34 CFR 692.21 – What requirements must be met by a State program?
To receive a payment under the LEAP Program for any fiscal year, a State must have a program that—
(a) Is administered by a single State agency;
(b) Provides assistance only to students who meet the eligibility requirements in § 692.40;
(c) Provides that assistance under this program to a full-time student will not be more than the lesser of $12,500 or the student’s cost of attendance under section 472 of the HEA for each academic year;
(d) Provides for the selection of students to receive assistance on the basis of substantial financial need determined annually by the State on the basis of standards that the State establishes and the Secretary approves;
See § 692.41.
(e) Provides that no student or parent shall be charged a fee that is payable to an organization other than the State for the purpose of collecting data to make a determination of financial need in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section;
(f) Provides that all public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education and all postsecondary vocational institutions in the State are eligible to participate unless that participation is in violation of—
(1) The constitution of the State; or
(2) A State statute that was enacted before October 1, 1978;
(g) Provides that, if a State awards grants to independent students or to students who are less-than-full-time students enrolled in an institution, a reasonable portion of the State’s allocation must be awarded to those students;
(h) Provides that—
(1) The State will pay an amount for grants and work-study jobs under this part for each fiscal year that is not less than the payment to the State under this part for that fiscal year; and
(2) The amount that the State expends during a fiscal year for grants and work-study jobs under the LEAP Program represents an additional amount for grants and work-study jobs for students attending institutions over the amount expended by the State for those activities during the fiscal year two years prior to the fiscal year in which the State first received funds under the LEAP Program;
(i) Provides for State expenditures under the State program of an amount that is not less than—
(1) The average annual aggregate expenditures for the preceding three fiscal years; or
(2) The average annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student for those years;
(j) Provides that, to the extent practicable, the proportion of the funds awarded to independent students in the LEAP Program shall be the same proportion of funds awarded to independent students as is in the State program or programs of which the State’s LEAP Program is a part;
(k) Notifies eligible students that the grants are—
(1) Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grants; and
(2) Funded by the Federal Government, the State, and, where applicable, other contributing partners; and
(l) Provides for reports to the Secretary that are necessary to carry out the Secretary’s functions under the LEAP Program.