COVID Aid One Step Closer to Enactment With Senate Revisions March 8, 2021-
The Senate remained in session throughout the weekend to wrap up revisions and procedural hurdles to the House’s coronavirus relief plan. The amended package was passed on a party-line vote 50-49, and will now be sent back to the ...
OIG Report Highlights Institutional Compliance and Usage of HEERF March 3, 2021-
The Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued new findings into how institutions of higher education are utilizing funds provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,...
House Passes First Round of COVID Relief Under Biden Administration March 1, 2021-
Following a weeks-long drafting and extensive markup process, the House early Saturday morning passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan which closely mirrors President Joe Biden's initial proposal, unveiled at the outset of his pr...
Department of Education Provides Answers to Outstanding HEERF II Questions March 1, 2021-
On Friday, the Department of Education (ED) provided written responses to several outstanding questions sent by the community related to the second round of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II) aid that was authorized under...
Pandemic Could Hit Higher Ed With More Than $180 Billion in Budget Deficits February 9, 2021-
Potential revenue losses for institutions of higher education by fiscal year 2021 could come to a total of $183 billion, according to a new study that analyzed revenue shortfalls. Paul Friga, a public higher education consultant for the...
House Education Committee Releases Bill Text for Coronavirus Relief Package February 9, 2021-
The House Committee on Education and Labor on Monday released the bill text for the education portion of the fiscal year 2021 budget reconciliation ahead of Tuesday’s markup session. The reconciliation bill includes nearly $40 bil...
Democrats Begin Reconciliation Process, Paving Route to Further COVID Aid February 2, 2021-
Congressional Democrats have begun the reconciliation process by unveiling a joint budget resolution, setting the stage for a legislative package that if enacted could bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and push through a numbe...
ED Extends HEERF Annual Reporting Deadline to February 8 February 1, 2021-
The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday notified Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grantees that the annual reporting deadline has been extended to Feb. 8, 2021, to provide schools with additional flexibility. ED notif...
10 HEERF AskRegs Q&As You Shouldn't Miss January 25, 2021-
With a new batch of higher education funding coming to institutions via the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), there are many procedural and regulatory questions to navigate. Read on for the top 10 HEERF AskRegs Q&am...
Institutions Question Which Costs Can Be Covered With HEERF II Funds January 22, 2021-
The passage of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act authorized more than $21 billion in supplemental Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II) dollars for institutions to spend on emergency student grants as well as to defra...
Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Absent from Biden’s Coronavirus Relief Proposal January 20, 2021-
President-elect Joe Biden released his administration’s pandemic relief package last week, calling for $170 billion to be directed toward education with $35 billion set aside for higher education. But noticeably absent from the pr...
Higher Ed Leaders Reflect on CARES Act Emergency Funds and Lessons for Future Aid January 20, 2021-
In a webinar hosted by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice on Tuesday, a group of higher education leaders provided insight into their institutions’ efforts to equitably allocate emergency funding for students thro...
Biden to Direct ED to Extend Student Loan Relief Through September January 20, 2021-
Upon being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday will call on the Department of Education (ED) to extend the federal student loan administrative forbearance period, the pause in inte...
ED Announces Distribution Details for $21 Billion in Additional HEERF Aid January 14, 2021-
The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday released the details of how colleges and universities can distribute the more than $21 billion in COVID-19 relief aid recently approved by Congress — and for which purposes those funds ...
Low-Income Students Most Impacted by Schools’ Reopening Decisions, Report Finds January 13, 2021-
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit institutions of higher education in early March, schools faced a myriad of challenges and important decisions, but none more significant than whether to remain open to students or to cancel in-person instr...
Biden Pledges to Extend Student Loan Relief January 11, 2021-
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team announced that the incoming administration would continue the federal student loan administrative forbearance period, the pause in interest accrual, and the suspension of collections act...
ED Reopens HEERF Application Process for Certain Schools December 23, 2020-The Department of Education (ED) announced Tuesday in the Federal Register that it is reopening, through Jan. 11, 2021, the application period for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEE...
ED Extends 12/31 Coronavirus Indicator Deadline December 21, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) is extending the timeframe for schools to add the Coronavirus Indicator for disbursements of Title IV funds for the 2020–21 Award Year until September 30, 2021 because of the ongoing impacts of the...
ED Extends End Dates for COVID-19-Related Waivers, Issues New Flexibilities December 14, 2020-
On Friday, the Department of Education (ED) issued a Federal Register (FR) notice extending the end dates of COVID-19-related waivers and modifications, and also introduced several new flexibilities using its authority granted by the Hi...
Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Announces COVID-19 Relief Deal December 14, 2020-
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has announced an agreement on additional federal relief to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The $748 billion package, the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, contains a number of provisions related ...
ED Extends COVID-19 Related Regulatory Flexibilities December 11, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) published in the Federal Register today several new flexibilities, as well as new end dates for existing flexibilities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. ED last extended most flexibilities through the en...
Survey: Majority of Borrowers Feeling Unprepared to Resume Payments on Student Loans December 8, 2020-
A small amount of borrowers say they feel prepared to begin making payments on their student loans again when the forbearance period comes to an end, according to a new survey. The survey and accompanying white paper from Ascendium Educ...
