Setting Up ACG and SMART Grants

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART) awards affect several setup steps and processes. ACG and SMART functionality is available for all phases: Financial Aid Term, Eligibility, Packaging, Disbursement, and COD Reporting.

This chapter provides an overview of ACG and SMART grants and discusses how to:

• Set up eligibility requirements for ACG and SMART grants.

• Set up Financial Aid Term for HERA academic level calculations.

• Set up Packaging and Repackaging processes.

• Set up disbursement rules for ACG and SMART grants.

• Write and use equations for ACG and SMART eligibility.

See Also

Setting Up Financial Aid Terms

Setting Up Packaging Basics

Setting Up Disbursement Rules

Assessing Eligibility for Financial Aid

Preparing for Awarding and Packaging

Awarding and Packaging Students

Using Common Origination and Disbursement

Setting Up Eligibility Requirements for ACG and SMART Grants

This section discusses how to:

• Select evaluation and awarding options for ACG and SMART grants.

• Set up Financial Aid process equation groups.

• Select ACG and SMART reporting options.

• Maintain Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes for SMART.

• Maintain ACG state program codes.

• Set up COD edit codes.

• Create academic level rules to calculate HERA levels.

Pages Used to Set Up Eligibility Requirements for ACG and SMART Grants

Selecting Evaluation and Awarding Options for ACG and SMART Grants

Access the ACG/SMART Processing Options page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, ACG/SMART Processing Options).

Grant Participant	Select the grant programs for which the grant evaluation process should process students who have the qualifying HERA academic level. Values are: ACG and SMART: Select and evaluate students for both ACG and SMART grants. ACG Only: Select and evaluate students for ACG grants. SMART Only: Select and evaluate students for SMART grants.
Awarding Option	Select the minimum grant eligibility status required to award the ACG/SMART grant during the Packaging process. Values are: Eligible: Only award if the eligibility status is at this level. Eligible, pending: In addition to the eligibility status of Eligible, also award if the status is Eligible, pending.
Academic Level Equation Option	Optional. If this field is left blank, the grant processes assign the HERA level calculated in the student's FA Term record. Select a custom equation that calculates the student's HERA academic level and assigns the value in the student's grant eligibility record.
CIP Code Source (classification of instructional program code source)	Required for SMART participants. Select from Academic Plan, Academic Program, and Academic Subplan.
CIP Code Equation (classification of instructional program code equation)	Required for SMART participants. Select the equation that derives the student's CIP code. The delivered equation FAASSCIPFATM is the default equation for most schools. It uses the CIP Code source and the student's academic program, plan, and sub-plan information stored in FA Term to determine the CIP code. It does not verify that the CIP code is SMART eligible. Schools can also create a custom equation to determine the CIP code.

Setting Up Financial Aid Process Equation Groups

Access the Equation Group Setup page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, Equation Group Setup).

Use the Equation Group Setup page to assign the equations to be used to evaluate a student's grant eligibility. Do not create equation groups until you have determined how and when to incorporate the use of equations in your business processes.

You can create multiple equation groups based on your grant evaluation business process. Equation groups primarily determine whether students are eligible to receive ACG or SMART grants, but can also be designed to verify that students continue to maintain their eligibility.

For more information about equations and equation groups,

See Using Delivered Equations for HERA Eligibility Evaluation.

Selecting ACG and SMART Reporting Options

Access the ACG/SMART Reporting Options page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, ACG/SMART Reporting Option).

Use this page to define grant origination processing options for ACG and SMART grants.

Maintaining CIP Codes for SMART

Access the Eligible CIP Codes for SMART page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, Eligible CIP Codes for SMART).

The page displays all SMART grant eligible Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes. The codes are set up and populated by aid year.

Oracle monitors changes to the list of eligible CIP codes and delivers them where necessary. You can also enter changes to the eligible CIP codes.

You can use the Aid Year Rollover process (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Aid Year, Aid Year Setup) to copy the codes from one aid year to another.

Maintaining ACG State Program Codes

Access the ACG State Program Codes page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, ACG State Program Codes).

Use this page to view, add, or delete ACG state program codes. The page displays all ACG grant eligible state high school program codes. The codes are set up and populated by aid year. Oracle provides this information for each new aid year. You can use the Aid Year Rollover process (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Aid Year, Aid Year Setup) to copy the codes from one aid year to another.

