Health professions school or school, for purposes of this subpart, means a public or private nonprofit school of medicine, school of dentistry, school of osteopathic medicine, school of pharmacy, school of podiatric medicine, school of optometry, or school of veterinary medicine as defined in section 799(1)(A) of the Act.

Health professions student loan means the amount of money advanced to a student by a school from a health professions student loan fund under a properly executed promissory note.

Institutional capital contribution means the money provided by a school, in an amount not less than one-ninth of the federal capital contribution, and deposited in a health professions student loan fund.

National of the United States means: (1) A citizen of the United States, or (2) a person who, though not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States, as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act, at 8 U.S.C. section 1101(a)(22).

School year means the traditional approximately 9-month September to June annual session. For the purpose of computing school year equivalents for students who, during a 12-month period, attend for a longer period than the traditional school year, the school year will be considered to be 9 months in length.

Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services and any other officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services to whom the authority involved has been delegated.

State means, in addition to the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

[44 FR 29055, May 18, 1979, as amended at 52 FR 20987, June 3, 1987; 53 FR 46549, Nov. 17, 1988; 56 FR 19293, Apr. 26, 1991; 56 FR 25446, June 4, 1991; 61 FR 6123, Feb. 16, 1996]

§ 57.203 Application by school.

(a) Each school seeking a Federal capital contribution must submit an application at the time and in the form and manner that the Secretary may require. The application must be signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant and to assume on behalf of the applicant the obligations imposed by the statute, the regulations of this subpart, and the terms and conditions of the award.

(b) Each application will be reviewed to determine eligibility and the reasonableness of the amount of Federal support requested. The Secretary may require the applicant to submit additional data for this purpose.

(c) An application will not be approved unless an agreement between the Secretary and the applicant school for a Federal capital contribution under section 721 of the Act is reached. [44 FR 29055, May 18, 1979, as amended at 49 FR 38112, Sept. 27, 1984; 56 FR 19293, Apr. 26. 1991; 57 FR 45734, Oct. 5, 1992; 61 FR 6123, Feb. 16, 1996]

$57.204 Payment of Federal capital contributions and reallocation of funds remitted to the Secretary.

(a) Annual payment. The Secretary will make payments to each school with which he or she has entered into an agreement under the Act at a time determined by him or her. If the total of the amounts requested for any fiscal year by all schools for Federal capital contributions exceeds the amount of Federal funds determined by the Secretary at the time of payment to be available for this purpose, the payment to each school will be reduced to whichever is smaller:

(1) The amount requested in the application, or

(2) An amount which bears the same ratio to the total amount of Federal funds determined by the Secretary at the time of payment to be available for that fiscal year for the Health Professions Student Loan Program as the number of full-time students estimated by the Secretary to be enrolled in that school bears to the estimated total number of full-time students in all participating schools during that year. Amounts remaining after these payments are made will be distributed in

accordance with this paragraph among schools whose applications requested more than the amount paid to them, but with whatever adjustments that may be necessary to prevent the total paid to any school from exceeding the total requested by it.

(b) Method of payment. The payment of Federal capital contributions to a school will be paid in a manner that avoids unnecessary accumulations of money in any health professions student loan fund.

(c) Reallocation of funds remitted to the Secretary. All funds from a student loan fund established under this subpart which are remitted to the Secretary in any fiscal year shall be available for allotment under this subpart, in the same fiscal year and the succeeding fiscal year, to schools which, during the period beginning on July 1, 1972, and ending on September 30, 1985, established student loan funds with Federal capital contributions under this subpart. The Secretary will from time to time set dates by which the schools must file applications to receive a portion of these funds. If the total of the amounts requested for any fiscal year by eligible schools exceeds the amount of funds determined by the Secretary at the time of payment to be available for this purpose, the payment to each school will be reduced to whichever is smaller:

(1) The amount requested in the application, or

(2) An amount which bears the same ratio to the total amount of returned funds determined by the Secretary at the time of payment to be available for that fiscal year for the Health Professions Student Loan program as the number of full-time students estimated by the Secretary to be enrolled in that school bears to the estimated total number of full-time students in all eligible schools during that year.

Amounts remaining after these payments are made will be distributed in accordance with this paragraph among schools whose applications requested more than the amount paid to them, with whatever adjustments may be necessary to prevent the total paid to

(a) Funds established with Federal capital contributions. Any fund established by a school with Federal capital contributions will be accounted for separately from other funds, providing a clear audit trail for all transactions. At all times the fund must contain monies representing the institutional capital contribution. The school must at all times maintain all monies relating to the fund in one or more interestbearing accounts or investment instruments which meet OMB requirements established for Federal monies held by third parties. The school must place all earnings into the fund but may first deduct from total earnings any reasonable and customary charges incurred through the use of an interest-bearing account. An institution shall exercise the level of care required of a fiduciary with regard to these deposits and investments, and shall be responsible for reimbursing the fund for any losses that occur due to the use of investments that are not federally insured.

