It’s a Snap
to Submit the E-App!
Briget Biernat Jans
Director of Financial Aid Compliance
DePaul University
What is the E-App?
 Online Application for Approval to
Participate in Federal Student
Financial Aid Programs
 Used by institutions to:
 Apply for FSA eligibility
 Submit requests for recertification
 report any changes to ED
 Found at eligcert.ed.gov
eligcert.ed.gov
What can you do with an E-App?




Apply for initial certification
Submit re-certs or updates
Check status of a submission
Display your:
 Program Participation
Agreement (PPA)
 Eligibility & Certification
Approval Report (ECAR)
 Access resources, including
ez-Audit
How do I get access?
 Your log-in is:
 ED or ed followed by your school’s OPE ID
 ED########
 Your password is
 ED or ed followed by your school’s TIN
 ED#########
 Case on “ED” or “ed” must be consistent
 Your TIN can be found on your ECAR
Section A
 1-9: General Questions
 10-12: CEO, chief financial officer and
financial aid director
 13-14: Correspondence recipient and
application contact
What is most important in Section A?
✔
What is most important in Section A?
 Considering priorities
when selecting the
purposes for the E-App
speeds processing time.
 Review for completeness
is based on what is
selected.
Section B
 15-16: Accreditation and flight certification
 17: State authorization
What is most important in Section B?
✔
 Make sure accreditations are up-to-date
 Add as necessary
What is most important in Section B?
✔
 Make sure state authorizations are up-to-date
 Add as necessary
 Do not include “distance learning”
Section C
 18-21: Institutional Control and Structure
What is most important in Section C?
 Type of institution
 Names of board members or executive committee
 Use middle initials whenever possible
 Make friends with someone in the president’s or
CEO’s office who will keep you up to date
Section D
 22-24: For-profit institutions
 25: Other entities owned
What is most important in Section D?
 For-profit institutions only
 Questions address structure of the institution
 Ownership
 Percentages owned up to 100%
 Identify other entities owned by the same owners
Section E
 26-27: Education programs you are
requesting be eligible to participate in
federal student financial aid programs
 28: Ineligible institution agreements
What is most important in Section E?
 This is where you add new programs
 Need to know what your GE requirements are
 For-profits: Virtually every program, unless
 program has same CIP code
 same credential level as already approved
 accreditor does not consider it an additional program
 Public or private, non-profits:
 typically, non-degree programs
 When in doubt, wait for approval
Section F
 29-30: School locations
What’s important in Section F?
✔
What’s important in Section F?
 Do you know where your programs are?
 Key is 50% or more of program
 If location is in region for which school is already
approved by accreditor, don’t need separate
approval
 When in doubt, wait for approval
 If school moving a short distance, include
Google directions print-out
Section G
 31-34 Correspondence courses, ability-tobenefit students, and incarcerated
students
Section G
✔
What’s important in Section G?
 Report distance education offerings here
 Good idea to keep track of school’s course
offerings
 Ability-to-benefit regs changed with 12-13 ay
 No longer eligible based on ATB test or
 6 credit hours/225 clock hours
 But previously-enrolled students still
eligible
Section H
 35-40: Initial applications, reinstatements,
and change in your ownership or structure
 Section I
Sections H & I
 35-40: Initial applications,
reinstatements, and
change in your ownership
or structure

41-46: Foreign institutions

47-57: Foreign graduate
medical schools
Section J
 58: Third-party servicers/Ability to benefit
tests and testers
What’s important in Section J?
 Update third-party servicers routinely for
school’s protection
 ED uses this information in the event
there is a problem with a servicer
 After PPA is received, be sure to get
servicer addendum signed
Section K
 59-71: Administrative capability and
financial responsibility, Reporting of
Foreign Gifts, Additional Contacts and
Relationships
Section K
What’s important in Section K?
 Certify compliance with FSA regulations
 checks and balances
 division of duties
 Reconciliation
 satisfactory academic progress
 cash management
 R2T4
 Excellent resource to check compliance
Section L
 Appropriate person in authority must
review, sign and date
 President, CEO
 Not financial aid director
Section M
 List of documents that must be sent to ED
 Send signature page and supporting
documents to Washington
 Address on signature page
 Application is reviewed to see if it is
materially complete
 Docs are scanned, sent to region
electronically
Don’t forget
to hit
SUBMIT!!!
What if I forgot to add something?
Simple!
 If the Region hasn’t started the review, you can go
back in.
 Once the Region starts the review, the E-App is
locked down.
 Just call Region V and ask them to open your
E-App!
 312-730-1511
Helpful Hints!
 If you don’t need to make a change in a
particular section, don’t touch
 Reviewers must look at every opened section –
even if nothing changed
 Slows down the process tremendously
 Put emergency contact information in
Question 69
 Example: Emergency Contact: Dr. Henry
Jones, Director of Public Affairs, 708-5551234
Helpful Hints!
 Regardless of the type of eligibility action always,
always, always include documentation of
 accreditation
 state authorization
 For re-certifications, always include printed policies on




admissions
refunds
return of Title IV funds
satisfactory academic progress
Helpful Hints!
 Use middle initials for individuals
whenever possible
 Federal Debarment List
 Keep copies of everything, including the
mailing label/tracking information
 Use Question 69 to explain anything
unusual
Helpful Hints!
 Watch for emails to print the PPA,
ECAR and approval letter.
 For some eligibility actions, not complete
until the PPA is countersigned and
returned!
Questions?
Contact information
Briget Jans
bjans@depaul.edu
312-362-8348