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Posted Date:
November 5, 2019 <!--Posted_Date=2019-11-05-->
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Office of Postsecondary Education<br>
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<p>Subject: Revised Policy for Standard Term Length</p>
<p>Many higher education programs, especially those leading to degrees,
employ academic calendars consisting of standard terms, i.e., semesters,
trimesters, and quarters. Although “standard terms” are not defined in
statute or regulation, the requirements that must be met for a term to
be considered a standard term have been established in longstanding
Department of Education (Department) policy. Institutions that use
standard term academic calendars are subject to the simplest and least
burdensome requirements for disbursement of student financial assistance
under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Title
IV aid). Academic terms not meeting the Department’s requirements for
standard terms are considered to be nonstandard terms, and institutions
with nonstandard term academic calendars must generally comply with more
complex rules for disbursing Title IV aid.</p>
<p>Many institutions have asked the Department for increased flexibility
to modify the length of their terms to better accommodate the needs of
students and the specialized coursework associated with certain types of
educational programs. In response, the Department reviewed its
“standard term” policy and is announcing the following changes:</p>
<ul style="padding-left: 1em;">
<li><p>Semesters and trimesters may now be between 14 and 21 weeks of instruction;</p></li>
<li><p>Quarters may now be between 9 and 13 weeks of instruction; and</p></li>
<li><p>Standard terms are no longer required to be substantially equal.</p></li></ul>
<p>This modification strikes the proper balance between maintaining the
integrity of the Title IV programs and providing greater flexibility
(within the scope of what is permitted by statute and regulations) from
needlessly rigid traditional requirements for term length. The
Department believes this change will increase opportunities for
institutions to offer unique and innovative academic programs, which are
better catered toward workforce needs.</p>
<p>Included in this electronic announcement is an attachment titled
“Revised Policy for Standard Term Length,” which provides a more
detailed description of this new policy that includes examples and
Q&As.</p>
<p>For questions about the content of this announcement, please contact Gregory Martin by email at <a href="mailto:gregory.martin@ed.gov">gregory.martin@ed.gov</a>.</p>
<p>Attachments/Enclosures:</p>
<p>
<a href="https://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/attachments/110519RevisionGuidelinesApplicableStandardTermsAttach.docx">Revised Policy for Standard Term Length in Word Format, 44KB, 10 Pages</a>
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