Several UNC-system schools have decided not to participate in a federal financial aid initiative because administrators say it doesn’t offer many benefits to participating schools.
Schools can apply until Dec. 12 to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Experimental Sites Initiative. The experimental project would allow schools to test potential student aid requirements to help the department improve its financial aid program.
The department has conducted similar experimental initiatives in the past, and some of the experiments have been adopted into law.
Sara Gast, spokeswoman for the Department of Education, said there are eight different experiments. Schools apply to participate in one experiment.
The experiments include limiting unsubsidized loan amounts for students and offering a single disbursement of a one-time loan for study abroad students.
“The overall objective of the program is to learn ways we can improve services to students and free institutions from administrative burdens,” she said. “All institutions are invited to apply.”
But Phillip Asbury, deputy director of scholarships and student aid at UNC-CH, said the University has no plans to apply to be an experimental site.
“It’s more of an administrative benefit than a student benefit,” he said.
Asbury said the experimental sites initiative is a way for the Department of Education to work with a small group of schools to find out which of its regulations work and which do not.