34 C.F.R. § 668.164 Disbursing funds.
Title 34 - Education
Link to an amendment published at 71 FR 45696, Aug. 9, 2006. (a) Disbursement. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, an institution makes a disbursement of title IV, HEA program funds on the date that the institution credits a student's account at the institution or pays a student or parent directly with— (i) Funds received from the Secretary; (ii) Funds received from a lender under the FFEL Programs; or (iii) Institutional funds used in advance of receiving title IV, HEA program funds. (2) If, earlier than 10 days before the first day of classes of a payment period, or for a student subject to the requirements of §682.604(c)(5) or §685.303(b)(4) earlier than 30 days after the first day of the payment period, an institution credits a student's institutional account with institutional funds in advance of receiving title IV, HEA program funds, the Secretary considers that the institution makes that disbursement on the 10th day before the first day of classes, or the 30th day after the beginning of the payment period for a student subject to the requirements of §682.604(c)(5) or §685.303(b)(4). (b) Disbursements by payment period. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, an institution must disburse title IV, HEA program funds on a payment period basis. Except as provided in paragraph (g) of this section, an institution may disburse title IV, HEA program funds to a student or parent for a payment period only if the student is enrolled for classes for that payment period and is eligible to receive those funds. (2) The provisions of paragraph (b)(1) of this section do not apply to the disbursement of FWS Program funds. (3) For a student enrolled in an eligible program at an institution that measures academic progress in clock hours, in determining whether the student completes the clock hours in a payment period, an institution may include clock hours for which the student has an excused absence if— (i) The institution has a written policy that permits excused absences; and (ii) The number of excused absences under the written policy for purposes of this paragraph does not exceed the lesser of— (A) The policy on excused absences of the institution's accrediting agency or, if the institution has more than one accrediting agency, the agency designated under 34 CFR part 600.11(b); (B) The policy on excused absences of any State agency that licenses the institution or otherwise legally authorizes the institution to operate in the State; or (C) Ten percent of the clock hours in the payment period. (4) For purposes of paragraph (b)(3) of this section, an “excused absence” is an absence that a student does not have to make up. (c) Direct payments. An institution pays a student or parent directly by— (1) Releasing to the student or parent a check provided by a lender to the institution under an FFEL Program; (2) Issuing a check or other instrument payable to and requiring the endorsement or certification of the student or parent. An institution issues a check by— (i) Releasing or mailing the check to a student or parent; or (ii) Notifying the student or parent that the check is available for immediate pickup; (3) Initiating an electronic funds transfer (EFT) to a bank account designated by the student or parent; or (4) Dispensing cash for which an institution obtains a signed receipt from the student or parent. (d) Crediting a student's account at the institution. (1) Without obtaining the student's or parent's authorization under §668.165, an institution may use title IV, HEA program funds to credit a student's account at the institution to satisfy current charges for— (i) Tuition and fees; (ii) Board, if the student contracts with the institution for board; and (iii) Room, if the student contracts with the institution for room. (2) After obtaining the appropriate authorization from a student or parent under §668.165, the institution may use title IV, HEA program funds to credit a student's account at the institution to satisfy— (i) Current charges that are in addition to the charges described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section that were incurred by the student at the institution for educationally related activities; and (ii) Minor prior award year charges if these charges are less than $100 or if the payment of these charges does not, and will not, prevent the student from paying his or her current educational costs. (3) If an institution disburses Direct Loan Program funds by crediting a student's account at the institution, the institution must first credit the student's account with those funds to pay for outstanding current and authorized charges. (4) For purposes of this paragraph, current charges refers to charges assessed the student by the institution for— (i) The current award year; or (ii) The loan period for which an institution certified or originated a loan under the FFEL or Direct Loan programs. (e) Credit balances. Whenever an institution disburses title IV, HEA program funds by crediting a student's account and the total amount of all title IV, HEA program funds credited exceeds the amount of tuition and fees, room and board, and other authorized charges the institution assessed the student, the institution must pay the resulting credit balance directly to the student or parent as soon as possible but— (1) No later than 14 days after the balance occurred if the credit balance occurred after the first day of class of a payment period; or (2) No later than 14 days after the first day of class of a payment period if the credit balance occurred on or before the first day of class of