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Code of Federal Regulations (Last Updated: November 8, 2024) |
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Title 34 - Education |
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Subtitle B - Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education |
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Chapter VI - Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education |
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Part 668 - Student Assistance General Provisions |
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Subpart A - General |
§ 668.2 - General definitions.
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§ 668.2 General definitions.
(a) The following definitions are contained in the regulations for Institutional Eligibility under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 34 CFR part 600:
(1) Accredited.
(2) Award year.
(3) Branch campus.
(4) Clock hour.
(5)Correspondence course.
(6) Credit hour.
(7) Direct assessment program.
(8) Distance education.
(9) Educational program.
(10) Eligible institution.
(11) Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) programs.
(12) Foreign institution.
(13) Incarcerated student.
(14) Institution of higher education.
(15)Legally authorized.
(16) Nationally recognized accrediting agency.
(17) Nonprofit institution.
(18) One-year training program.
(19) Postsecondary vocational institution.
(20) Preaccredited.
(21) Proprietary institution of higher education.
(22) Recognized equivalent of a high school diploma.
(23) Recognized occupation.
(24) Regular student.
(25) Religious mission.
(26) Secretary.
(27) State.
(28) Teach-out.
(29) Teach-out agreement.
(30) Teach-out plan.
(31) Title IV, HEA program.
(b) The following definitions apply to all Title IV, HEA programs:
Annual debt-to-earnings rate (annual D/E rate): The ratio of a program's annual loan payment amount to the annual earnings of the students who completed the program, expressed as a percentage, as calculated under § 668.403.
Campus-based programs:
(1) The Federal Perkins Loan Program (34 CFR parts 673 and 674);
(2) The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program (34 CFR parts 673 and 675); and
(3) The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program (34 CFR parts 673 and 676).
Classification of instructional program (CIP) code: A taxonomy of instructional program classifications and descriptions developed by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Specific programs offered by institutions are classified using a six-digit CIP code.
Cohort period: The set of award years used to identify a cohort of students who completed a program and whose debt and earnings outcomes are used to calculate debt-to-earnings rates and the earnings premium measure under subpart Q of this part. The Secretary uses a 2-year cohort period to calculate the debt-to-earnings rates and earnings premium measure for a program when the number of students (after exclusions identified in §§ 668.403(e) and 668.404(c)) in the 2-year cohort period is 30 or more. The Secretary uses a 4-year cohort period to calculate the debt-to-earnings rates and earnings premium measure when the number of students completing the program in the two-year cohort period is fewer than 30 and when the number of students completing the program in the 4-year cohort period is 30 or more. The cohort period covers consecutive award years that are—
(1) For the 2-year cohort period—
(i) The third and fourth award years prior to the year for which the most recent data are available from the Federal agency with earnings data at the time the D/E rates and earnings premium measure are calculated, pursuant to §§ 668.403 and 668.404; or
(ii) For a qualifying graduate program, the sixth and seventh award years prior to the year for which the most recent data are available from the Federal agency with earnings data at the time the D/E rates and earnings premium measure are calculated.
(2) For the four-year cohort period—
(i) The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth award years prior to the year for which the most recent data are available from the Federal agency with earnings data at the time the D/E rates and earnings premium measure are calculated, pursuant to §§ 668.403 and 668.404; or
(ii) For a qualifying graduate program, the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth award years prior to the year for which the most recent earnings data are available from the Federal agency with earnings data at the time the D/E rates and earnings premium measure are calculated.
Credential level: The level of the academic credential awarded by an institution to students who complete the program. For the purposes of this part, the undergraduate credential levels are: undergraduate certificate or diploma, associate degree, bachelor's degree, and post-baccalaureate certificate; and the graduate credential levels are master's degree, doctoral degree, first-professional degree (e.g., MD, DDS, JD), and graduate certificate (including a postgraduate certificate).
Debt-to-earnings rates (D/E rates): The discretionary debt-to-earnings rate and annual debt-to-earnings rate as calculated under § 668.403.
Defense loan: A loan made before July 1, 1972, under Title II of the National Defense Education Act of 1958.
Dependent student: Any student who does not qualify as an independent student (see Independent student).
Designated department official: An official of the Department of Education to whom the Secretary has delegated responsibilities indicated in this part.
Direct Loan Program loan: A loan made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.
Direct PLUS Loan: A loan made under the Federal Direct PLUS Program.
