QUESTION:

"What Federal funds are available to students who enroll (in a trade
school) to learn a qualified, classified skill?"



CLARIFICATIONS: 

1) PLEASE PROVIDE A SUMMARY AND LINKS

2) THIS QUESTION IS ONE OF A GROUP OF SIX ON THE SAME TOPIC.  BELOW IS
THE GROUP OF QUESTIONS:

1)  What are the Federal trade school classifications? 
2)  What Federal funds are available to students who enroll (in a
trade school) to learn a qualified, classified skill?
3) What are the specific requirements that must be meet (by a trade
school) in order for it's students to access federal funds.
4) What is the list of federally qualified, as classified, trade
school skills?
5) What federal legislation exists currently related to trade schools,
trade school funding and trade school classifications?
6) Who wrote, introduced and/or sponsored, the most resent trade
school related federal legislation?

Hello HVB-ga, and thank you for your question(s).  I've looked over
the whole group, and it sounds as if you are embarked on a challenging
undertaking.

I've provided what is (I hope) a comprehensive answer to your
question.  I think I might be able to help out with some of your other
questions as well (if they are not answered by other researchers), but
before I tackle them, I'd like to know if my answer here meets your
needs.

If anything here is not clear, or needs elaboration, please don't
hesitate to post a Request for Clarification and let me know how I can
assist you further.

----------

Most of the information you are seeking is available in a
comprehensive report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education,
that provides information to students on sources of federal financial
aid programs.  I've summarized and extracted some key information from
the report, but I would certainly suggest that you download the entire
40-page report for yourself:

http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/2002_2003/english/index.html

The Student Guide:  Financial Aid 2002-2003

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The first key point is that federal aid to students does not, in
general, distinguish trade schools from other schools.  Note the
definition used for "Federal Student Aid":

"WHAT is federal student aid?"

"Federal student aid is financial help for students enrolled in
eligible programs at participating schools to cover school (a
four-year or two-year public or private educational
institution, a career school or trade school) expenses,
including tuition and fees, room and board, books and
supplies, and transportation. Most federal aid is need-based."

As you can see, "career schools" and "trade schools" are included in
the definition.

The write-up continues by describing the three main types of federal
aid:

"The three most common types of aid are grants, loans, and
work-study."  An important point is that virtually all federal aid to
students is "needs based" (there are some loan programs that are an
exception to this).  A student must demonstrate that their own
finances, and any expected contributions from family members, is not
enough to cover the cost of school....more about eligibility later on.


I'll provide information about each type below:


----------

GRANTS refer to financial aid that does not have to be repaid.

"Generally, grants are for undergraduate students, and the
grant amount is based on need, cost of attendance, and
enrollment status."

There are two types of federal grants from the Department of
Education:

Federal Pell Grants for the 2001-2002 school year ranged
from $400 to $3,750. 

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
(FSEOG) range from $100 to $4,000.

----------



LOANS are money that is borrowed and that must be repaid with
interest. 

"Both undergraduate and graduate students may
borrow money. Parents may also borrow to pay education
expenses for dependent undergraduate students. Maximum
loan amounts depend on the student’s year in school."

There are several loan types:

"Federal Stafford Loans are made to students and PLUS
loans are made to parents through two loan programs."

(1) "William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan)
Program: eligible students and parents borrow directly
from the federal government at participating schools.
Direct Loans include Direct Stafford Loans, Direct PLUS
Loans, and Direct Consolidation Loans."

(2) "Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program:
private lenders provide federally guaranteed funds.
FFELs include FFEL Stafford Loans, FFEL PLUS Loans,
and FFEL Consolidation Loans."

Another type of loan program is available to the neediest students:

"Perkins Loans are offered by participating schools to
provide students that demonstrate the most need with low interest
loans."

----------


WORK-STUDY is just what is sounds like -- students work while they are
studying, and receive a stipend (i.e. a salary) that is supported by
federal funds.


"The Federal Work-Study Program provides jobs for
undergraduate and graduate students with financial need,
allowing them to earn money to help pay education
expenses. The program encourages community service work
and work related to your course of study....Your 
Federal Work-Study wages will be at least the current
federal minimum wage, but they may be higher depending
on the type of work you do and the skills required."

----------

To qualify for the above-mentioned programs, the student must meet
certain requirements:

Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen with a valid Social Security
Number

Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED)
certificate or pass an approved ability-to-benefit (ATB) test

Enroll in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or
certificate

Register, if required, with the Selective Service 

---------

Despite the existence of many programs, the application process is
fairly consolidated.  Students need only fill out a single form for
financial assistance, which can be found at the "Free Application for
Federal Student Aid" website:

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Deadline for applications for the current year is July 1, 2003.

