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Petition to the USDE to Reinstate the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG) the Tittle IV, HEA funding for every eligible student.

UAG has been legally shown to have a continuously operating internado/pre-internship program in Puerto Rico since before 1992, therefore eligible for the "1992 exemption" and qualifying UAG to obtain federal funding for it's students.

Mr. Eric Waldo

Foreign Schools Participation Division

Federal Student Aid

830 First Street NE,

Union Center Plaza, 7th Floor

Washington D.C. 20202-5340



Dear Mr. Eric Waldo:



We, the students from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG) International Program, have exercised our right as American citizens to acquire and review documentations sent and received by the United States Department of Education (the Department) and UAG, through the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). We, the students of UAG, write this letter as one single student body to petition the Department to review and evaluate thoroughly the recertification application for the Medical Program submitted by UAG and ultimately fully reinstate the Tittle IV, HEA funding for every eligible student attending UAG.



As of now, we the students from UAG are fully aware of the Department?s decision to transfer the Medical Program of UAG from the Advance method of payment to the Heightened Cash Monitoring (HCM) 1 method of payment, which was effective in November 26, 2013. We understand that the Department took this action because it believed UAG failed to meet the eligibility requirements for foreign graduate medical schools found at 34 C.F.R. 600.55 (f), which require that at least 75% of the school?s students and graduates receive a United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) passing score administered by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), unless the school had a clinical training program approved by a State as of January 1, 1992 and has continued to operate a clinical training program in at least one state that approves the program [34 C.F.R. 600.55 (f) (2)] (?1992 exemption?).



Furthermore, we believe the Department was not aware or did not understand that UAG has had a continuous clinical training programs approved by the State. As of which the New York Medical College (NYMC) was for many years approved by the New York State of Education (NYSE) and the Internado Programs in Puerto Rico has been since 1988 approved by the Tribunador Examinador de Medicos de Puerto Rico (TEMPR) recently changed to the Junta de Licenciamiento y Disciplina Medica de Puerto Rico (JLDMPR). The latter approves clinical training programs for UAG students who must participate in these pre-internship programs to obtain medical licensure as a requirement of the UAG 5-year medical curriculum, also known as the 5th year pre-internship program, as well as for US and PR graduates from 4-year medical schools.



We understand and agree that every foreign graduate medical school should follow the letter of the law regarding the Departments implemented regulations of eligibility requirements at 34 C.F.R. 600.55. Therefore, if UAG submitted school certified data that showed only 67.2% of its students and graduates who took USMLE Step 1 administered by the ECFMG with passing scores during the calendar year 2012, whereas many UAG students were enrolled and attending cli