Setting Up COD Edit Codes

Access the COD Edit Codes page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, File Management, COD Edit Codes).

This page displays all COD edit messages for the specified aid year. These codes and descriptions display in the ACG/SMART origination pages. Use this page to set up and maintain the list of valid COD edit codes used by the grant components.

Oracle delivers COD edit codes every year.

Creating Academic Level Rules to Calculate HERA Levels

Access the Academic Level Table page (Set Up SACR, Foundation Tables, Academic Structure, Level/Load Rules Table, Academic Level Table).

Use the Level/Load Rules Table component to define several student level calculations such as Academic Level, NSLDS Loan Year, and Direct Lending Year. For HERA level calculation, the FA term process uses the NSLDS Loan Year settings to determine the student level to assign based on the student's completed units. This is because the NSLDS loan year values match the student level values that are reported to COD. The student's overall HERA academic level is based on this value and, depending on the term, the Weeks of Instruction (WI) method and the corresponding WI level.

The values in the CUM Units/Terms column and the NSLDS Loan Year column define how the student's HERA level is calculated. For the values in the page shown, a student's HERA level is as shown in the following table.

Note. The Academic Level and Direct Lending Year columns on the Academic Level Table page are ignored by the HERA level calculation.

If your school participates in the SMART grant program, define your grade level progressions from 1st year through 5th year.

See Also

Defining Academic Level and Load Rules

Managing Financial Aid Terms

Setting Up Financial Aid Term for HERA Academic Level Calculations

Two methods exist for calculating a student's HERA academic level. The method that you use is determined by the aid year for which you assessing a student's eligibility for an ACG or SMART grant.

For aid years 2008 and 2010 onwards, you must monitor students' academic progress using grade levels determined by total completed units and the load level rule assigned in the HERA Academic Level Rule Setup page.

This method is called the HERA Level/Load Rule method in PeopleBooks.

For aid year 2009, you must monitor students' academic progress based on the school's federal academic year (completed units and weeks of instructions).

This method is called the Federal Academic Year method in PeopleBooks.

Note. You may see unexpected HERA academic level calculations as a result of the calculation methods changing from one aid year to the next. The Financial Aid Term process continues to determine HERA academic levels using the appropriate calculation method for the term's aid year.

This section includes an overview of HERA academic level calculations with examples and discusses how to:

• Define the HERA academic level calculation rules.

• Copy setup data from year to year.

• Define parameters for Weeks of Instruction calculations.

Understanding HERA Academic Level Calculations

This overview contains discussions about:

• Describing the HERA Level/Load Rule method.

• Describing the Federal Academic Year method.

• Steps for calculating HERA academic levels using the Federal Academic Year method.

Describing the HERA Level/Load Rule Method

The HERA Level/Load Rule method is based on the total number of units completed towards the student's degree.

Note. Remember that you must use the HERA Level/Load Rule method for the 2010 aid year onwards.

The following graphic shows the steps for the HERA Level/Load Rule method.

Describing the Federal Academic Year Method

To calculate a student's HERA academic level using the Federal Academic Year method, the two components of the institution's federal academic year are measured:

• Total number of completed units.

• Number of completed weeks of instruction (WI).

Both components are then used to determine the student's level. The level is based on each component meeting a specific threshold.

Note. Remember that you must use the Federal Academic Year method for the 2009 aid year only.

The following graphics shows the steps for the Federal Academic Year method:

In the following two examples for calculating HERA academic level and monitoring progression, the term-based institution has a 30-week academic year of 24 units. The fall and spring terms are 15 weeks and the summer term is 10 weeks. Term Units Enrolled and Term Weeks of Instruction are cumulative at the end of the term.

In the first example, the student enrolls for 12 units each term:

By the end of the spring 2008 term, the student reaches the second year level by meeting the level thresholds for both the units and weeks of instruction. By the end of the spring 2009 term, the student reaches the third year level.

In the second example, the student begins enrollment in the spring 2008 term:

By the end of the student's summer 2008 term, the unit threshold for a second year student is met, but not the WI threshold. The student remains at the first year level at the end of the term. By the end of the fall 2008 term, the student completes enough WI to advance to a second year level.

Steps for Calculating HERA Academic Levels Using the Federal Academic Year Method

For all aid years and academic level methods, HERA academic levels are calculated for only non-graduate, non-professional students based on the NSLDS year.

