Foreign Institution Reporting Requirements under the CARES Act

Dear Foreign Institutions,

 

We are contacting you because the United States Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). This law provides regulatory relief to foreign institutions affected by the global pandemic.

Under the CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Education (“the Department”) permits any part of an otherwise eligible program at a foreign institution to be offered via distance education if the applicable government authorities in the country in which the foreign institution is located have declared a public health emergency, major disaster or emergency, or national emergency related to COVID-19. A foreign institution that offered an otherwise eligible program via distance education between March 1 and March 27 may continue to offer that program through distance education for the duration of the emergency and the first payment period that begins after the emergency ends. Such a program will remain eligible for the purposes of the Federal Direct Loan program under Part D, Title IV of the HEA.

The CARES Act also allows a foreign institution to enter into a written arrangement with an institution of higher education located in the United States that participates in the Federal Direct Loan Program for the purpose of allowing a Direct Loan borrower enrolled at the foreign institution to take courses from the institution of higher education located in the United States. A foreign institution that is a public or other nonprofit institution may enter into such a written arrangement only with an institution of higher education described in Section 101 of the HEA, 20 U.S.C. § 1001. A foreign institution that is a graduate medical school, nursing school, or a veterinary school and that is not a public or other nonprofit institution may enter into such a written arrangement with an institution of higher education described in Sections 101 or 102 of the HEA, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1001 and 1002. Foreign institutions may enter into such arrangements for the duration of an emergency described above and for the first payment period that begins after the emergency ends.

 

The CARES Act requires that a foreign institution that uses the authority to report use of either distance education or written arrangements to the Department—

1. For the 2019–2020 award year, no later than June 30, 2020; and

2. For an award year subsequent to the 2019–2020 award year, no later than 30 days after such use.

 

In order for your institution to meet the reporting requirements, the Department requires that your institution provide the following information by June 30, 2020, for any payment periods that began during the 2019-2020 award year (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020).

 

• Institution Name:

• OPEID:

• Country:

• Is your institution using distance education to offer instruction under the CARES Act? Yes/No

  • If yes, report the number of students who received Direct Loans at your institution and whose program was offered by the foreign institution in whole or in part through distance education during the 2019-2020 award year.

• Has your institution executed or is it executing a written arrangement with institutions located in the United States for U.S. students receiving Direct Loans under the CARES Act? Yes/no.

  • If yes, report the name and OPEID of the institution or institutions located in the United States with which you have or plan to execute a written arrangement.

  • If yes, also report the number of students who received Direct Loans at your institution and who took courses at an institution in the United States under a written arrangement with the foreign institution during the 2019-2020 award year.

Further, if your institution uses the CARES Act for any payment period that begins on or after July 1, 2020, and during which the flexibilities under the CARES Act apply, your institution is required to report the information described above to the Department no later than 30 days after the end of that payment period.

 

Please email the requested information to The Foreign Schools Mailbox address FSA.Foreign.Schools.Team@ed.gov

 

Sincerely,

Michael Frola

Division Chief

Multi-Regional and Foreign Schools Participation Division

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1845-NEW. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to be 30 minutes per response. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: The Foreign Schools Mailbox address at FSA.Foreign.Schools.Team@ed.gov.