Policy Reminder: Annual Campus-Security Reporting

The U.S. Department of Education recently reminded schools of the requirement to provide certain reports to current and prospective students each year, including the campus-security report.

Schools should publish the report annually — usually by Oct. 1 — and distribute it to all current students and employees, and, upon request, to prospective students and employees. The school may choose to distribute this publication via U.S. mail, campus mail or in e-mail. Schools also are required to provide the statistical portion of the report to the Department of Education each year.

The requirements for this report have been in place since November 2002, but the Department of Education reports that many schools are not complying with the campus-security reporting requirements. USA Funds^®' policy department recommends that schools review their procedures for developing and publishing this annual report to ensure compliance with federal requirements.

Schools may read more details regarding this consumer-report requirement in the Federal Student Aid Handbook and in the federal regulations, 34 CFR 668.41(e). For additional clarification, contact USA Funds' policy advisers.