To calculate HERA academic levels using the Federal Academic Year method:

1. Determine the method for Weeks of Instruction.

2a. Calculate Beginning of Term and End of Term Cumulative Units.

2b. Calculate Beginning of Term and End of Term Cumulative Weeks.

3a. Determine level from Cumulative Units.

3b. Determine level from Cumulative Weeks.

4. Compare levels to determine HERA academic level.

Note. Remember that the Federal Academic Year method is currently used for aid year 2009 only.

Here is more detailed information about each step:

1. Determine the Method for Calculating Weeks of Instruction

Refer to the final regulations to determine which of the four methods are available to your institution. Then select the method to use for calculating weeks of instruction or ignoring weeks of instruction. The four methods are:

2a. Calculate Beginning of Term and End of Term Cumulative Units

Calculating cumulative units is similar for both the HERA Level/Load Rule and Federal Academic Year methods. The following table explains how cumulative units are calculated for the three methods that use weeks of instruction and the Grade Level method is explained after the table.

The Grade Level method follows the same rules as the other three methods except that it does not allow certain transfer work to be included in the cumulative units. The transfer units not allowed are the same as those not allowed in calculating weeks of instruction for the other methods, which includes:

• Advanced Placement

• International Baccalaureate

• Testing out

• Life experience

• Work experience

• Units earned while not enrolled in an eligible program.

This transfer work is identified in the transfer credit evaluation module during the review for inclusion in the Financial Aid Weeks of Instruction statistics. The HERA Academic Level page (Financial Aid, Financial Aid Term, Maintain Student Financial Aid Term, Acad Level, click the View HERA Academic Level link) displays the beginning of term and end of term cumulative units.

2b. Calculate Beginning of Term and End of Term Cumulative Weeks

To calculate the cumulative weeks of instruction (WI), the FA Term module first calculates WI for each term the student was enrolled (and expected to enroll for projected terms). If a student has transfer work, a separate WI might also be calculated for those transfer units. Note that WI must be calculated for terms prior to the 2009 aid year.

The Term Weeks field on the HERA Academic Level page documents the weeks of instruction per term. Term weeks is usually recalculated when a student's enrollment for a term changes. There are also conditions where the term weeks resets to zero if the student does not enroll or fails to complete any courses. As shown in the following table, calculation of Term Weeks varies depending on when FA Term is run.

To calculate Transfer Weeks of Instruction, use the formula:

(# total adjusted transfer units x #weeks in academic year) / # of units in academic year

where # total adjusted transfer units is the number of transfer units accepted by the school less any unacceptable transfer work, such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, testing out, life experience, work experience, remedial, and units earned while not in an eligible program. FA Term automatically calculates transfer weeks of instruction and stores the value in the Transfer Weeks field.

For example, if a student transfers in 15 units (12 regular, 3 AP units) to a 24 unit, 30 week school, the transfer weeks would be (12 x 30) / 24 = 5 transfer weeks.

Note. Transfer Weeks of Instruction calculation is not required when using the Grade Level method.

For information on reviewing and updating transfer credit information,

See Reviewing Transfer Work for FA Term HERA Level Determination.

To calculate Cumulative Weeks of Instruction, add the Term Weeks and Transfer Weeks values from all prior FA Term rows:

3a. Determine Level from Cumulative Units

Determine the level from cumulative units by applying the academic level rule found in the HERA Level Rule Set Up page (Set up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, HERA Academic Level Set Up).

Here is an example of a HERA level rule a school might create:

A student with 50 cumulative units would have a calculated level of 3.

3b. Determine Level from Cumulative Weeks

To determine the level from cumulative weeks, use this formula:

(Cumulative Weeks of Instruction / # of weeks in academic year) + 1

The number of weeks in the academic year is taken from the value in the Hours/Credit in Acad Year field on the HERA Weeks of Instruction Set Up page (Set up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, HERA Weeks of Instruction) based on the student's career, academic program, or academic plan. There is no rounding of fractional data.

For example, if the cumulative number of weeks is 45 and the number of weeks in the academic year is 30 weeks, the level would be (45 weeks / 30 weeks) + 1 = 2.5 (second year).

