Processing the FAFSA

April 4th   @ 2:00 PM, Central time
Understanding the FAFSA: It All Starts Here

April 18th @ 11:00 AM, Central time
Understanding the FAFSA: It All Starts Here