Direct Subsidized Loan: A loan made under the Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan Program.
Direct Unsubsidized Loan: A loan made under the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loan Program.
Discretionary debt-to-earnings rate (discretionary D/E rate): The percentage of a program's annual loan payment compared to the discretionary earnings of the students who completed the program, as calculated under § 668.403.
Earnings threshold: Based on data from the Census Bureau, the median earnings for working adults aged 25-34, who either worked during the year or indicated they were unemployed (i.e., not employed but looking for and available to work) when interviewed, with only a high school diploma (or recognized equivalent)—
(1) In the State in which the institution is located; or
(2) Nationally, if fewer than 50 percent of the students in the program are from the State where the institution is located, or if the institution is a foreign institution.
Eligible career pathway program: A program that combines rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that—
(i) Align with the skill needs of industries in the economy of the State or regional economy involved;
(ii) Prepare an individual to be successful in any of a full range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including apprenticeships registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.);
(iii) Include counseling to support an individual in achieving the individual's education and career goals;
(iv) Include, as appropriate, education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster;
(v) Organize education, training, and other services to meet the particular needs of an individual in a manner that accelerates the educational and career advancement of the individual to the extent practicable;
(vi) Enable an individual to attain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and at least one recognized postsecondary credential; and
(vii) Help an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
Eligible non-GE program: An educational program other than a gainful employment (GE) program offered by an institution and included in the institution's participation in the title IV, HEA programs, identified by a combination of the institution's six-digit Office of Postsecondary Education ID (OPEID) number, the program's six-digit CIP code as assigned by the institution or determined by the Secretary, and the program's credential level. Includes all coursework associated with the program's credential level.
Enrolled: The status of a student who—
(1) Has completed the registration requirements (except for the payment of tuition and fees) at the institution that he or she is attending; or
(2) Has been admitted into an educational program offered predominantly by correspondence and has submitted one lesson, completed by him or her after acceptance for enrollment and without the help of a representative of the institution.
Expected family contribution (EFC): The amount, as determined under title IV, part F of the HEA, an applicant and his or her spouse and family are expected to contribute toward the applicant's cost of attendance.
Federal agency with earnings data: A Federal agency with which the Department enters into an agreement to access earnings data for the D/E rates and earnings threshold measure. The agency must have individual earnings data sufficient to match with title IV, HEA recipients who completed any eligible program during the cohort period and may include agencies such as the Treasury Department (including the Internal Revenue Service), the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Census Bureau.
Federal Consolidation Loan program: The loan program authorized by Title IV-B, section 428C, of the HEA that encourages the making of loans to borrowers for the purpose of consolidating their repayment obligations, with respect to loans received by those borrowers, under the Federal Insured Student Loan (FISL) Program as defined in 34 CFR part 682, the Federal Stafford Loan, Federal PLUS (as in effect before October 17, 1986), Federal Consolidation Loan, Federal SLS, ALAS (as in effect before October 17, 1986), Federal Direct Student Loan, and Federal Perkins Loan programs, and under the Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) Program authorized by subpart II of part C of Title VII of the Public Health Service Act, for Federal PLUS borrowers whose loans were made after October 17, 1986, and for Higher Education Assistance Loans (HEAL) authorized by subpart I of part A of Title VII of the Public Health Services Act.
Federal Direct PLUS Program: A loan program authorized by title IV, Part D of the HEA that is one of the components of the Direct Loan Program. The Federal Direct PLUS Program provides loans to parents of dependent students attending schools that participate in the Direct Loan Program. The Federal Direct PLUS Program also provides loans to graduate or professional students attending schools that participate in the Direct Loan Program. The borrower is responsible for the interest that accrues during any period.
Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan Program: A loan program authorized by Title IV, Part D of the HEA that is one of the components of the Direct Loan Program. The Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan Program provides loans to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attending schools that participate in the Direct Loan Program. The Secretary subsidizes the interest while the borrower is in an in-school, grace, or deferment period.
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loan Program: A loan program authorized by Title IV, Part D of the HEA that is one of the components of the Direct Loan Program. The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loan Program provides loans to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attending schools that participate in the Direct Loan Program. The borrower is responsible for the interest that accrues during any period.
Federal Pell Grant Program: A grant program authorized by Title IV-A-1 of the HEA under which grants are awarded to help financially needy students meet the cost of their postsecondary education.