4. Compare Levels to Determine HERA Academic Level

To determine the HERA academic level, compare the levels derived from cumulative units and cumulative weeks and assign the lower value. In the previous examples, if the level from units is 3 and the level from weeks is 2, then the HERA academic level assigned is 2 (second year).

Note that the Grade Level method does not calculate a level from WI. Instead, the level calculated from units is assigned as the HERA level from the Cumulative Units calculation.

Pages Used to Set Up Financial Aid Term for HERA Academic Level Calculations

Defining the HERA Academic Level Calculation Rules

Access the HERA Academic Level Rule Set Up page (Set up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, HERA Academic Level Set Up).

Use this page to assign HERA-level-specific academic level load rules for calculating the student's levels and to set the default level load rule for your undergraduate academic careers. Under the Federal Academic Year method, these setting are used to calculate the credit portion of the student's academic level.

The setup structure is aid-year specific to allow flexibility in assigning different Academic Level rules if the rules change from year to year. The Financial Aid Term process calculates HERA academic student level values to be used to evaluate, award, and disburse ACG and SMART grants.

For academic programs or academic plans that require a separate academic level rule, define those programs and plans. The FA Term build process determines the academic level rule to use based on finding a matching row with the student's information in the following order: Plan, Program, Career.

Copying Setup Data from Year to Year

Access the Copy HERA Academic Level Set Up page (click the Copy button on the HERA Academic Level Rule Set Up page.)

Warning! Because the HERA Academic Level setup includes the aid year, you must set up data for each aid year that requires the HERA academic level to be calculated. The HERA academic level is not calculated if this setup is missing for a particular aid year.

Defining Parameters for Weeks of Instruction Calculations

Access the HERA Weeks of Instruction Set Up page (Set up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, ACG/SMART Grants, HERA Weeks of Instruction).

Use this page to select and store the parameters used to calculate a weeks of instruction value. These are applied to all non-graduate, non-professional level students.

Default Setup

Note. The Grade Level method does not require a completed Hours/Credits in Acad Year field or Weeks in Program Acad Year field to perform a HERA level calculation. You must provide information however, to support the HERA level calculation when a manual override of the student's weeks of instruction method is performed.

Career/Program/Plan Set Up

Use this group box to set up specific careers, programs, or plans. Default values display when you select a career, program, or plan; you can override any of the defaults.

The Career/Program/Plan Set Up group box contains the same calculation parameters that are applied to specific academic careers, academic program, or academic plans. When FA Term calculates a student's HERA academic level, the process determines which settings to use searching first for the student's academic plan, then the academic program, then academic career. If none is found, FA Term code uses the default setting to calculate the student's weeks of instruction.

Setting Up Packaging and Repackaging Processes

To include ACG and SMART grants in your Packaging plans, you must follow instructions in the given sequence because of the dependencies associated with the various areas of setup.

This section provides an overview of Packaging rules for ACG and SMART grants and discusses how to:

• Set up item types for ACG and SMART grants.

• Add the HERA academic level to the aggregate table.

• Create aggregate aid limits.

• Map Aggregate Area Limits to NSLDS Aggregate Categories.

• Set up financial aid item types.

• Set up award rules for ACG and SMART item types.

• Set up Campus Self Service for ACG and SMART grants.

• Set up award limits for ACG and SMART item types.

• Create an ACG/SMART Repackaging plan.

Understanding Packaging Rules for ACG and SMART Grants

To include ACG/SMART grants in Packaging plans, you must:

• Set up an Item Type based on academic level for each ACG and SMART program (for example, ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, and SMART3).

• Populate the Aggregate Level Cross Reference Table with the new HERA Academic Levels.

• Create five new Aggregate Areas to support the tracking of the ACG and SMART academic level limits (for example, ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, and SMART3).

In Bundle 11, January 2009, the Financial Aid module was updated to accommodate fifth-year students, because the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 (ECASLA) added a fifth-year undergraduate senior grant level for students in a five-year program of study.

The manual, auto, and mass Packaging routines as well as the Repackaging process work the same to award fifth-year students as they do to award fourth-year students.

Note. You must set up a separate aggregate area to award fifth-year undergraduates (for example, SMART3). If you try to assign U5 – fifth year aggregate level to the SMART2 aggregate area currently used for U4 – fourth year aggregate level, students do not receive their maximum SMART award eligibility as a fifth-year undergraduates.

