SP 4-20a – System Financial Aid Procedure – Consumerism | Colorado Community College System (2024)

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State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education

SP 4-20a

EFFECTIVE:July 1, 2003

REFERENCES:Federal Student Aid Handbook, Volume 2 – Institutional Eligibilityand Participation 2002-2003, Chapter 7; 34 CFR 99.31, 34 CFR668.14, 34 CFR 668.41, 34 CFR 668.42, 34 CFR 668.43, 34 CFR668.44, 34 CFR 668.45, 34 CFR 668.46, & 34 CFR 668.47; PublicLaw 101-226, Public Law 107-56

APPROVED:

/ Joe D. May /
S/ Joe D. May
System President

Application

This procedure applies to all CCCS institutions.

Background

Each institution of higher education that receives federal Title IV funds is required tocollect, publish and disseminate various types of information commonly referred to asconsumerism requirements. These disclosures must be provided to a variety ofaudiences at various times and in formats prescribed by the federal government.Institutions agree to provide this information when the president of each college signsthe Program Participation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.

Scope

Consumerism requirements fall under the following major headings: Basic ConsumerInformation Requirements; Student Right-to-Know Disclosures; Equity in Athletics; LoanCounseling; Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Information; Misrepresentation;Campus Security; Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. While many elements ofeach of the requirements above are contained in the College Catalogs, ClassSchedules and various publications prepared by the federal government, the followingrequirements are stated for each consumer group for emphasis.

CONSUMER GROUPS

ALL CURRENTLY ENROLLED STUDENTS AND CURRENT EMPLOYEES

Required Disclosures: Institution’s annual campus security report it its entirety(pursuant to CFR 668.46)

How Disclosure is Accomplished: Through publications, mailings, or electronicmedia sent directly to individuals. If a college chooses to post its annual securityreport to a Web site it must send each individual a notice through U.S. mail,campus mail, or directly to an e-mail address that 1.) Identifies the informationrequired to be disclosed 2.) Provides the exact electronic Web site address; 3.)States that, upon request, the individual is entitled to a paper copy; and 4.) Informsthe individual how to request a paper copy.

CURRENTLY ENROLLED STUDENTS

Required Disclosures: Notices about the availability of the following: 1)information on financial assistance available to students enrolled in the institution(pursuant to 34 CFR 668.42); 2) information on the institution (pursuant to 34 CFR668.43); 3) the institution’s completion or graduation rate, and if applicable, itstransfer-out-rate (pursuant to 34 CFR 668.45); 4) information about students’ rightsunder FERPA (pursuant to 34 CFR 99.7); and 5) information about athleticprogram participation rates and financial support (Equity in Athletics DisclosureAct) (pursuant to 34 CFR 668.47). Notices must be sufficiently detailed to allowstudents to understand the nature of the disclosures and make an informeddecision whether to request the full report.

How Disclosure is Accomplished: Each college must provide direct individualnotice to each person. A college may provide the required notice through directmailing to each individual through the U.S. Postal Service, campus mail, orelectronically directly to an E-mail address. The individual notice provided tostudents must 1) identify the information required to be disclosed; 2) provide theexact electronic Web site address where the information can be found; 3) state theupon request the student is entitled to a paper copy; and 4) inform the student howto request a paper copy.

When: Each college must provide notice to each enrolled student. Immediatelyupon request, the institution must provide the full report.

Each college must prepare its completion or graduation rate, and, if applicable, itstransfer-out-rate report by July 1, immediately following the point in time at whichthe 150% point for the cohort has elapsed.

Each college must prepare and make available information about athletic programparticipation rates and financial support (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act) byOctober 1.

Information on the institution and its financial assistance programs must becurrent.

Individual College Procedure: Please state who, or which office prepares eachrequirement above, how it is disseminated to the current student population, andlist any publications or web site utilized to meet each requirement.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Required Disclosure: Any college that participates in any Title IV, HEA programand that has an intercollegiate athletic program must provide a report on athleticprogram participation rates and financial support (Equity in Athletics DisclosureAct) (pursuant to CFR 668.47)

How Disclosure is Accomplished: Through appropriate publications, mailings, orelectronic media.

