Newsroom
Department of Education to offer Fundamentals of Financial Aid Training
August 16, 2023
Anyone who has worked in financial aid knows that training is essential to a job well done.
Sometimes the training is an introduction to financial aid and other times what’s needed is a refresher of the fundamentals.
To meet those needs, the Department of Education, in an August 14 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), announced the launch of its 2023-24 Fundamentals Training Series program.
According to the Department, the training series comprises two courses:
- FSA Coach Fundamentals 2023–24, a self-paced, online course that is now available in the FSA Training Center.
- Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration virtual workshop, scheduled for October 2023 through July 2024. Each virtual workshop is instructor-led, four and one-half days in length, and conducted online.
The Department said participants wishing to register for and attend a Fundamentals of Federal Student Aid Administration virtual workshop must first successfully complete the online FSA Coach Fundamentals 2023-24 course.
In the Dear Colleague Letter, the Department outlines who must attend the training sessions and who may attend the training sessions. Financial aid professionals that must attend the training include those whose institution is applying to participate in the Title IV federal student aid programs for the first time, and the training is needed to fulfill the Fundamentals training requirement to complete certification. According to the DCL, the training is also mandatory for those professionals whose institution is undergoing a change of ownership (in some instances).