Pages Used to Set Up Packaging and Repackaging

Setting Up Item Types for ACG and SMART Grants

You must set up five Item Types, one for each award type, ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, and SMART3.

Access the Initial Setup page in the Student Financials application and set up the five item types.

See Completing Student Financials General Setup.

Adding the HERA Academic Level to the Aggregate Table

Access the Aggregate Level Cross-Reference page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Aggregate Level Translation, Aggregate Level Cross-Reference).

Use this page to populate the Aggregate Level Cross Reference Table for the HERA Academic Level.

Creating Aggregate Aid Limits

To ensure that the Packaging and Awarding processes correctly track and maintain the unique academic level limits for the ACG and SMART programs, you must create five aggregate areas for ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, and SMART3 for each aid year.

Note. If you establish only two aggregate areas (one for ACG and one for SMART), aggregate history is not correctly reflected and both the Packaging process and the NSLDS Push for Aggregates process does not work correctly. You must define five unique aggregate areas.

Access the Aggregate Aid Limit page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Aggregate Aid Limit).

Federal ID	Select ACG or SMART.
Financial Aid Type	Select Grant when Federal ID is ACG or SMART.
Undergrad Lifetime (undergraduate lifetime)	For each aggregate area, specify one of the following limits: ACG1 – 750.00 ACG2 – 1300.00 SMART1 – 4,000.00 SMART2 – 4,000.00 SMART3 – 4,000.00

Mapping Aggregate Area Limits to NSLDS Aggregate Categories

Access the Aggregate Area-NSLDS Cross-Reference page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Aggregate Level Translation, Aggregate Area-NSLDS Cross Reference).

Note. Ensure that you have five aggregate areas for ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, and SMART3 for each aid year.

Setting Up Financial Aid Item Types

Access the FA Item Type 1 page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Financial Aid Item Types, FA Item Type 1).

You must set up a Financial Aid Item Type for ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, and SMART3.

Setting Up Award Rules for ACG and SMART Item Types

Access the FA Item Type 2 page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Financial Aid Item Types, FA Item Type 2).

The following fields have specific requirements for ACG or SMART grants.

Setting Up Campus Self Service for ACG and SMART Grants

Access the FA Item Type 3 page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Financial Aid Item Types, FA Item Type 3).

From PeopleSoft Campus Self Service, the student can:

• Accept only the entire ACG/SMART award.

• Decline the entire ACG or SMART Grant award.

Students cannot accept a reduced or partial ACG/SMART award through self-service. If students were permitted to accept a partial ACG/SMART award, it could impact any subsequent repackaging of that award. This is controlled by the FA Item Type setup pages; when an item type is defined as either ACG or SMART on the FA Item Type 1 page, the Reduce option is not available on FA Item Type 3 page.

See Also

PeopleSoft Campus Self Service 9.0 PeopleBook, "Setting Up Financial Aid Self Service," Setting Up Self-Service Actions and Access in Packaging

Setting Up Award Limits for ACG and SMART Item Types

Access the FA Item Type 4 page. (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Financial Aid Item Types, FA Item Type 4).

The following fields have specific requirements for ACG or SMART grants.

Award Limits by Term Category

Note. In quarter-based cases where there is an extra dollar remaining to meet the maximum award, the system assigns that dollar to the last term. For examples, 433, 433, 434 to total 1,300 and 1,333, 1333, 1334 to total 4,000.

Creating an ACG/SMART Repackaging Plan

Access the Repackaging Plan page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Awards, Repackaging Plan).

Create a repackaging plan for your Pell eligible students (Pell Eligibility flag = Y) with the following repackaging rules:

• Rule 1: Validate Item Type = Pell Grant

• Rule 2: Validate Item Type = ACG1

• Rule 3: Validate Item Type = ACG2

• Rule 4: Validate Item Type = SMART1

• Rule 5: Validate Item Type = SMART2

• Rule 6: Validate Item Type = SMART3

Note. Select the Validate Remainder of Package check box for the last Validate Item Type rule (SMART 3) to ensure that the Repackaging process reduces the remainder of the student's package in case repackaging Pell or ACG/SMART creates an overaward condition.

The system performs the following evaluations for each Pell, ACG, and SMART award.