When: Each college must prepare the report annually for the preceding year andhave the report available by October 15.

Individual college Procedure: Please state who, or which office, prepares therequired report and state how the requirement to inform the general public is met.Please list publications and/or Web sites utilized. (Please state “not applicable” ifyour institution does not participate in athletics.)

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Required Disclosure I: Information on financial assistance available to studentsenrolled in the institution to include:

The types of need based and non-need based federal, state, institutional andprivate sources,
How students apply and how eligibility is determined,
How aid is distributed among the students,
The rights and responsibilities of students receiving aid,
How and when aid is disbursed,
The terms and conditions of any employment,
The terms of, the schedules for, and the necessity of loan repayment andloan exit counseling,
The criteria for measuring satisfactory academic progress and how, if astudent fails to achieve progress they can reestablish eligibility for aid.

Required Disclosure II: General information about the college to include:

The names of associations, agencies, and/or governmental bodies thataccredit, approve, or license the college and its programs, and theprocedures by which a student may receive a copy for review of the college’saccreditation, licensure, or approval;
Special facilities and services available to disabled students;
The costs of attending the college (tuition, fees, room and board, books,transportation costs, supplies and any additional costs that are programspecific in which the student is enrolled or has expressed an interest;
A statement of the requirements for the return of Federal Student Aid fundswhen a student withdraws from school, information about any refund policy ofthe college, and the requirements for officially withdrawing from the school;
The degree programs, training, and other education offered;
The availability of a GED program for colleges that admit students who do nothave a high school diploma or equivalent;
The instructional, laboratory, and other physical plant facilities associatedwith academic programs;
A list of the faculty and other instructional personnel;
Who to contact for information on student financial assistance and who forgeneral institutional issues;
That a student may be eligible for Federal Student Aid program funds forattending a study abroad program that is approved by the home school; and
The terms and conditions under which students receiving federal educationalloans may obtain deferments while serving a) in the Peace Corps, b) underthe Domestic Volunteer Service Act; and c) as a volunteer for a tax exemptorganization of demonstrated effectiveness in the field of community service;and
Information regarding the availability of Federal Student Aid funds for studyabroad programs.

Required Disclosure III: Information about students’ rights under FERPA.

Required Disclosure IV: Notice about the availability of the college’s annualcampus security report to include: a list of information in the report, a briefdescription of the required disclosures that would allow students to understand thenature of the disclosures and make an informed decision about requesting the fullreport, and finally the opportunity for the student to request a paper copy of thereport.

Required Disclosure V: The college’s completion or graduation rate, and ifapplicable, its transfer-out rate.

Required Disclosure VI: Information about athletic program participation rates andfinancial support. Colleges that provide athletically related student aid must reportthree completion rates and three transfer-out rates, if applicable.

The completion or graduation rate for the general student body,
The completion or graduation rate for the members of the cohort who receivedathletically related aid (by race and gender within each sport),
The four-year average completion or graduation rate for the four most recentcompleting classes of the cohort categorized by race and gender for thegeneral student population, and for race and gender within each sport.Information that is required by sport must be broken down into the followingcategories: basketball, football, baseball, cross-country and track combined,
and all other sports combined. In addition to the completion and graduationrates and the transfer-out rates, colleges must report.

The number of students, categorized by race and gender, who attended theschool during the year prior to the submission of the report, and
The number of those attendees who received athletically related studentaid, categorized by race and gender.

How Disclosure is Accomplished: Directly to a prospective student throughappropriate publications, mailings, or electronic media.

When: Prior to a prospective student enrolling or entering into any financialobligation with an institution, the institution must provide its report on completion,graduation and-transfer-out rates. The college must immediately provide a copy ofits full annual security report and/or their complete report on completion,graduation and, if applicable, transfer-out rates to any prospective students.

