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Section VI: Federal Mandates
for Title IV Funding
SACS Comprehensive Standard
VI-6.
The institution is in compliance with its program responsibilities under
Title IV of the 1998 Higher Education Amendments. (In reviewing the institution's
compliance with these program responsibilities, the Commission relies
on documentation forwarded to it by the Secretary of Education.)
JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE
Yes, East
Tennessee State University is able to provide a portfolio of evidence
supporting compliance.
STATEMENT OF RATIONALE FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE
East Tennessee
State University is in full compliance with its program responsibilities
under Title IV of the 1998 Higher Education Amendments. The ETSU Office
of Financial Aid provides a broad range of services to approximately 70%
of the ETSU student population who receive some form of financial aid
(SACS Standard II-10).
East Tennessee
State University meets all audit and review standards for administration
of Title IV student aid in accordance with the Program Participation
Agreement signed with the U.S. Department of Education. Internal and
state audits have shown no findings under the administration of Title
IV aid for the past three years (ETSU Internal Audit Report;
State Audit Reports). The institution has submitted all reports required
by the U.S. Department of Education, including the Fiscal Operations
(FISAP) Report, in a correct and timely manner. In addition, ETSU
is engaged in ongoing communication with the Department of Education's
FISAP Office, which has requested our involvement in their review and
revision of the FISAP reporting form.
The university
continuously monitors the quality of the administration and delivery of
student aid. Over the past three years, ETSU has shown consistently lower
cohort default rates for programs in Federal Family Education Loans. We
attribute our success in lowering default rates to a number of improvements:
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extensive student outreach,
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a restructured Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for
financial aid recipients,
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an ETSU Financial Aid Policies and Procedures brochure
distributed to all aid applicants, and
-
an explicit and enforced unofficial withdrawal policy (ETSU
Policy on Enrollment, Fee Payment, Attendance, and Financial Aid Distribution).
These improvements
have also set new standards for best practices among our fellow Tennessee
institutions.
DOCUMENTATION
SOURCE
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LOCATION
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SACS Standard II-10
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Program Participation Agreement
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Office of Financial Aid, 105 Dossett Hall
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ETSU Internal Audit Report, 2000
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Office of the Associate Vice President for Business
and Finance, 202 Dossett Hall
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Tennessee State Audit Report for ETSU
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Fiscal Operations (FISAP) Report
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ETSU Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
Policy
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ETSU Financial Aid Policies & Procedures
Brochure
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SACS Documentation Files
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ETSU Policy on Enrollment, Fee Payment, Attendance,
and Financial Aid Distribution (Unofficial Withdrawal Policy)
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