Note that there is a toll free number for assistance with the FAFSA
form or for any other questions about federal aid to students:

The Federal Student Aid Information Center

1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)

----------

Although the above programs are the major federal sources of aid to
students, "The Student Guide"a lso notes that there are a few other
sources that should be checked into as well:

The AmeriCorps Program provides full-time
educational awards in return for work in community
service. You can work before, during, or after your
postsecondary education, and you can use the funds
either to pay current educational expenses or to repay
federal student loans. For more information, call 1-800-
942-2677. Information is also available through the
Internet at:

www.americorps.org

----------

The U.S. Armed Forces also offer financial aid
opportunities. For example, all branches of the U.S.
Armed Forces offer the Reserve Officers Training Corps
(ROTC) Program, which is a federal merit-based
scholarship program that will pay for your tuition, fees,
and books and provide you with a monthly allowance.

The U.S. Army also offers a student loan repayment
enlistment incentive through the Army’s student loan
repayment program for new recruits who have already
attended college and accumulated debt. In return for a
three-year enlistment, the Army will repay up to
$65,000 on specific federally guaranteed loans to
qualified applicants. For more information contact your
local recruiter or call 1-800-USA-ARMY. 

For a complete list of recruitment incentives offered by the U.S.
Armed
Forces visit the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Defenselink Web site
at:

www.defenselink.mil/sites/r.html#recruiting or

www.myfuture.com

----------

If you (or your spouse) are a veteran or the dependent
of a veteran, veterans’ educational benefits may be
available. Check with your local U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs office. Information is also available
through the Internet at:

www.gibill.va.gov

----------

As I said above, if anything here is not clear, or needs elaboration,
please don't hesitate to let me know through a Request for
Clarification, and I'll be happy to assist you further.


search strategy:  federal aid students

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Request for Answer Clarification by highvoltageblond-ga on 02 May 2003 17:15 PDT

It looks pretty good at first glance, but I need to read everything
much more carefully.

In the meantime, at first glance, all items pertaining to DEFENSE (be
that the army, the reserves, etc.) should be eliminated.

My focus is on areas that pertain to Entertainment, the Entertainment
Industry, The Arts (in general), photography, music, recording,
fashion, cosmetology, etc.

Second, the key (for me) is found in this excerpt 

"Federal student aid is financial help for students enrolled in
ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS at PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS to cover school (a
four-year or two-year public or private educational institution, a
career school or trade school) expenses, including tuition and fees,
room and board, books and supplies, and transportation. Most federal
aid is need-based."

What makes a program an "ELIGIBLE PROGRAM?"  And how can one go about
making their program an "ELIGIBLE PROGRAM"? How does one become a
"PARTICIPATING SCHOOL"?

I think that these above 3 questions are part of another overall
question among the original six..... As such, perhaps you could locate
which it is and take it on since you seem to be on the right track?

Thanks!

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Request for Answer Clarification by highvoltageblond-ga on 02 May 2003 17:23 PDT

Perhaps this will help you understand where I'm trying to go and what
the goal is....

I am opening a "hands-on" Filmmaking School and would like it to be
classified as a "qualified trade school" with "eligible programs" so
that my students will qualify and eligible to recieve Federal Funds.
 
To do that, I must first know what I (the program and/or the trade
school)  must do to become a "qualified and/or eligible" trade school
or program so that my students will qualify for Federal Funds.
 
To my knowledge, a "hands-on Filmmaking School" (currently) does not
qualify under any Federal Eligibilty Classifications that would allow
for Federal
Funding.
 
My goal is to change that. 
 
Does my long winded answer help???

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Clarification of Answer by pafalafa-ga on 02 May 2003 17:25 PDT

Hello again.  Thanks for your comments.  As it turns out, I am working
on an answer for the "what makes a school eligible" question and will
post it soon.  Hopefully, it will put your efforts on the right track.

As for eliminating the "defense" related connections, I would advise
against ignoring this information.  The financial aid is not
necessarily for training people in the military arts, but is meant to
assist military and ex-military people who want to study in any field
-- even in entertainment.

Whatever type of educational institute you establish -- for film, or
any other topic -- there may well be prospective students who related
to the military in some way -- either in the military, spouses of
military personnel, or ex-military -- who may want to enroll in your
program, and would thereby be eligible for defense-related student
loans.

Even if 99% of your students come from outside the military
establishment, hold on to the information about military-related loans
for the occasion when that 1% shows up and says "I want to enroll".


After you've given the answer a more thorough read, let me know if you
need any additional information.