Pell Grant Awards

The system performs the following evaluation when repackaging Pell Grants:

• If a Pell Grant already exists in the student's package, and you are using a Repackaging plan where you validate the Pell item type, the system evaluates that Pell award in place and retains the Pell Grant at the originally assigned sequence number. The system adjusts the amount of the Pell Grant based on the student's current Pell eligibility. As a result, the amount can be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

• If a Pell Grant does not previously exist in the student's package and the student is now eligible for a Pell Grant, the new Pell award is sequenced at the top of the package (assigned the lowest sequence number).

• If there is a canceled Pell award and you repackage the student who is now Pell-eligible, the new Pell award is sequenced immediately following the canceled Pell award.

ACG1 Awards

The system performs the following evaluation when repackaging ACG1 awards:

• If an ACG1 award already exists in the student's package, and you are using a repackaging plan where you validate the ACG1 item type, the system evaluates that ACG1 award in place – it then retains the ACG1 award at the originally assigned sequence number. The system adjusts the amount of the ACG1 award based on the student's current eligibility and the disbursement protection status for the respective term(s). As a result, the amount can be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

• If an ACG1 award does not previously exist in the student's package and the student is now eligible for an ACG1 award, the award is sequenced immediately after the Pell Grant. In the unlikely event that a Pell Grant does not exist in the student's package, the ACG1 award is sequenced at the top of the package (assigned the lowest sequence number).

• If there is a canceled ACG1 award and you repackage the student who is now ACG1-eligible, the new ACG1 award is sequenced immediately following the canceled ACG1 award.

ACG2 Awards

The system performs the following evaluation when repackaging ACG2 awards:

• If an ACG2 award already exists in the student's package, and you are using a repackaging plan where you validate the ACG2 item type, the system evaluates that ACG2 award in place – it then retains the ACG2 award at the originally assigned sequence number. The system adjusts the amount of the ACG2 award based on the student's current eligibility and the disbursement protection status for the respective term(s). As a result, the amount can be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

• If an ACG2 award does not previously exist in the student's package and the student is now eligible for an ACG2 award, the award is sequenced immediately after the ACG1 award.

• If an ACG1 award does not exist, then the ACG2 award is sequenced immediately after the Pell Grant. In the unlikely event that a Pell Grant does not exist in the student's package, the ACG2 award is sequenced at the top of the package (assigned the lowest sequence number).

• If there is a canceled ACG2 award and you repackage the student who is now ACG2-eligible, the new ACG2 award is sequenced immediately following the canceled ACG2 award.

SMART1 Awards

The system performs the following evaluation when repackaging SMART1 awards:

• If a SMART1 award already exists in the student's package, and you are using a repackaging plan where you validate the SMART1 item type, the system evaluates that SMART1 award in place – it then retains the SMART1 award at the originally assigned sequence number. The system adjusts the amount of the SMART1 award based on the student's current eligibility and the disbursement protection status for the respective term(s). As a result, the amount can be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

• If a SMART1 award does not previously exist in the student's package and the student is now eligible for an SMART1 award, the award is sequenced immediately after the ACG2 award. If an ACG2 award does not exist, then the SMART1 award is sequenced immediately after the ACG1 award or Pell Grant. In the unlikely event that a Pell Grant does not exist in the student's package, the SMART1 award is sequenced at the top of the packaged (assigned the lowest sequence number).

• If there is a canceled SMART1 award and you repackage the student who is now SMART1-eligible, the new SMART1 award is sequenced immediately following the canceled SMART1 award.

SMART2 Awards

The system performs the following evaluation when repackaging SMART2 awards:

• If a SMART2 award already exists in the student's package, and you are using a repackaging plan where you validate the SMART2 item type, the system evaluates that SMART2 award in place – it then retains the SMART2 award at the originally assigned sequence number. The system adjusts the amount of the SMART2 award based on the student's current eligibility and the disbursement protection status for the respective term(s). As a result, the amount can be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

• If a SMART2 award does not previously exist in the student's package and the student is now eligible for an SMART2 award, the award is sequenced immediately after the SMART1 award. If an SMART1 award does not exist, then the SMART2 award is sequenced immediately after the ACG2, ACG1, or Pell Grant. In the unlikely event that a Pell Grant does not exist in the student's package, the SMART2 award is sequenced at the top of the package (assigned the lowest sequence number).

• If there is a canceled SMART2 award and you repackage the student who is now SMART2-eligible, the new SMART2 award is sequenced immediately following the canceled SMART2 award.

