Entrance Counseling – Required Before Loan Disbursement

Entrance Counseling – Required Before Loan Disbursement

Purpose: Educates students on the responsibilities and obligations of borrowing federal loans.

Process

1. Students Complete Entrance Counseling Online:

   • Students visit the Federal Student Aid website at https://studentaid.gov.
   • They must log in using their FSA ID and complete the counseling session.

2. School Responsibilities:

   • Inform students of the requirement and direct them to the DOE’s website.
   • Use Campus Ivy to monitor completion:
     • Campus Ivy will pull the NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System) data to confirm completion.
     • Ensure entrance counseling is marked complete before submitting a disbursement batch.

3. Estimated Time for Students:

   • ~20–30 minutes per session (done independently by students).

2. Exit Counseling – Required When Students Leave the School

Purpose: Informs students about repayment options, loan servicer contact information, and what to do if they face difficulties repaying loans.

Process

1. Students Complete Exit Counseling Online:

   • Same process as entrance counseling on https://studentaid.gov.
   • Students must log in using their FSA ID and follow the prompts.

2. School Responsibilities:

   • Notify students nearing graduation or those withdrawing about the exit counseling requirement.
   • Use Campus Ivy to monitor compliance:
     • Pull data from NSLDS to verify counseling completion.
     • Update student records to show that exit counseling was completed.

3. Estimated Time for Students:

   • ~30–45 minutes per session (done independently by students).

What Should the School Handle Directly?

While students must complete the counseling themselves through the DOE website, the school’s Financial Aid Department is responsible for:

1. Tracking Completion:

   • Use Campus Ivy to ensure students have completed counseling before aid disbursement (for entrance counseling) and before graduation/withdrawal (for exit counseling).

2. Communicating Deadlines:

   • Send reminders to students about counseling requirements.
   • Provide instructions on how to access the DOE portal and complete counseling.

3. Holding Counseling Sessions (Optional):

   • While not required, the school can offer in-house workshops or one-on-one counseling to help students understand the loan process and repayment options.

How Campus Ivy Supports Counseling Tracking

• Integration with NSLDS: Campus Ivy will pull and update counseling completion records.
• Automated Alerts: Set up alerts within Campus Ivy to notify staff when counseling is incomplete.
• Batch Processing Holds: Prevent disbursement submissions until entrance counseling is complete.

Conclusion: Should the School Handle Counseling?

• Directly conducting entrance and exit counseling is not required—students are expected to complete it on the DOE’s website.
• However, your school must track, verify, and enforce compliance.
• Offering optional workshops may improve student understanding and engagement, but this is not mandatory.

By integrating Campus Ivy for tracking and reminders, you ensure students meet their counseling obligations while streamlining your processes