Management Of Federal Student Aid Records: Fill & Download for Free

Federally guaranteed student loans are part of need-based student aid. To find out if you are eligible, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student AidIf it is determined that you have financial "need," the school (where you have applied and been accepted) will assemble an award package for you. This package will include a federal grant, perhaps a state grant and other aid, all of which will be used over the course of two academic semesters (or three quarters) to pay your tuition and fees. You may also have the option to take a student loan to help meet expenses.If you live on campus, these funds will be used to pay housing/board. If you live off campus, the excess funds will disbursed to you to use to cover those expenses. This is not to say that these monies will cover 100% of all your obligations.Scholarships are not part of need-based aid. Scholarships are privately funded by business, families, civic organizations, individuals, etc. and are managed by the Financial Aid Office at each school. Scholarship have very specific requirements and can be intended for specific genders, majors, ethnic groups, professions, etc. Except for merit scholarships for freshman, scholarships are not offered until a student has established a qualifying track record.

For searching for records on the web go to backgroundtool.com Its both general public as well as non-public information. It goes over and above what a single resource can do for you or what engines like google can provide you with. You will have accessibility to public record information, social networking summary, a general online lookup, court records, records of criminals, telephone records (both general public and privately owned directories ), driving records and even more.Are US federal student loans accessible on a public record?If you apply for financial aid, your school will likely include student loans as part of your financial aid package. It’s important to understand what types of loans you are offered. Generally, there are two types of student loans:Federal student loans: These loans are funded by the federal government.Private student loans: These loans are nonfederal loans, made by a lender such as a bank, credit union, state agency, or a school.If you need to borrow money to pay for college or career school, start with federal student loans.Federal student loans are:Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans;Direct PLUS Loans (for graduate and professional students or parents); andFederal Perkins Loans.What are the differences between federal and private student loans?Federal student loans include many benefits (such as fixed interest rates and income-driven repayment plans) not typically offered with private loans. In contrast, private loans are generally more expensive than federal student loans.The chart below provides a summary of the differences.More about privacy and your student aid recordsIf you have applied for federal student aid or have received a federal student loan, the Office of Federal Student Aid is authorized to maintain a record of all transactions related to your application or loan.Review the System of Records notices, which list the authorized disclosures and the safeguards for Office of Federal Student Aid systems under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The systems that apply specifically to loans that you receive under the Direct Loan Program are #18-11-05 called Title IV Program Files and #18-11-06 called National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).The fact that you have completed an electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN), Direct PLUS Loan Request or Entrance Counseling will be communicated to the school for which you are borrowing the money. The privacy of financial aid records (and admission, enrollment, and other records) kept by an educational institution is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Click here to read the FERPA regulations.INTRODUCTION TO PRIVACY IMPACT ASSESSMENTSection 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002 (P.L.107-347) requires FSA to complete a Privacy Impact Assessment for each new system that collects information from the public through the Internet.During the Definition Phase of the FSA Solution Lifecycle, the System Security Officer must make sure that the team completes the attached Privacy Impact Assessment Questionnaire, must have it reviewed by the Chief Information Officer or equivalent official, and must file the completed form in the system's Security Notebook as part of the system's documentation. This Privacy Impact Assessment must also be made publicly available.Privacy Impact Assessment QuestionnaireSystem Name: Common Origination and Disbursement (COD)System Owner: William LeithSystem Manager: Nancy HooverSystem Security Officer: Don DorseyPrivacy Impact Assessment Questionnaire Author: Don DorseyDate: 1/22/2008Officials and organizational components involved in the analysis and review of the Privacy Impact Assessment included the following: Department of Education Office of the Chief Information Officer, Federal Student Aid (FSA) CIO Computer Security Officer, and COD management, including