(1) The Federal capital contribution fund is to be used by the school only for:

(i) Health professions student loans to full-time students;

(ii) Capital distribution as provided in section 728 of the Act or as agreed to by the school and the Secretary; and

(iii) Costs of litigation, costs associated with membership in credit bureaus, and to the extent specifically approved by the Secretary, other collection costs that exceed the usual expenses incurred in the collection of health professions student loans.

(2) A school must review the balance in the fund on at least a semi-annual basis to determine whether the fund balance compared with projected levels of expenditures and collections exceeds its needs. A school in closing status must review the balance in the fund on a quarterly basis. Monies identified as in excess of the school's needs must be

reported, and the Federal share returned to the Federal Government, by the due date of the required report which identifies the excess monies. The school's determination is subject to the review and approval of the Secretary.

(b) Funds established with Federal capital loans. (1) Each Federal capital loan is subject to the terms of the promissory note executed by an authorized official on behalf of the borrowing school.

(2) The Federal capital loans must be carried in a special account of the school, to be used by the school only for (i) repayments of principal and interest on Federal capital loans; and (ii) costs of litigation; costs associated with membership in credit bureaus; and, to the extent specifically approved by the Secretary, other collection costs that exceed the usual expenses incurred in the collection of health professions student loans.

(c) Failure to comply with the requirements of this section will subject a school to the noncompliance provisions of §57.218 and the Department's Claims Collections regulations (45 CFR part 30), as appropriate.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0915-0047)

[44 FR 29055, May 18, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 25069, June 3, 1983; 56 FR 40725, Aug. 15, 1991; 61 FR 6123, Feb. 16, 1996]

$57.206 Eligibility and selection of health professions student loan applicants.

(a) Determination of eligibility. (1) Applicants are eligible for consideration for a health professions student loan if they are:

(i) Residents of the United States and either a citizen or national of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States, a citizen of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a citizen of the Republic of Palau, a citizen of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia;

(ii) Enrolled, or accepted for enrollment in the school as full-time students;

(iii) In need of the amount of the loan to pursue a full-time course of study at the school;

(iv) of exceptional financial need in the case of students of medicine or osteopathic medicine. A student will be considered to demonstrate exceptional financial need if the school determines that his or her resources, as described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, do not exceed the lesser of $6,700 or onehalf of the costs of attendance at the school. Summer earnings, educational loans, veterans (G.I.) benefits and earnings during the school year will not be considered as resources in determining whether an applicant meets the eligibility criteria for exceptional financial need, but will be considered in determining the amount of funds a student may receive; and

(v) In compliance with the requirement to register for the draft, if required to do so under section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act.

(2) An applicant who has previously attended an institution of higher education must submit a financial aid transcript which includes at least the following data:

(i) Applicant's name and social security number;

(ii) Amounts and sources of loans and grants previously received by the applicant for study at an institution of higher education;

(iii) Whether the applicant is in default on any of these loans, or owes a refund on any grants;

(iv) Certification from each institution previously attended by the applicant that the applicant has received no financial aid, if applicable; and

(v) From each institution previously attended, the signature of an official authorized by the institution to sign such transcripts on behalf of the institution.

(b) Selection of applicants. The school will select qualified applicants, including medical (M.D. and D.O.) applicants, and determine the amount of student loans by considering:

(1) The financial resources available to the student by using one of the national need analysis systems or any other procedure approved by the Secretary of Education in combination with other information which the school has regarding the student's financial status. The school must take

into account, regardless of the tax status of the student, the expected contribution from parents, spouse, self or other family members; and

(2) The costs reasonably necessary for the student's attendance at the school, including any special needs and obligations which directly affect the student's ability to attend the school on a full-time basis. The school must document the criteria used for determining these costs.

resources

(c) Selection of medical (M.D. and D.O.) student applicants. In addition to the factors in §57.206(b), the school must select medical (M.D. and D.O.) students graduating after June 30, 1979, based on the order of greatest need, taking into consideration the other available to the student through the school. For purposes of establishing priority for selecting medical (M.D. and D.O.) student applicants to receive health professions student loans, summer earnings, educational loans, veterans (G.I.) benefits, and earnings during the school year will be considered as financial resources.

