News You Can Use: The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet

In an effort to make it easier for undergraduate and graduate students to compare college costs, the Department of Education developed a model format award letter to deliver aid information to the student.   This Financial Aid Shopping Sheet (Shopping Sheet) may supplement or replace an institution’s existing award letter.

Schools are encouraged to use the Shopping Sheet starting with the 2013-2014 award year.  The Secretary of Education released the Shopping Sheet on July 24, 2012 and requested college presidents to voluntarily adopt it.  The Dear Colleague Letter: GEN-12-12 announces the Shopping Sheet format and requests institutional commitment to use this format.

Executive Order 13607 (Principles of Excellence), signed April 27, 2012, was designed to ensure information, support, and protections are put in place for those students enrolled in post-secondary programs receiving federal military educational benefits.   The Shopping Sheet is required for schools that agree to comply with Executive Order 13607. The Dear Colleague Letter: GEN-12-17 reminds institutions that agree to comply with the principles in Executive Order 13607 of their commitment to use the Shopping Sheet.

Learn more about the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet.

Dan Dreves, Northeast Regional Director, Nelnet Partner Solutions