SMART3 Awards

The system performs the following evaluation when repackaging SMART3 awards:

• If a SMART3 award already exists in the student's package, and you are using a repackaging plan where you validate the SMART3 item type, the system evaluates that SMART3 award in place - it then retains the SMART3 award at the originally assigned sequence number. The system adjusts the amount of the SMART3 award based on the student's current eligibility and the disbursement protection status for the respective term(s). As a result, the amount can be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

• If a SMART3 award does not previously exist in the student's package and the student is now eligible for an SMART3 award, the award is sequenced immediately after the SMART2 award. If an SMART2 award does not exist, then the SMART3 award is sequenced immediately after the SMART1, ACG2, ACG1, or Pell Grant. In the unlikely event that a Pell Grant does not exist in the student's package, the SMART3 award is sequenced at the top of the package (assigned the lowest sequence number).

• If there is a canceled SMART3 award and you repackage the student who is now SMART3-eligible, the new SMART3 award is sequenced immediately following the canceled SMART3 award.

Setting Up Disbursement Rules for ACG and SMART Grants

This section discusses how to:

• Set up disbursement rules for ACG and SMART grants.

• Define authorization rules for ACG and SMART grants.

See Also

Defining Item Type Disbursement Rules

Processing Enrollment Transactions Through the Enrollment Component

Defining Subject Areas

Pages Used to Assign Item Type Disbursement Rules

Setting Up Disbursement Rules for ACG and SMART Grants

Access the Indicators page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Disbursement, Define Item Type Rules, Indicators).

Use this page to select specific rules used to hold disbursements of financial aid monies.

Defining Authorization Rules for ACG and SMART Grants

Access the Groups/Thresholds page (Set Up SACR, Product Related, Financial Aid, Disbursement, Define Item Type Rules, Groups/Thresholds).

The ASG Minimum GPA field displays the GPA used by the ASG Minimum GPA rule. You can update this field only if the ASG Minimum GPA check box is selected on the Indicators page.

Writing and Using Equations for ACG and SMART Eligibility

This section provides an overview of equations used for ACG and SMART eligibility and discusses how to:

• Design HERA equations.

• Write equations for specific grant functions.

• Use delivered equations for HERA eligibility evaluation.

Understanding Equations Used for ACG and SMART Eligibility

This section describes the following components:

• Equation groups.

• Equation Engine variables.

• Evaluation of equation results.

Equation Groups

Use one equation group per award type (ACG1, ACG2, SMART1, SMART2, SMART3). Within the equation group, specify the order to run the equations by setting the sequence.

Equation Engine Variables

The global variables listed here are available to all equations in the equation group. The variables listed in the first column are passed in and can be updated by the equation. The variables listed in the second column are examined when returned from each equation.

The global variables RESULT, MESSAGE_SET_NBR, and MESSAGE_NBR are reset before each equation calculation.

All other global variables are set before the first equation group is called.

If an equation updates the value of a global variable (other than RESULT, MESSAGE_SET_NBR, and MESSAGE_NBR), the new value is passed on to any subsequent equations that are called.

After all equations in an equation group have been executed, any changes to the global variables (other than EMPLID, INSTITUTION, AID_YEAR, STRM, TABLE_ID, REVIEW_FLAG, RESULT, MESSAGE_SET_NBR, and MESSAGE_NBR) are saved in the Eligibility tables.

Any MESSAGE_SET_NBR and MESSAGE_NBR values generated by each equation are saved in the Eligibility tables.

Evaluation of Equation Results

Results from all equations called are evaluated with an AND condition:

• If an equation returns a blank RESULT, it is not be included in the AND condition.

• If all equations return a RESULT of PASSED, the student status is Eligible.

• If one or more equations return a RESULT of FAILED, the student status is Ineligible.

• If one or more equations return a RESULT of UNDETERMINED, and all other equations returned a RESULT of PASSED, the student status is Eligible, pending review.

• If the REVIEW_FLAG is set to Y, the student status is Eligible, pending review or Ineligible, pending review.

In the following examples of equation group RESULTS, UNDTRMND indicates UNDETERMINED.

Designing HERA Equations

You can design equations to:

• Update an existing field in the eligibility record. For example, an equation can set the GPA value.

• Post non-evaluation related messages to the user.