Federal Perkins loan: A loan made under Title IV-E of the HEA to cover the cost of attendance for a period of enrollment beginning on or after July 1, 1987, to an individual who on July 1, 1987, had no outstanding balance of principal or interest owing on any loan previously made under Title IV-E of the HEA.
Federal Perkins Loan program: The student loan program authorized by Title IV-E of the HEA after October 16, 1986. Unless otherwise noted, as used in this part, the Federal Perkins Loan Program includes the National Direct Student Loan Program and the National Defense Student Loan Program.
Federal PLUS loan: A loan made under the Federal PLUS Program.
Federal PLUS program: The loan program authorized by Title IV-B, section 428B, of the HEA, that encourages the making of loans to parents of dependent undergraduate students. Before October 17, 1986, the PLUS Program also provided for making loans to graduate, professional, and independent undergraduate students. Before July 1, 1993, the PLUS Program also provided for making loans to parents of dependent graduate students. Beginning July 1, 2006, the PLUS Program provides for making loans to graduate and professional students.
Federal SLS loan: A loan made under the Federal SLS Program.
Federal Stafford loan: A loan made under the Federal Stafford Loan Program.
Federal Stafford Loan program: The loan program authorized by Title IV-B (exclusive of sections 428A, 428B, and 428C) that encourages the making of subsidized Federal Stafford and unsubsidized Federal Stafford loans as defined in 34 CFR part 682 to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program: The grant program authorized by Title IV-A-2 of the HEA.
Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (Federal SLS) Program: The loan program authorized by Title IV-B, section 428A of the HEA, as in effect for periods of enrollment that began before July 1, 1994. The Federal SLS Program encourages the making of loans to graduate, professional, independent undergraduate, and certain dependent undergraduate students.
Federal Work Study (FWS) program: The part-time employment program for students authorized by Title IV-C of the HEA.
FFELP loan: A loan made under the FFEL programs.
Financial exigency: A status declared by an institution to a governmental entity or its accrediting agency representing severe financial distress that, absent significant reductions in expenditures or increases in revenue, reductions in administrative staff or faculty, or the elimination of programs, departments, or administrative units, could result in the closure of the institution.
Free application for Federal student aid (FAFSA): The student aid application provided for under section 483 of the HEA, which is used to determine an applicant's eligibility for the title IV, HEA programs.
Full-time student: An enrolled student who is carrying a full-time academic workload, as determined by the institution, under a standard applicable to all students enrolled in a particular educational program. The student's workload may include any combination of courses, work, research, or special studies that the institution considers sufficient to classify the student as a full-time student. For a term-based program that is not subscription-based, the student's workload may include repeating any coursework previously taken in the program; however, the workload may not include more than one repetition of a previously passed course. For an undergraduate student, an institution's minimum standard must equal or exceed one of the following minimum requirements, based on the type of program:
(1) For a program that measures progress in credit hours and uses standard terms (semesters, trimesters, or quarters), 12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours per academic term.
(2) For a program that measures progress in credit hours and does not use terms, 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours over the weeks of instructional time in the academic year, or the prorated equivalent if the program is less than one academic year.
(3) For a program that measures progress in credit hours and uses nonstandard-terms (terms other than semesters, trimesters, or quarters) the number of credits determined by—
(i) Dividing the number of weeks of instructional time in the term by the number of weeks of instructional time in the program's academic year; and
(ii) Multiplying the fraction determined under paragraph (3)(i) of this definition by the number of credit hours in the program's academic year.
(4) For a program that measures progress in clock hours, 24 clock hours per week.
(5) A series of courses or seminars that equals 12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours in a maximum of 18 weeks.
(6) The work portion of a cooperative education program in which the amount of work performed is equivalent to the academic workload of a full-time student.
(7) For correspondence coursework—
(i) A full-time course load must be commensurate with the requirements listed in paragraphs (1) through (6) of this definition; and
(ii) At least one-half of the coursework must be made up of non-correspondence coursework that meets one-half of the institution's requirement for full-time students.
(8) For a subscription-based program, completion of a full-time course load commensurate with the requirements in paragraphs (1), (3), and (5) through (7) of this definition.
Gainful employment program (GE program): An educational program offered by an institution under § 668.8(c)(3) or (d) and identified by a combination of the institution's six-digit OPEID number, the program's six-digit CIP code as assigned by the institution or determined by the Secretary, and the program's credential level.
