Setting Up Financial Aid Self Service

This chapter provides an overview of the self service application process and discusses how to:

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Self Service for Financial Aid

Financial Aid self service enables students to view financial aid information and take necessary action. Students can report awards they earned from sources external to the financial aid office. They can accept, decline, and reduce award amounts and then print the Financial Award Notification (FAN). After accepting an award, a student can select a lender to secure the loan and then fulfill loan counseling requirements. Students can also request a change to their financial aid, cancel their aid, or request a meeting through the Request Counselor Action feature.

Students can view a summary and detailed information of their financial aid for a specific aid year, which includes:

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up Self-Service Inquiry Options

To set up self service options, use the Self Service Options component (SS_FA_INSTALL).

This section discusses how to define self service options.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPage Used to Set Up Self-Service Inquiry Options

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

Inquiry Options

SS_FA_INSTALL

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Inquiry Options

Define self service options. Set up information that you want available for students to view.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Self-Service Options

Access the Inquiry Options page.

Use this page to define financial aid elements that students can view online.

Display Data

Allow Access

Select this check box to allow students to view and make decisions on their awards for your institution and aid year in self service. If you clear the check box, students cannot access the self service inquiry and award package pages for the corresponding year. For example, if the awards are in transition or not ready for viewing, you can clear the check box to prevent all students from viewing their awards.

Note. Use the Inquiry Access check box and theAward Access field on the Financial Aid Status page to set access at the individual student level. If you clear the Inquiry Access check box, the student does not have access to the inquiry pages. However, if you select the Inquiry Access check box, and also select the Allow Access check box on the Self Service Options page, the student has access to the inquiry pages. Similarly, if you set the Award Access field to Allowed and select the Allow Access check box on the Inquiry Options page, the student has access to the self service award pages. The administrative user can set these fields in batch.

Award Detail

Select this check box to display the Financial Aid Award Summary page. If you clear the check box, the student sees the Financial Aid - Self Service Links page.

Remaining Need

Select this check box todisplay the student's remaining need on the Financial Aid - Financial Aid Eligibility page.

Canceled Awards

If you select this check box and the student has a canceled award, the system activates the View Canceled Awards link on the Financial Aid - Award Summary page.

Award Notification

Select this check box to display the FE Award Notification PDF link on the student's Financial Aid -Award Summary page and Financial Aid -Award Package page.

Declined Awards

If you select this check box and the student has a declined award, the system activates the View Declined Awards link on the Financial Aid - Award Summary page.

View Data By

Select from:

Aid Year: Displays the entire aid year across award periods.

Award Period: Displays aid year information by the award period for academic and non-standard periods.

Summary Link

Provides access to view estimated financial aid budget, expected family contribution, estimated need, total aid, remaining need, or user-defined text.

Select from:

COA Detail Only: Displays estimated financial aid budget detail.

Do Not Show Link: Does not display link.

Summary Page: Displays the Financial Aid – Financial Aid Eligibility page. Students can view estimated financial aid budget, expected family contribution, estimated need, total aid, remaining need, and user-defined text.

User-defined Page: Displays user-defined text.

Need Methodology

Select from:

Federal: Displays estimated financial aid budget and expected family contribution (EFC) values based on federal methodology.

Institutional: Displays estimated financial aid budget and EFC values based on institutional methodology.

Alternate Text

Summary Link Label

Enter a name for this link. The text you enter here is the name of the link that appears on the Financial Aid - Award Summary page and the title of the Financial Aid - Aid Year Summary page.

Academic Year Award Period

Enter text such as Academic Year 2005. The system displays this text when referring to this specific award period on self service pages such as on the Financial Aid — Award Summary and Financial Aid - Expected Family Contribution pages.

Non-Standard Award Period

Enter text such as Summer. The system displays this text when referring to this specific award period on self service pages such as on the Financial Aid - Expected Family Contribution page.

View Award Notification

Enter a name for the link on the Financial Aid - Award Summary page and Financial Aid -Award Summary page. This link enables students to view and print their award letter and notification.

Sort Order

Award Period

Note. The system only displays this field if you set the View Data By field to Award Period.

Select from:

Academic Year First: Displays academic year data first and then non-standard period data.

Earliest Period First: Displays the award period into which the student's earliest term falls. For example, if a student has awards for both Summer 2004 (non-standard) and Fall 2004 (academic year), and these terms are part of the same aid year, then the non-standard period is displayed first.

