Do you know that legislation exists that requires schools to provide to you certain consumer information? Yep, and it's a long list. You could be inundated with a bunch of emails disbursing this information, or an award letter that is pages upon pages long, but most likely the majority of required consumer information is listed on your school's website or in Department of Education materials distributed through the school. Some of the information you will care about, and some you won't, but I'll provide a summary and focus on those in which attention should be paid regarding financial aid:

• Schools must have someone available during regular working hours to assist you. However, schools can request a waiver of this requirement, although I don't know what constitutes a valid request for a waiver because it would have to go through the Department of Education.
• How you can apply for federal student financial aid and how your financial aid eligibility is determined.
• The cost for you to attend your college, which for distance learning students is tuition, fees, and books.
• How and when your financial aid is distributed, and how your school distributes aid to its students. Also, your Rights and Responsibilities for receiving federal financial aid.
• The need-based and non-need-based federal and state financial aid that is available to apply for, and the terms and conditions for taking out a federal student loan.
• Information on loan repayment and exit counseling, which provides you with information on going into loan repayment.
• Your school's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, which is the policy that looks at your completion of courses and progress toward graduation within a specified time period to continue receiving financial aid.
• Hopefully you won't need this information, but what happens to your federal/state financial aid eligibility for a term if you withdraw from your classes and if you have to repay any of your financial aid.
• Lastly, a contact at your school if you need assistance with financial aid.

You have a wealth of financial aid information available to you. Like I said before, it may not be sent to you directly, but it does have to be available. It's definitely to your advantage, and is also your responsibility, to know ths information. Spend some time looking at your school's financial aid website to learn about the financial aid process. Of the points made, what I see most commonly is that our students don't know our Satisfactory Progress Policy (although we tell them in their award letter to read the information and we provide the web link), which can adversely affect financial aid eligibility if courses aren't passed.

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