Graduate or professional student: A student who—
(1) Is not receiving title IV aid as an undergraduate student for the same period of enrollment;
(2) Is enrolled in a program or course above the baccalaureate level or is enrolled in a program leading to a professional degree; and
(3) Has completed the equivalent of at least three years of full-time study either prior to entrance into the program or as part of the program itself.
Half-time student:
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this definition, an enrolled student who is carrying a half-time academic workload, as determined by the institution, that amounts to at least half of the workload of the applicable minimum requirement outlined in the definition of a full-time student.
(2) A student enrolled solely in a program of study by correspondence who is carrying a workload of at least 12 hours of work per week, or is earning at least six credit hours per semester, trimester, or quarter. However, regardless of the work, no student enrolled solely in correspondence study is considered more than a half-time student.
Independent student: A student who qualifies as an independent student under section 480(d) of the HEA.
Initiating official: The designated department official authorized to begin an emergency action under 34 CFR 668.83.
Institutional student information record (ISIR): An electronic record that the Secretary transmits to an institution that includes an applicant's—
(1) FAFSA information; and
(2) EFC.
Institutional grants and scholarships: Assistance that the institution or its affiliate controls or directs to reduce or offset the original amount of a student's institutional costs and that does not have to be repaid. Typically, an institutional grant or scholarship includes a grant, scholarship, fellowship, discount, or fee waiver.
Length of the program: The amount of time in weeks, months, or years that is specified in the institution's catalog, marketing materials, or other official publications for a student to complete the requirements needed to obtain the degree or credential offered by the program.
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) Program: The grant program authorized by Title IV-A-4 of the HEA.
Metropolitan statistical area: A core area containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core.
National Defense Student Loan program: The student loan program authorized by Title II of the National Defense Education Act of 1958.
National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) program: The student loan program authorized by Title IV-E of the HEA between July 1, 1972, and October 16, 1986.
National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) program: The scholarship program authorized by Chapter 2 of subpart 1 of Title IV-A of the HEA.
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) Program: A grant program authorized by Title IV-A-1 of the HEA under which grants are awarded during the third and fourth academic years of study to eligible financially needy undergraduate students pursuing eligible majors in the physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, or engineering, or foreign languages determined to be critical to the national security of the United States.
One-third of an academic year: A period that is at least one-third of an academic year as determined by an institution. At a minimum, one-third of an academic year must be a period that begins on the first day of classes and ends on the last day of classes or examinations and is a minimum of 10 weeks of instructional time during which, for an undergraduate educational program, a full-time student is expected to complete at least 8 semester or trimester hours or 12 quarter hours in an educational program whose length is measured in credit hours or 300 clock hours in an educational program whose length is measured in clock hours. For an institution whose academic year has been reduced under § 668.3, one-third of an academic year is the pro-rated equivalent, as measured in weeks and credit or clock hours, of at least one-third of the institution's academic year.
Output document: The Student Aid Report (SAR), Electronic Student Aid Report (ESAR), or other document or automated data generated by the Department of Education's central processing system or Multiple Data Entry processing system as the result of the processing of data provided in a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Parent: A student's biological or adoptive mother or father or the student's stepparent, if the biological parent or adoptive mother or father has remarried at the time of application.
Participating institution: An eligible institution that meets the standards for participation in Title IV, HEA programs in subpart B and has a current program participation agreement with the Secretary.
Poverty Guideline: The Poverty Guideline for a single person in the continental United States, as published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty or its successor site.
Professional degree: A degree that signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree. Professional licensure is also generally required. Examples of a professional degree include but are not limited to Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.), Law (L.L.B. or J.D.), Medicine (M.D.), Optometry (O.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.), and Theology (M.Div., or M.H.L.).
Prospective student: An individual who has contacted an eligible institution for the purpose of requesting information about enrolling in a program or who has been contacted directly by the institution or by a third party on behalf of the institution about enrolling in a program.
Qualifying graduate program:
(1) For the first three award years that the Secretary calculates debt-to-earnings rates and the earnings premium measure under subpart Q of this part (“initial period”), a graduate program—
(i) Whose students must complete required postgraduation training programs to obtain licensure in one of the following fields: medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, clinical psychology, marriage and family counseling, clinical social work, and clinical counseling; and
(ii) For which the institution attests, in the manner established by the Secretary, that—
(A) If necessary for licensure, the program is accredited by an accrediting agency that meets State requirements; and
(B) At least half of the program's graduates obtain licensure in a State where the postgraduation training requirements apply.