Latest Period First: Displays the award period into which the student's most recent term falls. For example, if a student has awards for both Summer 2004 (non-standard period) and Fall 2004 (academic year), and these terms are part of the same aid year, then the academic year period is displayed first.

Non-standard Period First: Displays the non-standard period first.

Note. If the student has awards in only one award period, the system displays whichever award period contains awards. If the student has awards in both periods, the system uses the Award Period sorting option to determine which period to display first.

Term

Select from:

Ascending: Sorts from lowest Term ID to highest and therefore, displays the most recent term last.

Descending: Sorts from highest Term ID to lowest and therefore, displays the most recent term first.

Award

The system sorts awards by item type. Select from the following financial aid item type sequence:

Ascending: 9..100 first, 9..322 last.

Descending: 9..322 first, 9..100 last.

Copy Self Service Options

Click to copy financial aid self service options from this institution and aid year to another.

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up Reporting of External Awards

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Set Up Reporting of External Awards

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

Awarding Options

SS_FA_INSTALL2

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Awarding Options

Enable student access from the Award Inquiry page or the Accept/Decline pages. Optionally add instructional text for reporting or viewing.

Packaging Status Summary

STDNT_AID_PACKAGE

Financial Aid, View Packaging Status Summary

Set access to External Award reporting on student self service pages.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDisplaying External Award Reporting on Self-Service Pages

Access the Awarding Options page.

External Award Reporting

Access from Award Inquiry

Select this check box to display a link to the Report Aid from Other Source component on the students’ Award Inquiry Self Service pages.

Access from Accept/Decline

Select this check box to display a link to the Report Aid from Other Source component on the students’ Accept Award and Decline Award Self Service pages.

Alternate Text for Reporting

Enter text that will be used as the link from the Award Inquiry and Accept/Decline page.

Alternate Text for List View

Enter text that will be used as the page title for a student to report aid from an external source.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicEnabling Student Access to Reporting of External Awards

Access the Packaging Status Summary page.

For each student, set the access to External Award reporting.

Self Service

Award Access

Select from Allowed, Denied, or Use Filter.

Inquiry Access

Select to enable student access to Award information.

External Award Access

Select to enable student access to External Award reporting component.

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up Self-Service Awarding Options

To set up self service awarding options, use the Self Service Options component (SS_FA_INSTALL).

This section discusses how to set up self service awarding.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPage Used to Set Up Self-Service Awarding

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

Awarding Options

SS_FA_INSTALL2

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Awarding Options

Define filter options for self- service awarding access criteria. Set up processing options and Consumer and Entrance Interview URLs. Also, define authentication method and number of required references for the Perkins eMPN.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSetting Up Self-Service Awarding

This section discusses how to define access criteria, the different processing options, and the site-definable URLs for self service awarding.

Access the Awarding Options page.

Self Service Award Processing

One way to control when a student gains access to the self service awarding page is through the use of filtering. If you do not select the check box, then the system does not consider it as part of the access criteria.

Access Criteria

When setting a value for an access criteria, select an operator of either equal to or not equal.

FA Application Status

Select to allow self service awarding access based on the student having an active financial aid application.

Value

Select Active, Canceled, or Restricted.

Processing Status

Select to allow self service awarding access based on the student's processing status.

Value

Select Applied, Completed, No App Rcd,Package, or Review.

FED Verification Process

Select to allow self service awarding access based on the student's federal verification status.

Value

Select Complete, Not Reqd, Pending, or Required.

INST Verification Process

Select to allow self service awarding access based on the student's institutional verification status.

Value

Select Complete or Incomplete.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Select to allow self service awarding access based on the student having met your institution's criteria for satisfactory academic progress.

Value

Select Meets SAP, Not Meet, Probation, or Undetrmine.

Award Notification Complete

Select this check box to allow self service awarding access based on whether a financial aid award notification letter has been generated for the student.

Category

Select an option:

Appeal (FA Appeals)

Award (Financial Aid Award Notification

SAT (Satisfactory Academic Progress Letters

SCHLRS (Scholarship Communications)

VERF (Verification Processing)

Context

Select a type of communication. The system uses the same criteria when generating the FAN letter.

Letter

Select a type of communication. They system uses the same criteria when generating the FAN letter.

Note. You use these criteria options in conjunction with the Use Filter award access option on the Packaging Status Summary page.

