NELA Learning Services Online Courses

No matter what your level of expertise, our growing library of Learning Services Online courses can help you better serve your students and your school. Below are course descriptions for those that are available now and some that are coming soon.

To take a course, log in to NELA Learning Services Online. If you are not set up as a user, contact your NELA representative to learn how to access our online courses.

Student Employee Courses
This six course series provides training to prepare student employees to do their jobs well.

• 001 Time Management
• 002 Handling Difficult Situations
• 003 FERPA and Confidentiality
• 004 Effective Communication Skills
• 005 E-Mail and Telephone Etiquette
• 006 Business Etiquette and Office Culture

The following introductory courses are designed primarily for new financial aid staff:

• 101 General Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements
• 102 Understanding the FAFSA
• 103 Understanding the SAR and the ISIR
• 104 Calculating Financial Need
• 105 Types and Sources of Financial Aid
• 106 Awarding Financial Aid
• 107 Federal Delivery System
• 108 Online Resources for Financial Aid Administrators

Intermediate Courses

This track for financial aid administrators who already have a basic understanding of financial aid, consists of the following courses:

• 201 Cost of Attendance
• 202 Calculating the EFC
• 203 Verification
• 204 Professional Judgment
• 205 Federal Grants
• 206 Campus-Based Programs
• 207 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program
• 208 Federal Work Study Program
• 209 Federal Perkins Loan Program
• 210 Federal Family Education Loan Program
• 211 Health and Human Services, Nursing Program
• 212 Health and Human Services, Health Professions Programs 
• 213 Private Education Loans
• 214 Loan Consolidation
• 215 Return of Title IV Funds
• 216 Overawards and Overpayments
• 217 Satisfactory Academic Progress
• 218 Tax Filing Requirements
• 219 NSLDS
• 220 FFELP Loan Counseling
• 221 Cash Management and Disbursement Requirements
• 222 FERPA and Confidentiality
• 223 Consumer Information Requirements
• 224 FFELP Repayment Options
• 225 Veterans Assistance Education Benefits
• 226 Loan Proration

Professional Development Courses

These courses will help financial aid administrators enhance their skills in working with students and with others in their offices.

• 301 Helping Students Manage Their Finances
• 302 Counseling Students About Credit Cards
• 303 Helping Students Establish Financial Goals
• 304 Managing Stress
• 305 Credit Reporting
• 306 Identity Theft

Financial Aid Director

Financial aid director courses cover topics of interest to top level aid administrators.

• 401 Compliance and Audits
• 402 Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate
• 403 Advanced Professional Judgment

Lender Courses

These courses will provide information for education lending professionals about financial aid, the guarantee process, disbursement and preventing student loan default.

• 901 Financial Aid Overview for Lenders
• 902 Guarantee Process
• 903 Claim Filing and Post-Claim Recovery
• 904 Loan Disbursement and Delivery
• 905 Default Prevention 

Why Our Online Courses Are Good for You

Online training offers you and your colleagues these benefits:

Moreover, our online training permits you to proceed through the material at your own pace. If you stop in the middle of a course, you’ll be returned to that point when you resume online training.

As an additional benefit, the online training site displays a transcript of the courses successfully completed. Through preassessments and postassessments, learners can demonstrate to their financial aid directors mastery of the subject matter.

The online courses also offer a host of tools to support learning — including interactive case studies, personal electronic course notes, a message board, chat feature, an e-mail link to direct questions to the NELA Learning Services team, and "Putting It to Work," a printable PDF that lists course-specific questions so learners can assess how the course concepts are applied at their schools.

After completing the online courses, you’ll have the confidence to apply what you’ve learned on the job, helping you better serve your students and your institution. To register for the courses, log in to NELA Learning Services Online.