- Hey readers from Higher Education Institutions! Yes, you! November is here and do you know what that means? It’s almost time for your institution to submit its request for designation as an eligible Title III or Title V school.
You may recall that last year the Department of Education deviated from the norm, opting for a November 3rd, 2014 release and December 22nd, 2014 deadline rather than its usual springtime release. Based on that shift, prudent grant administrators are probably already getting their materials together in anticipation of the 2015 deadline. Why not join their ranks?
Requesting designation as a Title III or Title V eligible institution is the gateway to several competitive higher education grant opportunities from the Department of Education.
Generally speaking, these funds are provided to eligible institutions to increase their self-sufficiency by improving academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability. Given the broad nature of priorities funds they are highly desirable as a means to implement or expand new programs or services. Further, colleges and universities must reapply for designation as a Title III or Title V eligible institution each year, so if your institution is already receiving grant funding for a Title III or Title V supported program you won’t want to miss reconfirming your eligibility.
Principally, those competitive grant funds that fall under Title III and Title V of the Higher Education Act include:
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Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP),
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH),
Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI), Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI),
Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI),
Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM and Articulation (HSI STEM and Articulation),
Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI),
Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA), etc.
These grants all have a two-step application process. First, an institution must apply for eligibility (we anticipate a December deadline provided the opportunity is released by early November as it was in 2014). Second, if the institution is approved for either Title III or Title V funding eligibility, they may then apply to the aforementioned grant competitions when the specific competition is announced.
Now, you may be wondering, “What kind of information will you need to start pulling together in anticipation of this application for designation?” Luckily, not much.
So long as there are no extenuating circumstances and your institution isn’t requesting a waiver of one of the requirements, the application process takes on a “plug and chug” approach. Meaning, you fill in your institution’s data, check the correct boxes, and select the appropriate options from the drop down boxes.
Below is a snapshot of the information you’ll need to have on hand when starting your request:
Total institutional enrollment
Total minority enrollment
Number of domestic undergraduate degree students
Number of domestic graduate de-gree students
Unduplicated student head count of degree students receiving Title I need-based assistance (e.g. Pell Grants, Work Study, Perkins Loan, or Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants).
Total Core Expenses (e.g. expenses for instruction, research, public service, academic support, student services, institutional support, operation and maintenance of plant, depreciation, scholarships and fellowships, interest and other operating and non-operating expenses)
Average Core Expenses per Full Time Enrolled Student
Please note that the above list is by no means exhaustive, but merely a place to start. Once the official notice requesting applications for designation as a Title III or Title V eligible institution is released, additional details may be required of applicants. Best of luck!
For more information on last year’s cycle, and updates for 2015, see: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html#tl