(2)
(i) After the initial period, the graduate programs that are on the list described in paragraph (2)(ii) of this definition and for which the Secretary has received an attestation that meets the requirements in paragraph (1)(ii) of this definition.
(ii) For the first award year following the initial period, and every three years thereafter, using publicly available information and information received in response to a request for information, the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register a list of graduate degree fields (based on their credential level and CIP codes) that may contain qualifying graduate programs by identifying fields—
(A) That lead to a graduate (master's, first-professional, or doctoral) degree;
(B) For which the Department determines that graduates must complete a required postgraduate training program that takes, on average, three or more years to complete; and
(C) For which, based on College Scorecard data, the Secretary determines that a majority of programs with the same credential level and CIP code have outlier earnings growth. An individual program has outlier earnings growth if the percent change in median earnings between its earnings measured one or three years post-completion and its earnings measured either five or ten years post-completion is more than two standard deviations above the average earnings growth for other programs with the same credential level.
(3) For the purpose of this definition, a “required postgraduation training program” is a supervised training program that—
(i) Requires the student to hold a degree in one of the listed fields in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition or one of the fields identified in the list described in paragraph (2)(ii) of this definition; and
(ii) Must be completed before the student may be licensed by a State and board certified for professional practice or service.
Show-cause official: The designated department official authorized to conduct a show-cause proceeding for an emergency action under 34 CFR 668.83.
Student: For the purposes of subparts Q and S of this part and of § 668.43(d), an individual who received title IV, HEA program funds for enrolling in the program.
Student aid report (SAR): A report provided to an applicant by the Secretary showing his or her FAFSA information and the amount of his or her EFC.
Subscription-based program: A standard or nonstandard-term program in which the institution charges a student for each term on a subscription basis with the expectation that the student completes a specified number of credit hours (or the equivalent) during that term. Coursework in a subscription-based program is not required to begin or end within a specific timeframe in each term. Students in subscription-based programs must complete a cumulative number of credit hours (or the equivalent) during or following the end of each term before receiving subsequent disbursements of title IV, HEA program funds. An institution establishes an enrollment status (for example, full-time or half-time) that will apply to a student throughout the student's enrollment in the program, except that a student may change his or her enrollment status no more often than once per academic year. The number of credit hours (or the equivalent) a student must complete before receiving subsequent disbursements is calculated by—
(1) Determining for each term the number of credit hours (or the equivalent) associated with the institution's minimum standard for the student's enrollment status (for example, full-time, three-quarter time, or half-time) for that period commensurate with paragraph (8) in the definition of “full-time student,” adjusted for less than full-time students in light of the definitions of “half-time student” and “three-quarter time student,” and adjusted to at least one credit (or the equivalent) for a student who is enrolled less than half-time; and
(2) Adding together the number of credit hours (or the equivalent) determined under paragraph (1) for each term in which the student was enrolled in and attended that program, excluding the current and most recently attended terms.
Substantially similar program: For the purposes of subpart Q and S of this part, a program is substantially similar to another program if the two programs share the same four-digit CIP code. The Secretary presumes a program is not substantially similar to another program if the two programs have different four-digit CIP codes, but the institution must provide an explanation of how the new program is not substantially similar to the ineligible or voluntarily discontinued program with its certification under § 668.604.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program: A grant program authorized by title IV of the HEA under which grants are awarded by an institution to students who are completing, or intend to complete, coursework to begin a career in teaching and who agree to serve for not less than four years as a full-time, highly-qualified teacher in a high-need field in a low-income school. If the recipient of a TEACH Grant does not complete four years of qualified teaching service within eight years of completing the course of study for which the TEACH Grant was received or otherwise fails to meet the requirements of 34 CFR 686.12, the amount of the TEACH Grant converts into a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
TEACH Grant: A grant authorized under title IV-A-9 of the HEA and awarded to students in exchange for prospective teaching service.