Processing Option

This option controls whether students' decisions regarding their awards will be processed in real time or in batch. If you select the default value of Batch, the system loads the current award package from the real tables to a staging table. It saves the student's activity to the staging table when the student submits an award acknowledgment. The system sets the student's transaction to Pending Update and records the current date and time. When you run the batch process, the system selects all transactions with a Pending Update status for processing. For each student selected, as long as the financial aid package has not been revised since the student submitted the award acknowledgment, the system checks each award in the student's package for any changes. It evaluates changed awards to ensure that award amounts and disbursement balances are correct and reductions do not fall below minimum amounts. The system processes all other awards in passive mode. After the batch validation process has completed, and if no errors were found, the system posts the data to the student's real award tables in the database.

If you select Real time, the system loads the current award package from the real award tables to a staging table. It saves the student's activity to the staging table when the student submits an award acknowledgment. The system evaluates the award activity and the resulting changes as it does in batch mode. The process verifies the Accept or Decline amount, and for award reductions, recalculates the scheduled disbursements. When all of the awards in the student's package are processed, and if no errors were found, the system posts the data to the student's real award tables in the database.

Note. Unlike administrative packaging where the packaging routine performs extensive edits to ensure the validity of an award, in self service the system processes awards in passive mode and does not perform any federal edits or evaluate the student for eligibility or need criteria. The system performs a subset of edits on any award that is being reduced. Also, the system adjusts an award that has been reduced below minimum amounts established for the system.

Consumer Information URL

If you populate this field, the system displays a link in self service awarding. If you leave this field blank, the system does not display a link. Enter your institution's student information site. This site may reflect awarding rights and responsibilities such as statement of educational purpose, truth-in-lending content, or other financial aid information.

Entrance Interview URL

Enter your institution's entrance and exit interview site to display a link in self service awarding. If you leave this blank, the system does not display a link. If you use Self Service Loan Counseling and enter entrance and exit interview URLs on the Loan Counseling page, leave this field blank, or both URLs will display.

External Award Reporting

Access from Award Inquiry

Select this check box to display a link on the students’ Award Inquiry Self Service pages.

Access from Accept/Decline

Select this check box to display a link on the students’ Accept Award and Decline Award Self Service pages.

Alternate Text for Reporting

Enter instructions to the student that varies from the default text.

Alternate Text for List View

Enter instructions to the student that varies from the default text.

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up FE FAN View and Print Options

Students can view and print their Forms Engine (FE) financial aid notification letter (FANLTR) in self service if you display the links on their Award Summary and Award Package pages.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPrerequisites

Before a student can print an FE FAN letter from Self Service, either GhostView or Adobe Distiller must be installed to format the PDF.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Set Up FE FAN View and Print Options

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

FE Award Notification Defaults

FANLTR_DEFAULTS

Financial Aid, Awards, Notification Letter, Award Notification Defaults

Ensure that the Display NID check box is not checked to avoid printing U.S. students' Social Security Numbers on their FAN letters. Select the Print Cancels check box and the Print Declines check box to show links to canceled or declined awards.

Inquiry Options

SS_FA_INSTALL

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Inquiry Options

Select the Award Notification check box in the Display Data group box to display the FE Award Notification PDF link on the students' Award Summary and Award Detail pages. Enter a name for the link to the FE Award Notification PDF process in the View Award Notification field in the Alternate Text group box.

FA Item Type 3

ITEM_TYPE_FA_3

Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Financial Aid Item Types, FA Item Type 3

Select Print from the Print Letter Option drop-down list.

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up Lender Selection

To set up lender selection for the student, turn on the display on the Loan Options page and ensure that the preferred lenders are set up. You might have set up lenders while processing FFELP loans.

This section discusses how to:

See Also

Setting Up Loan Origination for CRC

Setting Up Loan Participants

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Set Up Lender Selection

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

Loan Options

SS_FA_INSTALL3

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Loan Options

Set lender selection to display on the student self service page.

Identify Self Service Lenders

SFA_LNDR_SELECT_SU

Setup SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Loans, Identify Self Service Lenders

Select the preferred lender for each loan type.

Create CRC Loan Participants

SFA_CRC_DEST_ID

Setup SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Loans, CR Common Line, Create CRC Loan Participants

Identify the lenders for Common Line loans.

Maintain Lender Codes

LENDER_LOAD_MAINT

Setup SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Loans, Common Line 4, Maintain Lender Codes

Identify the lenders for CL4 loans.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDisplaying Lender Selection for Students

Access the Loan Options page.

FFELP Lender Section Setup

Select the Display Lender Selection check box to display the lender selection on the students' self service pages.

Entrance Exit Counseling Setup

Display Entrance Interview URL

To turn on an entrance interview link for loan counseling, select this check box. The URL is defined on the Loan Counseling page.