Individual College Procedure: Please state how prospective students are directlynotified of the availability of disclosures I through VI above, and which office isresponsible for providing the notice. State what publications, brochures, letters,etc. are mailed to the individual that contains the notice that meets the disclosurerequirements. If utilizing electronic communication with prospective students,insure that a direct individual notice to an e-mail address is used and that it pointsthe individual to a Web site address that contains the full report. If using a Web
site, then the notice must identify the information required to be disclosed, providethe exact electronic Web site address, state that a paper copy will be providedupon request and inform the student how to request the paper copy of the fullreport.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENT ATHLETES AND THEIR PARENTS, HIGH SCHOOLCOACHES AND GUIDANCE COUNSELORS

Required Disclosure: A College that is attended by students receiving athleticallyrelated student aid must produce a report on the completion and graduation ratesof student athletes pursuant to 34 CFR 668.48.

How Disclosure is Accomplished: The information must be provided directly to therespective parties. It may be provided in writing or through electronic mail but notsimply by posting it to a Web site.

When: The information must be provided at the time the college makes an offer ofathletically related student aid to a prospective student. The report must beproduced annually by July 1 for institutions that provided aid based upon athletics.

Individual College Procedure: Please state which office on campus is responsiblefor compiling and producing the report on completion and graduation rates ofstudent athletes. Who is responsible for providing the report directly to thosestudents who are awarded aid based upon athletics?

PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES

Required Disclosure: A notice about the availability of the annual campus securityreport must be provided to each prospective employee of the college. The noticemust include a list of the categories of information required for disclosure as wellas a brief description that provides enough detail from which a person could makean informed decision to request the full report.

How Disclosure is Accomplished: In response to an inquiry about employment, acollege must provide direct individual notice to each prospective employee. Therequired notice may be provided by direct mailing through the U.S. Postal Service,campus mail, or electronically to an e-mail address.

When: The institution must prepare the annual campus security report by October1 of each year. Immediately, upon request, the institution must provide the fullreport to any prospective employee.

Individual College Procedure: Please state how and which office at the college isresponsible for providing a direct individual notice to the prospective employee.State what publications, brochures, letters, etc. are mailed to the individual thatcontains the notice to meet the disclosure requirement. If utilizing electroniccommunication with prospective employees insure that a direct individual notice toan e-mail address is used and that it points to the individual to a Web site addressthat contains the full report. If using a Web site, then the notice must identify the
information required to be disclosed, provide the exact electronic Web siteaddress, state that a paper copy will be provided upon request and inform thestudent how to request the paper copy of the full report.

FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND EMPLOYEES

Required Disclosure: Drug and alcohol prevention information pursuant to publiclaw 101 – The disclosure must include: information on preventing drug and alcoholabuse; standards of conduct that prohibit, at a minimum, the unlawful possession,use, or distribution of drugs and alcohol by students and employees on collegeproperty; a description of the sanctions for unlawful possession, use, or distributionof illicit drugs and alcohol; a description of any counseling, treatment, orrehabilitation programs available to students and employees; a description of the
health risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and alcohol; and a clearstatement that the college will impose sanctions on students and employees ofviolations of the standards of conduct and a description of the sanctions, up to andincluding expulsion, termination of employment, and referral for prosecution.

How Disclosure is Accomplished: Colleges must use a method that ensures thatthe required information will reach every student, faculty member, and employee.The college must ensure that students who enroll and employees who are hiredafter the initial distribution for the year also receive the information. (i.e. Mailing therequired disclosure once per year in September to each college employee wouldmiss those employees who are hired after that date.) Merely making publicationsavailable to those who wish to take them is not sufficient.

When: At least once per year to all students who enroll and all employees.

Individual College Procedure: Please state who, or what office at the college, isresponsible for providing the information above and how the requirement to informfaculty, students, and employees is accomplished by the college. Please list thepublications, forms and web sites used to insure that the above information isdisseminated.