College Website, Publications and Event Requirements: Finance
This section of the College Website, Publication and Event Requirements covers issues related to student tuition, fees, financial aid and other expenses.
Citation
RCW 28B.76.502: Financial aid counseling curriculum for institutions with state need grant recipients
Frequency
Continuous
Location
The college must take reasonable steps to ensure each Washington College Grant recipient receives specified information by directly referencing or linking to the website on the conditions of award statement provided to each recipient.
Description
Financial aid counseling curriculum must be provided to institutions of higher education with Washington College Grant recipients. The curriculum must be available via a website.
Citation
RCW 28B.92: State Student Financial Aid Programs
Frequency
Continuous
Location
Website
Description
Community and technical colleges shall provide financial aid application due dates and information on whether or not financial aid will be awarded on a rolling basis to their admitted students at the time of acceptance.
Key requirements of the bill, should your college not already be doing so, is a potential modification of the admission acceptance letter or similar student communication. The requirements include:
- financial aid priority deadline date(s)
- awarding policy, such as ‘first come-first served’ or ‘as allocated funds allow.”
Coordination with your college’s financial aid professionals for applicable wording is highly recommended. The bill also encourages institutions of higher education to post financial aid application dates and distribution policies on their websites. The key word here, is encourages, and is not a requirement.
Citation
Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008
Frequency
Continuous
Location
Website
Description
Information on Net Price Calculator requirements, template and calculator web addresses may be found on the National Center for Education Statistics Net Price Calculator Information Center website. This is an interactive tool.
Example
Citation
RCW 28B.117.040: Identification of eligible students and applicants—Duties of institutions of higher education—Duties of the department of social and health services.
Frequency
Continuous
Location
Admissions application or registration materials.
Description
All colleges receiving Passport to College Promise and Passport to Apprenticeship funds shall include in their application or registration materials a question asking whether the applicant has been in state, tribal, or federal foster care in Washington state or experienced unaccompanied homelessness under the parameters. All other colleges are strongly encouraged to do the same.
Example
Requirement fulfilled in “Section 5 — Residency Information” on the uniform admission application.
Citation
Frequency
Once to prospective and current students receiving federal military and veteran educational benefits and to prospective students who would receive these benefits.
Location
Mailed or emailed once
Description
The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet template is a consumer tool that participating institutions use to notify students about their financial aid package. It is a standardized form that is designed to simplify the information that prospective students receive about costs and financial aid so that they can easily compare institutions and make informed decisions about where to attend school. The Shopping Sheet became available for use beginning in the 2013-2014 award year.
In July 2012, the Department unveiled the 2013-2014 version of the Shopping Sheet. At the same time, the Education Secretary published an open letter to college and university presidents asking institutions to adopt the Shopping Sheet for use during the 2013-2014 school year. On Dec. 13, 2013, the Department released the 2014-2015 edition of the Shopping Sheet. As of April 2015, over 2,900 institutions have voluntarily adopted the Shopping Sheet, representing institutions nationwide from all sectors of higher education.
Additional Guidance
Financial Aid Shopping Sheet from the US Department of Education
Citation
RCW 28B.15.045: Services and activities fees — Guidelines governing establishment and funding of programs supported by — Scope — Mandatory provisions — Dispute resolution
Frequency
Annually by Sept. 30.
Location
Website
Description
Annually by Sept. 30, the S&A fee expenditures for the prior academic year must be posted on the college’s website. The information should be clearly visible and easily accessible to students and the public. At a minimum, the services and activities fees budget information must include all the major categories of expenditure and the amounts expended in each category.
Citation
RCW 28B.15.0681: Information provided to students on tuition billing statements or website — Notice of federal educational tax credits
Frequency
Annually
Location
Required on resident student tuition billing statement, website, or financial aid award notifications, where applicable. Optional on other publications.
Description
College must include information on tuition billing statements, website, or financial aid award notifications, where applicable, about the cost of attendance, institutional revenue, and federal higher education-related tax credits.
Citation
Frequency
At time of financial aid award.
Location
Direct message to student.
Description
Send notices to borrowers regarding their student financial aid. Notices must provide a summary of applicable plans and a statement that income-driven repayment plans may reduce monthly payments. Information regarding resources from borrowers must include a complaint portal and information on the Student Education Loan Advocate.
Citation
- RCW 28B.15.0681: Information provided to students on tuition billing statements or website — Notice of federal educational tax credits
- RCW 28B.76.500: Student financial aid programs — Administration by office — College information web-based portal
Frequency
Continuous
Location
Tuition billing statement or by a link to a website.
Description
Institutions of higher education shall provide the following information to all undergraduate resident students either on the tuition billing statement or via a link to a website detailing the following information:
- The sources of all institutional revenue received during the prior academic or fiscal year, including but not limited to state, federal, local, and private sources;
- The uses of tuition revenue collected during the prior academic or fiscal year by program category as determined by the office of financial management; and
- The accountability and performance data under **RCW 28B.76.270 (recodified as RCW 28B.77.090).
The tuition billing statement disclosures shall be in twelve-point type and boldface type where appropriate.
All tuition billing statements or financial aid award notifications at institutions of higher education must notify resident undergraduate students of federal tax credits related to higher education for which they may be eligible.
Example
Uniform message to students is part of web registration.
