Adding to the University of Puerto Rico’s financial woes, the Department of Education has rescinded the eligibility of five of the system’s 11 campuses for Title IV programs due to the ongoing student strike.
So far, the UPR campuses of Río Piedras, Humacao, Ponce, Bayamón, and Carolina have lost eligibility for Title IV programs. That means funds for essential programs such as Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) and federal work study will be withheld until the strike has ended and the campuses have reapplied for Title IV eligibility.
In a letter sent to UPR Carolina chancellor Dr. Moises Orengo on May 8, ED New York and Boston School Participation Division director Betty Coughlin explained that because the university had not offered classes since early April due to the strike, UPR Carolina would lose Title IV eligibility.
Institutions lose Title IV eligibility, Coughlin wrote, “on the date that the institution or location ceases to provide educational programs for a reason other than a normal vacation period or a natural disaster that directly affects the institution, particular location, or the students of the institution or location.”
ED’s letter noted that institutions can reapply for Title IV eligibility when classes resume.
In addition, UPR’s federal school codes were temporarily removed from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website. After discussions with ED, the UPR administration reportedly was able to convince the department to reinstate school codes to the FAFSA website, even though none of the federal aid programs through FAFSA will be available to UPR students for the indefinite future.
When reached by phone on Wednesday afternoon, a UPR spokesperson at the system’s central press office declined to comment on the situation.
