March 2014 SmartSessions
Loan Repayment Strategies Part 1: Help your Students Choose the Right Plan for Success
There are many repayment options available to help students plan for and successfully repay their student loans. Do you know which plans are right for your students? Research indicates that borrowers are more likely to successfully repay loans when they have selected a plan that fits their needs. This webinar will illustrate for you which of the seven repayment plans, including consolidation, will help them enter and successfully complete the repayment process.
Specific topics covered include:
• The 8 available repayment plans – who qualifies and how?
• Pros and cons of each plan
• Borrower scenarios to help you with your loan counseling
• Techniques for helping your students develop a repayment strategy
March 4th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Loan Repayment Strategies Part 1: Help your Students Choose the Right Plan for Success
Loan Repayment Strategies Part 2: Understanding Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Deferment
During the loan lifecycle, students may need to use the available Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Deferment Options as part of a successful repayment strategy. Do you know how to counsel students about when and how they can and should use these options? This webinar will help you understand how students qualify for these borrower options and when they provide the most benefit to their successful repayment strategy.
Specific topics covered include:
• Understanding deferment, forbearance, and forgiveness options
• Pros and cons of each option
• Borrower scenarios to help you with your loan counseling
• Techniques for helping your students develop a repayment strategy
March 5th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Loan Repayment Strategies Part 2: Understanding Forgiveness, Forbearance, and Deferment
Professional Judgment Perplexities
Professional Judgment helps you target funds to students with exceptional need. But Professional Judgment principles must be applied wisely and responsibly in order to be effective and compliant.
This participatory session reviews complex case studies to show how you can help students get the aid they need by making adjustments to either the expected family contribution (EFC) or the student’s cost of attendance.
Specific topics covered include:
- Why and when to use professional judgment
- Permissible actions and required documentation
- Common scenarios – loss of income, changes in assets, extraordinary expenses
- Dependency override
- Maintaining a professional judgment policy
March 6th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Professional Judgment Perplexities
March 25th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Professional Judgment Perplexities
Crafting an Effective Default Prevention Plan
Cohort Default Rates are expected to rise at many schools. A comprehensive default prevention plan is an essential starting point for improving student loan outcomes. This session will cover the basics, including why your school needs a plan and the resources available to help you develop one.
Specific topics covered include:
- Key elements of a default prevention plan
- Assembling a team
- Tools for success
- Putting the plan into action
March 6th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Crafting an Effective Default Prevention Plan
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
March 11th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Financial Aid for Beginners
March 18th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Financial Aid for Beginners
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
March 11th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Understanding the FAFSA: It All Starts Here
March 18th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Understanding the FAFSA: It All Starts Here
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
- · Manual EFC calculations
March 12th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Applying Federal Methodology
March 19th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Applying Federal Methodology
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
March 12th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Understanding the Verification Process
March 19th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Understanding the Verification Process
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
March 13th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Database Matches: Resolving Common Comment Codes
March 20th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Database Matches: Resolving Common Comment Codes
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
- · The consequences of delinquency and default and what you can do to help borrowers avoid them
March 13th @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Loans I: Understanding the Basics
March 20th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern 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
March 14th @ 12:00 PM, Eastern time
Loans II: Helping Students Succeed in Repayment
March 21st @ 3:00 PM, Eastern time
Loans II: Helping Students Succeed in Repayment