Display Exit Interview URL

To turn on an exit interview link for loan counseling, select this check box. The URL is defined on the Loan Counseling page.

General Loan Information

Enter a URL to enable students to access more detailed loan information. This URL can link students to an already existing intranet loan page or to an external loan servicer for which you have established a relationship. This link is available only if the loan has been originated in the system. The URL appears on the Financial Aid — Loan Application Information page.

Perkins Master Promissory Note

Use these options to support your eMPN processes and dynamically adjust the self-service page components within the eMPN process.

Authentication Method

Indicate the verification method for authenticating a student for eMPN. If you select Birthdate, Personal Identification Number, or National ID Number, students must enter the required information to authenticate and continue with the eMPN process. If you select No Authentication, the system does not prompt for authentication information.

You define a student's birthdate, national ID number, and PIN in Campus Community. The system always uses tha student's primary national ID number for authentication purposes.

Additional References

Indicate the number of required references (0, 1, 2, or 3) in addition to the required two references collected to complete the eMPN.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Preferred Lenders

Access the Identify Self Service Lenders page.

Loan Type

Select the loan type from x, y, and z.

Loan Information

The search lists for Lender OPEID and Branch ID pull from the CR Common Line and CL4 tables. Indicate one lender for each loan type as the preferred lender.

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up Loan Counseling

Loan Counseling can be handled by the Administrator or in Self Service by the student. When the student completes loan counseling for an award defined as requiring an entrance interview on the Indicators page, the loan can be disbursed.

This section discusses how to:

See Also

Setting Up Disbursement Rules

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Set Up Loan Counseling

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

Financial Aid Defaults

INSTALLATION_FA

Set Up SACR, Install, Financial Aid Installation

Select the Self Service mode for loan counseling.

Loan Options

SS_FA_INSTALL3

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Loan Options

Control the use display of entrance interview links and exit interview links on the students' self service pages.

Define Loan Type

SFA_LN_CNSL_XREF

Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Loans, Define Loan Counseling Options, Define Loan Type

Define the types of loan counseling.

Loan Counseling

SFA_LN_CNSL_SETUP

Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Loans, Define Loan Counseling Options, Loan Counseling

Define the entrance and exit interview URLs and associated attributes.

Awarding Options

SS_FA_INSTALL2

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Options, Awarding Options

Remove the Entrance Interview URL used when loan counseling is in Administrative mode. The URL defined on the Awarding Options page is the Entrance Interview Information link on the students' Award Package page when loan counseling is handled by the administrator rather than the student.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSelecting Self-Service Mode for Loan Counseling

Access the Financial Aid Defaults page.

Loan Counseling Version

Select Self Serv. The default is Admin.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicControlling the Display of Loan Counseling Links

Access the Loan Options page.

To turn on the display of loan counseling links, select the Display Entrance Interview URL and the Display Exit Interview URL check boxes. If you do not want to display a link at certain times of the year, clear the check box.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Loan Counseling Types

Use the Define Loan Type page to define types of loan counseling based on similar repayment options, interest rates, payment schedules, or other borrowing requirements.

Access the Define Loan Type page.

Loan Code

Enter user-defined name and description for a group of loans that require the same loan counseling.

Source

Select the funding source. If you select Federal, also select the Loan Type, such as Stafford, Perkins, or PLUS. If you select Institutnl, Private, or State, also select the Set ID and Item Type

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying Loan Counseling Links and Attributes

Access the Loan Counseling page.

Entrance Interview Requirement

Multi-Year

Select if loan counseling entrance interview is required only once in the student's career.

Annual

Select if loan counseling entrance interview is required each year the student secures this type of loan.

Exit Interview Requirement

Multi-Year

Select if loan counseling exit interview is required only once in the student's career.

Annual

Select if loan counseling exit interview is required each year the student secures this type of loan.

Use Default Exit Date

This check box determines how you specify the default exit date for activating your exit interview URL. If selected, the Exit Date Calculation Choice is displayed. If not selected, the Exit Date is displayed.

Exit Date Calculation Choice

Choose the number of days from the exit or program completion date to start displaying the exit interview link to students.

If Multi-Year is checked, the system uses the student's graduation date to calculate the number of days based on the Exit Date Calculation Choice value. For example, if value is 15 and the graduation date is June 30, the link will display on June 15.

If Annual is checked, the system uses the last day of the term and subtracts the value in Exit Date Calculation Choice.

Exit Date

Enter or select the calendar date on which to start displaying the exit interview link.

