How do I know if my school is a "Qualified Institution"?

You can use your Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for current education expenses at qualified institutions of higher education.   A "qualified institution" is one that participates in the U.S. Department of Education’s student aid programs (i.e. it has an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education whereby students at the school are eligible to receive federal student financial aid to attend the school).   These are sometimes called Title IV schools.  ("Title IV" refers to the section of the Higher Education Act that authorizes the federal student aid program.) 

A school may be fully accredited and even offer graduate degrees, but unless it is a school that participates with the U.S. Department of Education in Title IV financial assistance the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, by law, cannot be used there.  To find out if your school is a qualified institution, you can:

  1. Ask your financial aid office if the school is a Title IV Institution.

  2. Call the toll-free number (1-800-433-3243) at the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Information Center Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (EST).

  3. Conduct an online search at the website for the Department of Education at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw0506/fslookup.htm

If the school is listed in the list of Institutions found when you do a search after clicking on "Create Education Award", then the school is a Title IV school.