the System Security Officer.What information will be collected for the system (Ex. Name, Social Security Number, annual income, etc)?The COD system receives, processes and stores privacy act related data, such as names, social security numbers, current address, date of birth, place of birth, telephone numbers, and dollar amounts.The general public does not have access to COD.Why is this information being collected?The information is provided by the student applicants and the schools participating in the Title IV Higher Education Student Financial Aid Programs to enable the administration of the Federal Title IV grants and loans by the Department. The Title IV loans and grants are used by eligible students to attend those schools.How will FSA use this information?FSA/COD uses this student-level detail to book loans, account for awarded grants and to enable the Department to reconcile school cash drawdowns from the Treasury to individual student disbursements.This information also is used to ensure the respective schools receive the appropriate amount of dollars during the respective time periods.Will this information be shared with any other agency? If so, with which agency or agencies?Not routinely (This information can be made available for a civil or criminal law enforcement activity that is authorized by law, upon a written request by the agency).Describe the notice or opportunities for consent would be/ or are provided to individuals about what information is collected and how that information is shared with others organizations. (e.g., posted Privacy Notice)Extensive Privacy Act notices are posted at the web site of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The basis for the data sent to COD by colleges is the FAFSA®, which is filled out by student applicants first. The FAFSA® is an OMB approved data collection instrument (OMB #1845-0001)

Being an undergraduate at MIT was an incredibly unique experience. This place will amaze you from day one, and you will feel every possible feeling towards it. You will love it. You will hate it. You will be happy. You will be sad. You will feel connected. You will feel lonely. But you will most certainly feel glad to have lived through it, and you will take great experiences and friendships from MIT.First Impressions: Prospective Student/Freshman YearEverything is beautiful. The campus is nice, the dome is awesome. The columns are really cool. If you visit during summer or spring time the grass is green, the flowers grow and the people are happy (The winter, on the other hand is COLD!)There is a crazy building by Frank Gehry (The Stata Center)People seem to have a lot of fun. There are a variety of "hacks", one of the recent ones (and among my personal favorites) was the Tetris Building:(Yes, this is actually a building on campus, and yes, this was playable Tetris! The lights were programmed to respond to a controller!)From my first visits, I was impressed and very excited. I could definitely see myself here, and I knew that it would be a worthwhile experience.The Setting: Boston & CambridgeThe greater Boston area is a great place for students. There are multiple universities and colleges around the area as the map shows. MIT and Harvard are nearly neighbors in Cambridge (we are just two subway, a.k.a. T, stops away), but there are also Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, Berklee School of Music etc... (see map for more)This means there are a lot of young people around, and a good amount of bars and parties.Transportation is very good around MIT; the #1 bus goes up and down Massachusetts Ave, and there is a T stop on the east side of campus. There are also shuttles that cross the bridge from Cambridge to Boston, to connect MIT to some of the fraternities on the other side of the river.The Settling in: FreshmanOnce you get into MIT, you have to pick what dorms you are going to live in. Each dorm has a unique culture, and you can check them out here: Undergraduate Residence Halls. Most undergraduate dorms are located close to campus, and you can definitely walk from any of these dorms to classes, but some people choose to get bikes. For reference, I lived in Baker House, my room had a beautiful view of the Boston Skyline, and most of my classes were within a 5-10 minute walk.Deciding where you live is very important though, and I advise you to check out each dorm, meet the people there and choose the place that matches your culture as well as possible. I do advise incoming students to make this choice based on their tastes rather than their parents'. Sometimes parents will not like a place and try to get you to the dorm they find the nicest. But this decision should definitely be up to you, as a new student, because you are the one that will be living there for possibly the next four years.Moving was straighforward, and like most big cities, you can get all your things at any of these Bed-Bath megastores. They usually make lists for college students, to help you get everything, so I did not have any issues there.Fees and TuitionMost students get some kind of financial aid from MIT. All financial aid is need-based, so every year we have to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) which calculates how much