Click to jump to parent topicSetting Up Self-Service Actions and Access in Packaging

To set up self-service actions and access in packaging, use the Financial Aid Item Types component (FINANCIAL_AID_ITEM). Use the component interface (FINANCIAL_AID_ITEM_CI) to load the data into the tables for these component interfaces.

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Set Up Self-Service Actions and Access in Packaging

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

FA Item Type 3

ITEM_TYPE_FA_3

Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Financial Aid Item Types, FA Item Type 3

Set up disbursement information and self service actions options.

Packaging Status Summary

STDNT_AID_PACKAGE

Financial Aid, View Packaging Status Summary

Review the student's need, budget, and award or change the student's packaging status. Set the student's self service inquiry and award access.

Self Service Security

SFA_RUNCTL_SS_SEC

Financial Aid, Awards, Self Service Awarding, Assign Self Service Access, Self Service Security

Set the award and inquiry access value.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Self-Service Actions in Packaging

Access the FA Item Type 3 page.

The system provides flexibility when controlling whether a student can accept and reduce or decline an award.

The Accept, Decline, and Reduce, fields are available only if the Print Letter Option is set to Print.

Self Service Actions

Accept

Select to enable the student to accept a particular award. When you select Accept, the Reduce and Decline options become available.

Reduce

You must select the Accept check box and then the Reduce check box to enable the student to reduce a particular award. Clear this check box to prevent students from reducing their awards.

Decline

Select this check box to enable the student to decline a particular award. Once a student declines an award, the system sets the Offered and Accept amount fields to 0.00, and the student cannot update the amounts.

Note. If you set the Print Letter Option to Never or blank, the system displays the award on the Financial Aid – Award Summary page (View My Financial Aid), but not on the Award Package page (Accept/Decline Financial Aid).

See Also

Defining Item Type Disbursement Rules

Defining Disbursement and Anticipated Aid

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Self-Service Access in Packaging

Access the Packaging Status Summary page.

Self-Service

These values can be set in a background process by generating the Assign Self Service Access process.

Award Access

Select Allowed to permit, the student access to award acknowledgement for the given year regardless of filtering option criteria established in self service awarding options setup.

Select Denied to deny the student access to award acknowledgment for the given year regardless of filtering option criteria established in self service awarding options setup.

Select Use Filter to require the student to meet the self service awarding options access criteria to gain access to an award acknowledgment in self service awarding.

Inquiry Access

Select to allow a student to view assigned financial aid awards.

External Award Access

Select to allow student access to view reported external awards.

Note. You must also select the Allow Access check box on the Inquiry Options page in setup to enable self service access.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicChanging Award and Inquiry Access

Access the Self-service Security page.

Use this page to change the value of the Award Access and Inquiry Access fields on the Packaging Status Summary page. This controls whether or not a student can gain access to either area of self service.

Award Access

Select Allowed, Denied, or Use Filter.

Inquiry Access

Select Yes or No.

EA Access

Select Yes or No.

Institution

Select your institution.

Aid Year

Select the aid year for which to run this process.

All IDs

Select this option to update or change all IDs.

ID Range

Select this option to update or change a range of IDs.

Click to jump to parent topicModifying Self-Service Loan Status Descriptions

To set up self-service loan status descriptions, use the Self Service Loan Status component (SS_FA_LOAN_STAT).

This section discusses how to modify loan status descriptions.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPage Used to Modify Self-Service Loan Status Descriptions

Page Name

Object Name

Navigation

Usage

Self Service Loan Status

SS_FA_LOAN_STAT

Set Up SACR, Common Definitions, Self Service, Financial Aid, Self Service Loan Status

Modify loan status descriptions and comments text that you want a student to see online. This page provides students with their loan application status. These values are delivered by PeopleSoft.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicModifying Loan Status Descriptions

Access the Self Service Loan Status page.

You can view or modify the status and comments text that you want a student to view online.

Proc Status (processing status)

Indicates where the loan application is in the origination process between your institution and the loan servicer.

Trans Status (transaction status)

Indicates the current status of the loan application.

Click to jump to parent topicCreating User-Defined Text

Each self-service page has an area for additional explanatory text. The text resides in the message catalog. The system displays the message number to help you determine the text you want on a page. If you do not want a message on a particular page, you can delete the text in the message catalog or delete the message entirely. However, we suggest you only delete the text, not the reference number, so that you can add text as needed in the future.

You might add user-defined text to explain:

Message numbers 500 and greater for Message Set “14409” are designated as user-definable. We deliver some message numbers with defined message text and explanation as examples.