Third-party servicer:
(1) An individual or a State, or a private, profit or nonprofit organization that enters into a contract with an eligible institution to administer, through either manual or automated processing, any aspect of the institution's participation in any Title IV, HEA program. The Secretary considers administration of participation in a Title IV, HEA program to—
(i) Include performing any function required by any statutory provision of or applicable to Title IV of the HEA, any regulatory provision prescribed under that statutory authority, or any applicable special arrangement, agreement, or limitation entered into under the authority of statutes applicable to Title IV of the HEA, such as, but not restricted to—
(A) Processing student financial aid applications;
(B) Performing need analysis;
(C) Determining student eligibility and related activities;
(D) Originating loans;
(E) Processing output documents for payment to students;
(F) Receiving, disbursing, or delivering Title IV, HEA program funds, excluding lock-box processing of loan payments and normal bank electronic fund transfers;
(G) Conducting activities required by the provisions governing student consumer information services in subpart D of this part;
(H) Preparing and certifying requests for advance or reimbursement funding;
(I) Loan servicing and collection;
(J) Preparing and submitting notices and applications required under 34 CFR part 600 and subpart B of this part; and
(K) Preparing a Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP);
(ii) Exclude the following functions—
(A) Publishing ability-to-benefit tests;
(B) Performing functions as a Multiple Data Entry Processor (MDE);
(C) Financial and compliance auditing;
(D) Mailing of documents prepared by the institution;
(E) Warehousing of records; and
(F) Providing computer services or software; and
(iii) Notwithstanding the exclusions referred to in paragraph (1)(ii) of this definition, include any activity comprised of any function described in paragraph (1)(i) of this definition.
(2) For purposes of this definition, an employee of an institution is not a third-party servicer. The Secretary considers an individual to be an employee if the individual—
(i) Works on a full-time, part-time, or temporary basis;
(ii) Performs all duties on site at the institution under the supervision of the institution;
(iii) Is paid directly by the institution;
(iv) Is not employed by or associated with a third-party servicer; and
(v) Is not a third-party servicer for any other institution.
Three-quarter time student: An enrolled student who is carrying a three-quarter-time academic workload, as determined by the institution, that amounts to at least three quarters of the work of the applicable minimum requirement outlined in the definition of a full-time student.
Two-thirds of an academic year: A period that is at least two-thirds of an academic year as determined by an institution. At a minimum, two-thirds of an academic year must be a period that begins on the first day of classes and ends on the last day of classes or examinations and is a minimum of 20 weeks of instructional time during which, for an undergraduate educational program, a full-time student is expected to complete at least 16 semester or trimester hours or 24 quarter hours in an educational program whose length is measured in credit hours or 600 clock hours in an educational program whose length is measured in clock hours. For an institution whose academic year has been reduced under § 668.3, two-thirds of an academic year is the pro-rated equivalent, as measured in weeks and credit or clock hours, of at least two-thirds of the institution's academic year.
Undergraduate student:
(1) A student who is enrolled in an undergraduate course of study that usually does not exceed four years, or is enrolled in a longer program designed to lead to a degree at the baccalaureate level. For purposes of 34 CFR 690.6(c)(5) students who have completed a baccalaureate program of study and who are subsequently completing a State-required teacher certification program are treated as undergraduates.
(2) In addition to meeting the definition in paragraph (1) of this definition, a student is only considered an undergraduate for purposes of the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program, the Federal Pell Grant Program, the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) Program, National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant Program, and TEACH Grant program if the student has not yet earned a baccalaureate or professional degree. However, for purposes of 34 CFR 690.6(c)(5) and 686.3(a) students who have completed a baccalaureate program of study and who are subsequently completing a State-required teacher certification program are treated as undergraduates.
(3) For purposes of dual degree programs that allow individuals to complete a bachelor's degree and either a graduate or professional degree within the same program, a student is considered an undergraduate student for at least the first three years of that program.
(4) A student enrolled in a four to five year program designed to lead to an undergraduate degree. A student enrolled in a program of any other, longer length is considered an undergraduate student for only the first four years of that program.
U.S. citizen or national:
(1) A citizen of the United States; or
(2) A person defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22), who, though not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States.
Valid institutional student information record (valid ISIR): An ISIR on which all the information reported on a student's FAFSA is accurate and complete as of the date the application is signed.
Valid student aid report (valid SAR): A student aid report on which all of the information reported on a student's FAFSA is accurate and complete as of the date the application is signed.
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program: The loan program authorized by Title IV, Part D of the HEA.
[59 FR 22418, Apr. 29, 1994]