(d) Verification of loan information. The school must verify, to the best of its ability, the information provided by the student on the loan application. To comply with this requirement, a school may require that a student provide, for example: Photocopies of the parents', student's, and spouse's Federal income tax forms with original signatures for the most recent tax year (or certification that no Federal income tax return was filed); tax returns that are certified as having been received by the Internal Revenue Service; or other documentation that the school considers necessary to help assure that information on the loan application is correct. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0915-0047)

[44 FR 32698, June 7, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 25069, June 3, 1983; 49 FR 38112, Sept. 27, 1984; 52 FR 20987, June 3, 1987; 53 FR 46549, Nov. 17, 1988; 56 FR 19293, Apr. 26, 1991; 61 FR 6123, Feb. 16, 1996]

$57.207 Maximum amount of health professions student loans.

The total of the health professions student loans made from the fund to any student for a school year may not exceed $2,500 and the cost of tuition.

The maximum amount loaned during a 12-month period to any student enrolled in a school which provides a course of study longer than the 9month school year may be proportionately increased.

$57.208 Health professions student loan promissory note and disclosure requirements.

(a) Promissory note form. Each health professions student loan must be evidenced by a properly executed promissory note in a form approved by the Secretary. The school must safeguard the promissory note against fire, theft, and tampering.

(1) Each promissory note must state that the loan will bear interest on the unpaid balance computed only for periods during which repayment of the loan is required, at the rate of 5 percent per year.

(2) Each promissory note must contain an acceleration clause provided by the Secretary, which will permit the acceleration of delinquent loans at the school's option.

(3) A copy of each executed note must be supplied by the school to the student borrower.

(b) Security. A school must require security or endorsement if the borrower is a minor and if, under the applicable State law, the note signed by him or her would not create a binding obligation. The school may not require security or endorsement in any other circumstances.

(c) Disclosure requirements. (1) For any loan made after June 30, 1986, the school shall, at the time the loan is made, provide the following loan information to the student:

(i) The yearly and cumulative maximum amounts that may be borrowed by the student;

(ii) The terms under which repayment of the loan will begin;

(iii) The maximum number of years in which the loan must be repaid;

(iv) The interest rate that will be paid by the borrower and the minimum amount of the required monthly payment;

(v) The amount of any other fees charged to the borrower by the lender;

(vii) A definition of default on the loan and a specification of the consequences which will result to the borrower if the borrower defaults, including a description of any arrangements which may be made with credit bureau organizations;

(viii) To the extent practicable, the effect of accepting the loan on the eligibility of the borrower for other forms of student assistance; and

(ix) A description of the actions that may be taken by the Federal Government to collect the loan, including a description of the type of information concerning the borrower that the Federal Government may disclose to:

(A) Officers, employees, or agents of the Department of Health and Human Services,

(B) Officers, employees, or agents of schools with which the Secretary has an agreement under this subpart, or

(C) Any other person involved in the collection of a loan under this subpart.

(2) For any loan made after June 30, 1986, the school shall, prior to the borrower's completion or termination of studies at the school, provide the following loan information to the student:

(i) Each amount borrowed by the student under this subpart;

(ii) The total amount borrowed by the student under this subpart; and

(iii) A schedule for the repayment of the amounts borrowed under this subpart, including the number, amount, and frequency of payments to be made.

(3) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section, the school must comply with the applicable requirements of Truth in Lending Regulation Z (12 CFR part 226).

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0915-0047)

[44 FR 29055, May 18, 1979, as amended at 48 FR 25069, June 3, 1983; 50 FR 34420, Aug. 23, 1985; 52 FR 20987, June 3, 1987; 56 FR 19293, Apr. 26, 1991; 57 FR 45734, Oct. 5, 1992]

§ 57.209 Payment of health professions student loans.

(a) Health professions student loans from any fund may be paid to or on behalf of student borrowers in installments considered appropriate by the school except that a school may not pay to or on behalf of any borrower more during any given installment period (e.g., semester, term, or quarter) than the school determines the student needs for that period.

(b) No payment may be made from a fund to or on behalf of any student borrower if at the time of the payment the borrower is not a full-time student. $57.210 Repayment and collection of health professions student loans.

(a) Each health professions student loan, including accrued interests, will be repayable in equal or graduated periodic installments in amounts calculated on the basis of a 10-year repayment period. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, repayment of a loan must begin one year after the student ceases to be a full-time student.

(1) If a borrower reenters the same or another school as a full-time student within the 1-year period, the date upon which interest will accrue and the repayment period will begin will be determined by the date on which the student last ceases to be a full-time student at that school.

(2) The following periods will be excluded from the 10-year repayment period:

(i) All periods for up to a total of 3 years of active duty performed by the borrower as a member of the Army. Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps or the U.S. Public Health Service Corps;

(ii) All periods for up to a total of 3 years of service as a volunteer under the Peace Corps Act;

(iii) All periods of advanced professional training including internships and residencies, except as specified in paragraph (a)(2)(vi) of this section;

(iv) All periods during which the borrower is pursuing a full-time course of study at an eligible health professions school;

(v) A period not in excess of 2 years during which a borrower who is a full