• Set a review flag to ensure a student is reviewed.

• Run in a set sequence so that the results of one equation can be used by later equations.

All equations must return a message (message set number and message number) so that it can be displayed to the user.

Equations that perform evaluations for grant eligibility must return a result (PASSED, FAILED, UNDETERMINED) and a message (message set number and message number).

Creating Equation Groups for Special Purposes

You can create special equation groups to evaluate special business processes such as a census reevaluation of eligibility or renewing eligibility for subsequent terms. These may not require the same equations used to make the initial eligibility determination. For example, you could create a special equation group for students already made eligible that would perform census date re-evaluations that only check the student's current enrollment and GPA.

Updating Fields in the Grant Eligibility Record

To update fields in the eligibility record, set the corresponding global variable for the field you want to update with your value. If you use equations that use an eligibility record field that has been updated by another equation, ensure that the equations are executed in the correct sequence. The Grant Eligibility Status field cannot be set by an equation.

Using the Override Fields on the Eligibility Record

If you write equations that update those fields with a corresponding override field, such as HERA Academic Level, CIP Code, or GPA, add logic to check the override field setting and not replace the current value as needed.

Writing Equations for Specific Grant Functions

Here are some guidelines for writing equations for the grant process.

Equations designed to evaluate grant eligibility criteria must generate a RESULT and a message (message set number and message number). The possible result can be PASSED, FAILED, or UNDETERMINED:

• Use PASSED if the student meets the conditions of the equation.

• Use FAILED if the student not only does not meet the conditions of the equation criteria, but also makes the student ineligible for the grant.

• Use UNDETERMINED if the criteria of the equation is not met, but you do not want to assign FAILED, such as cases where not enough information is available to make a PASSED or FAILED result, but information is expected so that a final result can be determined.

For each result, set a corresponding message catalog entry. The message appears on the ACG/Grant Eligibility pages to communicate how the equation result was determined.

The overall grant eligibility status is based on the evaluation of results from all equations in the equation group. You can write several simple individual equations to pass information. These equations do not determine the student's eligibility status for the grant themselves, but as a part of the equation group.

Requiring a Student to Be Reviewed

The REVIEW_FLAG variable field automatically forces a record to be resolved by manual review. When the grant process reviews all equation group results, if any equation sets the REVIEW_FLAG to Y, the status is either Eligible, pending review or Ineligible, pending review.

Note. These status values can be set without setting the REVIEW_FLAG. You can create an equation that determines whether the student is a new transfer student and set the review flag to force the record to be reviewed so that the GPA calculation is performed manually.

Equation Security

For information about Equation Engine security, refer to the chapters on setting up and using the Equation Engine in the PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.0 Application Fundamentals PeopleBook.

See Setting Up Equation Engine.

See Working with Equation Engine.

See Equation Engine Programmer's Guide.

Identifying Equations to Be Used by ACG, SMART, or Both

To associate an equation with ACG or SMART processing, an Equation Engine application prompt must be assigned to the equation. Adding an application prompt for a grant type allows the equation to be included in an equation group for that grant type. The application prompt is assigned on the Equation Engine Editor page. The valid application prompts are in:

• Fin Aid ACG Grant Eval

• Fin Aid SMART Grant Eval

Using Delivered Equations for HERA Eligibility Evaluation

The following equations were created to test the PeopleSoft Campus Solutions grant review process. Some might be applicable for use at your institution. Others might be used to develop similar equations that are more applicable based on your business requirements.

Completed Equations

FAASSCIPFATM

FAASSCIPELIG

FAASSPELLELG

FAASSFTLOAD

FAASSCURLOAD

FAASSNSLDSG

FAASSCRTMGPA

FAASSTERMGPA

FAASDACG2GPA

FAASDCITIZEN

Equation Templates

The following equations are examples of how to accomplish a specific evaluation. They are not intended to function at your institution without modification. You should create new equations to use any of the described functionality.

FAASDACGCHKL

FAASDACGISIR

FAASDACGRIG

FAASDACGSGRP

FAASDAPTEST

FAASDAPTSTEX

FAASDCKHERAL

FAASDGRADDT1

FAASDGRADDT2

FAASDINCMPLT

FAASSWEEKINS

Special Use Equations

FAASDCIPSR

FAASDHERALVL

FAASDACGDRVR