Pennsylvania Code › Title 22 - EDUCATION › Part VIII - Higher Education Assistance Agency › Chapter 121 - STUDENT FINANCIAL AID › Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS › MISCELLANEOUS › Section 121.1 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter,
						have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
						otherwise:
Academic term
-Semester, trimester or
						quarter.
Academic year
-A period that begins on
						the first day of classes and ends on the last scheduled day of final
						examinations and that is a minimum of 30 weeks of instructional time during
						which, for an undergraduate educational program, a full-time student is
						expected to complete at least 24 semester or trimester hours or 36 quarter
						hours at a school which measures program length in credit hours or at least 900
						clock hours at a school which measures program length in clock hours.
Agency
or
PHEAA
-The
						Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
Board
-The Board of Directors of the
						Agency.
Borrower
-All endorsers on loans
						authorized by this chapter.
College entrance examination
-A
						Nationally-recognized standardized test used to assess college readiness chosen
						at the Agency's sole discretion to rank students who demonstrate the greatest
						potential to perform at the highest level of academic achievement.
Disposable pay
-That part of the
						borrower's compensation from an employer remaining after the deduction of any
						amounts required by law to be withheld.
Emergency action
-Immediate action
						undertaken against institutions by the President and Chief Executive Officer in
						a manner consistent with §
											121.31(d)
						(relating to approved institutions in Federal Stafford Loan and Federal PLUS
						Loan Programs) to withhold the processing of loan applications of the
						institution; and in a manner consistent with §
											121.191(d)
						(relating to administrative loan collection review procedures) against a
						lending institution to withhold the processing of loan applications for
						students borrowing through the institution.
Federal Consolidation Loan
-A loan made
						in accordance with section 428C of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
						20 U.S.C.A. §
												1078-3.
Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)
						Program
-The loan program (formerly called the Guaranteed Student Loan
						(GSL) Program) authorized by Title IV-B of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
						20 U.S.C.A. §§
												1071 -
						1087 -
						2 ), including the Federal
						Stafford Loan, Federal PLUS, Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (Federal
						SLS) and Federal Consolidation Loan Programs, in which lenders use their own
						funds to make loans to enable students or their parents to pay the costs of the
						student's attendance at eligible institutions.
Federal PLUS Loan
-A loan made in
						accordance with section 428B of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
						20 U.S.C.A. §
												1078-2.
Federal Stafford Loan
-A loan made in
						accordance with section 428, if subsidized, or section 428H, if unsubsidized,
						of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
						20 U.S.C.A. §§
												1078 and
						1078-8 ).
Full-time basis (except for purposes of the
						Federal Stafford Loan and Federal PLUS Loan Programs)
-The equivalent
						of 12 semester credits or 450 clock hours of instruction per academic term. If
						the schedule of a program of study offered on a clock-hour basis does not
						permit the equivalent of 450 clock hours of instruction per term, full-time
						enrollment shall be defined as 24 clock hours of instruction per week.
Full-time basis (for purposes of the Federal
						Stafford Loan and Federal PLUS Loan Programs Only)
-To be considered
						enrolled on a full-time basis, a student shall be carrying a full-time academic
						work load (other than by correspondence) as determined by the institution under
						a standard applicable to the students enrolled in a particular educational
						program. The student's work load may include any combination of courses, work,
						research or special studies that the institution considers sufficient to
						classify the student as a full-time student. For undergraduate students, an
						institution's minimum standard shall equal or exceed one of the following
						minimum requirements:
(i) Twelve
					 semester hours or 12 quarter hours per academic term in an educational program
					 using a semester, trimester or quarter system.
(ii) Twenty-four semester hours or 36 quarter
					 hours per academic year in an educational program using credit hours but not
					 using a semester, trimester or quarter system or the prorated equivalent for a
					 program of less than 1 academic year.
(iii) Twenty-four clock hours per week for an
					 educational program using clock hours.
(iv) A series of courses or seminars that
					 equals 12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours in a maximum of 18
					 weeks.
(v) The work portion of a
					 cooperative education program in which the amount of work performed is
					 equivalent to the academic work load of a full-time student.
(vi) Other requirements as prescribed by
					 Federal regulations.
Guaranteed Student Loan Program
-A
						Federal loan guaranty program administered by the Agency that enables qualified
						students to secure long-term educational loans to meet the costs of
						postsecondary education. On July 23, 1992, the Higher Education Amendments of
						1992 (Pub. L. No.
						102-325), changed the name of the program to The
						Federal Family Education Loan Program. Whenever the term is used in this
						chapter, it refers to and shall be regarded as, "The Federal Family Education
						Loan Program."
Guardian
-For purposes of determining
						domicile, a person other than a parent with whom an applicant has lived and in
						whose continuous direct care and control the applicant has been for a period of
						at least 2 years.
Half-time basis
-At least 1/2 the work
						load of a full-time student, except all students enrolled solely in an eligible
						program of study by correspondence cannot be considered more than half
						time.
Hearing examiner
-A neutral third party,
						not an employe or staff member of the Agency, appointed by a designated Agency
						official to conduct hearings on Agency matters, consider written materials,
						weigh the evidence presented and issue impartial decisions.
Parent (for purposes of borrowing under the
						Federal PLUS Loan Program)
-A student's mother or father or legal
						guardian. An adoptive parent is considered to be the person's mother or
						father.
President and Chief Executive
						Officer
-The President and Chief Executive Officer of the
						Agency.
Quarter
-A period of approximately 11
						weeks normally comprising 1/3 of the academic year.
SAT
-The College Entrance Examination
						Board's Scholastic Assessment Test.
Semester
-A period of approximately 17
						weeks normally comprising 1/2 of the academic year.
Trimester
-A period of approximately 15
						weeks normally comprising 1/2 of the academic year.
Veteran
-A person who engaged in active
						service in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard or
						was a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies and was released
						under a condition other than dishonorable, or will be by June 30 of the
						academic year for which the application is made, or who was a National Guard or
						Reserve service member who was activated for Federal duty by Presidential
						order. ROTC students, cadets or midshipmen currently attending the service
						academies, National Guard or Reserve enlistees who were not activated for
						Federal duty by Presidential order or those currently serving in the United
						States Armed Forces and will continue to serve through June 30 of the academic
						year for which application is made are not considered
						veterans.
The provisions of this §
													121.1 issued under the act of July
						  12, 1981 (P. L. 264, No. 89) (24 P. S. §§
														5102.1 and
						  5104(1.2)); amended under
						  section 4 of the act of August 7, 1963 (P. L. 549, No. 290) (24 P. S. §
														5104); sections 1 and 6(e) of the act of
						  January 25, 1966 (P. L. 1546, No. 541) (24 P. S. §§
														5151 and
						  5156(e)); The Institutional
						  Assistance Grants Act (24 P. S. §§
														5181-5189); the Urban and Rural Teacher Loan
						  Forgiveness Act (24 P. S. §§
														5191-5197); and
						  the Agriculture Education Loan Forgiveness Act (24 P. S. §§
														5198.1-5198.7).
This section cited in 22 Pa. Code §
													121.5 (relating to enrollment); 22
						  Pa. Code §
													121.44 (relating to required
						  family financial data); 22 Pa. Code §
													121.151 (relating to application
						  of existing Agency regulations); 22 Pa. Code §
													121.201 (relating to application
						  of existing Agency regulations); 22 Pa. Code §
													121.302 (relating to application
						  of existing Agency regulations); and 22 Pa. Code §
													121.401 (relating to application
						  of existing agency regulations).