that payment period. (f) Early disbursements. Except as provided under paragraph (f)(3) of this section— (1) If a student is enrolled in a credit-hour educational program that is offered in semester, trimester, or quarter academic terms, the earliest an institution may disburse title IV, HEA program funds to a student or parent for any payment period is 10 days before the first day of classes for a payment period. (2) If a student is enrolled in a credit-hour educational program that is not offered in semester, trimester, or quarter academic terms, or in a clock hour educational program the earliest an institution may disburse title IV, HEA program funds to a student or parent for any payment period is the later of— (i) Ten days before the first day of classes of the payment period; or (ii) The date the student completed the previous payment period for which he or she received title IV, HEA program funds, except that this provision does not apply to the payment of Direct Loan or FFEL program funds under the conditions described in 34 CFR 685.301 (b)(3)(ii), (b)(5), and (b)(6) and 34 CFR 682.604 (c)(6)(ii), (c)(7), and (c)(8), respectively. (3) The earliest an institution may disburse the initial installment of a loan under the Direct Loan or FFEL programs to a first-year, first-time borrower as described in 34 CFR 682.604(c) and 34 CFR 685.303(b)(4) is 30 days after the first day of the student's program of study. (g) Late disbursements—(1) Ineligible student. For purposes of this paragraph, an otherwise eligible student becomes ineligible to receive title IV, HEA program funds on the date that— (i) For a loan under the FFEL and Direct Loan programs, the student is no longer enrolled at the institution as at least a half-time student for the period of enrollment for which the loan was intended; or (ii) For an award under the Federal Pell Grant, ACG, National SMART Grant, FSEOG, and Federal Perkins Loan programs, the student is no longer enrolled at the institution for the award year. (2) Conditions for a late disbursement. Except as limited under paragraph (g)(4) of this section, a student who becomes ineligible (or the student's parent in the case of a PLUS loan) qualifies for a late disbursement if, before the date the student became ineligible— (i) Except in the case of a PLUS loan, the Secretary processed a SAR or ISIR with an official expected family contribution; and (ii) (A) For a loan under the FFEL or Direct Loan programs, the institution certified or originated the loan; or (B) For an award under the Federal Perkins Loan or FSEOG programs, the institution made that award to the student. (3) Making a late disbursement. Provided that the conditions described in paragraph (g)(2) of this section are satisfied— (i) If the student withdrew from the institution during a payment period or period of enrollment, the institution must make any post-withdrawal disbursement required under §668.22(a)(3) in accordance with the provisions of §668.22(a)(4); (ii) If the student successfully completed the payment period or period of enrollment, the institution must provide the student (or parent) the opportunity to receive the amount of title IV, HEA program funds that the student (or parent) was eligible to receive while the student was enrolled at the institution. For a late disbursement in this circumstance, the institution may credit the student's account to pay for current and allowable charges as described in paragraph (d) of this section, but must pay or offer any remaining amount to the student or parent; or (iii) If the student did not withdraw but ceased to be enrolled as at least a half-time student, the institution may make the late disbursement of a loan under the FFEL or Direct Loan programs to pay for educational costs that the institution determines the student incurred for the period in which the student was eligible. (4) Limitations. (i) Generally, an institution may not make a late disbursement later than 120 days after the date of the institution's determination that the student withdrew, as provided under §668.22, or, for a student who did not withdraw, 120 days after the date the student otherwise became ineligible. On an exception basis, and with the approval of the Secretary, an institution may make a late disbursement after the applicable 120-day period, if the reason the late disbursement was not made within the 120-day period was not the fault of the student. (ii) An institution may not make a second or subsequent late disbursement of a loan under the FFEL or Direct Loan programs unless the student successfully completed the period of enrollment for which the loan was intended. (iii) An institution may not make a late disbursement of a loan under the FFEL or Direct Loan programs if the student was a first-year, first-time borrower unless the student completed the first 30 days of his or her program of study. This limitation does not apply if the institution is exempt from the 30-day delayed disbursement requirements under §682.604(c)(5)(i), (ii), or (iii) or §685.303(b)(4)(i)(A), (B), or (C) of this chapter. (iv) An institution may not make a late disbursement of a Federal Pell Grant, an ACG, or a National SMART Grant unless it received a valid SAR or a valid ISIR for the student by the deadline date established by the Secretary in a notice published in the (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1094) [61 FR 60603, Nov. 29, 1996, as amended at 64 FR 59042, Nov. 1, 1999; 67 FR 67073, Nov. 1, 2003; 71 FR 38003, July 3, 2006]
Title 34: Education
PART 668—STUDENT ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS
Subpart K—Cash Management
§ 668.164 Disbursing funds.
