USA Funds Launches Microsite for Financial Aid Professionals

Site highlights services that promote college access and support student aid services

INDIANAPOLIS, June 16 /PRNewswire/ — USA Funds(R), the nation’s leading education loan guarantor, announces the launch of a new Web site component for financial aid professionals. The new microsite — at www.usafunds.org under “Financial Aid Professionals” — highlights the services that USA Funds delivers to colleges, universities and private career colleges to address the following issues:

• Simplify the delivery and administration of federal student loans.
• Support and enhance campus-based debt management and default prevention efforts.
• Keep financial aid professionals up to date on loan program guidelines and support their professional development.
• Support college access and outreach efforts to explain to elementary and secondary school students and their families the benefits of higher education and the steps necessary to prepare for education or training after high school.

The microsite offers descriptions of the services, using animation, comments from users, downloadable product brochures, interactive demonstrations and video trailers.

“This new component of our Web site answers the question of how USA Funds can support financial aid administrators in carrying out their critical responsibilities for helping students and families plan and pay for higher education,” said Denise B. Feser, USA Funds senior vice president, customer relations. “We invite financial aid professionals to visit the new microsite to explore how USA Funds can help them meet their toughest challenges.”

A new tool menu area in the microsite offers additional resources for financial aid administrators, including the following items:

• A forms and publications tool to help users locate and download loan program forms and USA Funds publications.
• A feed of current financial aid and higher education news. A version of this news feed is available to download to the desktop of the user’s computer.
• A virtual assistant with key USA Funds contact information and answers to frequently asked loan policy questions.

Included in the microsite is additional information about USA Funds’ loan policies, as well as links to resources, including information about the recent reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, student loan interest rates and loan calculators.

The new microsite complements the USA Funds Connection(R) Web portal, which serves as the gateway for financial aid administrators to access and use many of the tools described in the microsite. A login to USA Funds Connection, as well as a link to learn about subscribing to USA Funds Connection, is incorporated in the new microsite.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that works to enhance postsecondary education preparedness, access and success by providing and supporting financial and other valued services. For more information about USA Funds, visit www.usafunds.org.

SOURCE USA Funds