aid you should receive. MIT is not cheap at all (tuition and fees come out to $42,050, plus costs of living and dining), but MIT does try to help out.Drinking water from a firehose, Part I:You are a freshman, have just picked your intro classes (usually first-years take Calculus, Chemistry or Biology, Physics and a Humanities course) and everything is ready to start. And in orientation you get the great news that your first semester is actually Pass/No Record.What does that mean?No grades! (insert celebration dance here!)MIT, in order to help you transition from high school to, well, one of the most intense universities in the world, gives you a "freebie" semester. No grades, if you get above a "C-minus", you get the credit.This may seem great, and a reason to party all semester, but it is not that simple. MIT is tough. It is intense, it is challenging, and it will destroy you if you are careless. So people that take this semester lightly and not use the opportunity to get used to MIT's style, often have a tougher time adapting in the following semester.Once the semester starts, you begin to understand classes at MIT. Freshman lectures are usually in large lecture halls, with sometimes 300 students in a class. But you do get the opportunity to learn from great people in their fields. Many freshman have had the opportunity to take Introductory Chemistry (5.112) with Nobel Laureate Richard R. Schrock, or Introductory Biology (7.012) with Eric Lander, who worked on the Human Genome Project.These are great opportunities, to learn from people who play a very significant role in their fields. As a freshman, learning about ongoing research of Nobel Laureates is an incredible experience.However, the academic part is not easy at all. Once you get your first problem set (Pset) for homework, you notice that MIT is not at all like high school. The questions really challenge you. They are not simple repetition of what you had done in class, but rather, they require you to read additional sources, collaborate with others and ask your TAs and Professors for help. Very few people work on their psets individually, there is a lot of collaboration at MIT.And then exams came. You study, do your best, and you get your results back with the lowest grade you have ever seen, and the average score among all students was a 50 (out of 100) or lower. It is a humbling experience. From being among the top students of your high school, used to getting straight-As, getting a 40- or 30-something on an exam makes you realize that MIT is going to be tough. Here, you are no longer the best student, and you need to come to terms to getting bad grades and getting over them by studying harder and preparing better for the next exams.In the end of the semester, you have your finals. A final at MIT is, jokingly, compared to the following scenario:You take a class on how to build a house. You learn about walls, and windows and doors and pipes and electric systems. And then your final exam comes and asks you one thing: "How do you build a boat"MIT finals usually cover a great amount of material, and they challenge you. They ask for applications of what was learned in class, rather than simple repetition of facts. So the exams here actually make you think rather than spit out memorized answers.This is why MIT is compared to drinking water from a firehose. There is so much happening around you, so much academic material, and you try to grasp as much as you can, but you find out that it is impossible to get it all.Drinking from the firehouse: Part IIThe rest of my years at MIT required great dedication, but I was able to take all the required classes, get a double major (in Math and Physics) and a minor (in Management Science), I worked as a grader and Lab Assistant (great opportunity to make some money) and I also had the opportunity to do research with great professors (including a brief time at the Higgs group at MIT!) I was also able to get a decent amount of sleep, probably more than the average MIT student, was able to play soccer in Intramural season, and have fun in general.The main lesson that you take from here is that you have to be balanced. You cannot possibly do it all, and you must accept that. Don't put more on your plate than you can eat. This is just how MIT is, you always have to give something up. Do your work, study, but also go out to eat, go see the Boston Symphony Orchestra, walk around Boston, visit Harvard, go to parties, and you will have a great time.MIT is a great place. It is very challenging, but you will make great friends, and learn more than you have ever learned. I would not change this opportunity for anything.I hope this helps to paint a picture of MIT for people that haven't had a chance to come here!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PS1: One of MIT's informal mottos is IHTFP, an acronym that can stand for many things, but usually meaning "I Hate This F***ing Place", but also used as "I Have Truly Found Paradise". You will use it with both meanings as a student here.PS2: I love MIT so much that I am doing my PhD here. So this will probably be some 5 more years of MIT and Boston life!PS3: If anyone has any other specific questions, please let me know and I'll try to edit this answer!