Student Loan Debt Relief Measures Extended 1 Month Through January December 4, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) on Friday announced borrowers will receive a one-month extension of the federal student loan administrative forbearance period, the pause in interest accrual, and the suspension of collections activity. ...
Attention: HEERF Grant Reporting Contact Information Due to ED Tomorrow December 3, 2020-
In a recent email to institutions' primary IPEDS contacts, the Department of Education (ED) requested that grantee institutions submit contact information for campus officials who should receive an email from ED later in December with l...
With Time Running Out, Will ED Act on Debt Relief? December 1, 2020-
With less than two months until Inauguration Day, the Department of Education (ED) will need to decide if it will address the impending deadline on the student loan moratorium or allow the pause to lapse, effectively forcing President-e...
With Lame Duck Session Now in Sight, Here Are 3 Things to Watch November 3, 2020-Following the presidential election there will still be a little over a month of the legislative calendar for the current administration and Congress to work through before newly elected candidates are sworn into office for their full terms — a...
ED Watchdog Releases Fiscal Year 2021-22 Work Plan With Focus on CARES Act Oversight October 29, 2020-
The Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) unveiled its annual plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22 with the intention of completing a series of audits and inspections related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,...
Additional COVID-19 Aid Out of Reach Until After Election Day October 28, 2020-
The months-long slog of back and forth negotiations for additional coronavirus relief aid between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, while still narrowing, will not come to fruition, if they do a...
ED Letter to HEERF Grantees Outlines Recent Webinar, Reporting Requirements October 27, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) in a letter last week summarized a recent webinar outlining reporting requirements for institutions of higher education that received money from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The le...
College Enrollment Trends Worsening as Pandemic Continues, New Report Finds October 16, 2020-
As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to upend college campuses’ fall semesters, enrollment numbers for most institutions have continued their downward trend for the upcoming semester, while enrollment at primarily online ...
ED Announces Quarterly HEERF Reporting Requirement Due October 30 October 15, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) in a webinar on Wednesday made clear that the Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting (QBER) for institutions that received money from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) must be submit...
Analysis of House Democrats Revised HEROES Act September 30, 2020-
House Democrats on Monday unveiled a revised version of their Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act — initially introduced in May — representing a scaled-down update to the original version in...
ED Seeks Public Comments on Another New HEERF Reporting Requirement September 29, 2020-
On Monday, the Department of Education (ED) published in the Federal Register (FR) a comment solicitation for a new Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) data collectio...
House Democrats Set to Release New Coronavirus Relief Package September 28, 2020-
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is preparing to unveil a new coronavirus stimulus plan calling for up to $2.4 trillion in spending in an attempt to restart negotiations with Republicans and the White House as talks have stalled in...
CARES Act Review Highlights Lack of Support for Public Colleges September 21, 2020-
While the ongoing pandemic and stalled congressional negotiations over additional coronavirus aid continues to squeeze the fiscal belts of higher education institutions, a new report found public colleges were provided with insufficient...
In Wake of Pandemic, Student Groups Raise Aid for Peers in Need September 17, 2020-
With the onset of the fall semester and the prevalence of the coronavirus continuing to take a toll on students’ fiscal well-being, a number of peer-led groups are aiming to fill those gaps through fundraising efforts to support t...
Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Releases Stimulus Bill Compromise September 17, 2020-
A bipartisan House caucus on Tuesday released what it’s billing as the “March To Common Ground” plan to serve as a possible COVID-19 relief package as Congress is locked in a stalemate over another piece of legislation...
Senate Rejects Republicans’ Latest Effort to Advance COVID Aid Package September 10, 2020-
The Senate on Thursday was unable to advance a slimmed down, Republican-crafted coronavirus aid package — and with the legislative calendar winnowing down, it’s becoming increasingly uncertain that an additional round of aid...
Amid Pandemic-Induced Boost, Schools Look to Address Food Insecurity September 4, 2020-
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the economy and disrupted higher education, many students faced food and housing insecurity. And according to a new survey, the situation has only become more acute in the last several months, w...
Reminder: ED Announces Reopening of HEERF Application Period September 4, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) in a Federal Register notice published Friday, September 4 announced it would be reopening the application period for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), which provides more than $14 bill...
Massachusetts Joins Legal Challenges to ED Over Implementation of CARES Act August 28, 2020-
Massachusetts is now suing the Department of Education (ED) over its implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which the state says has led to the exclusion of tens of thousands of vulnerable Mass...
Higher Ed ‘Baby Bonds’ Gain Traction in New Jersey’s Revised Budget Proposal August 27, 2020-
New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy is looking to enact a proposal that could garner a baseline investment in children’s higher education pursuits by providing a savings bond, so-called “baby bonds” to c...
In Case You Missed It August 27, 2020-NASFAA realizes that, while in the throes of closing out the 2019-20 award year and preparing for the 2020-21 award year, schools might have missed important guidance and revisions that took place over the summer. In some cases, existing Electronic A...
Extended Borrower Relief Will Count Toward PSLF, Federal Student Aid Says August 21, 2020-
Federal Student Aid responded in a tweet that payments that student loan borrowers would have made, but are no longer required to make under the extended suspension of payments stemming from President Donald Trump's executive order...
ED Considering Changes to Final Rule Restricting CARES Act Emergency Aid August 21, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) is considering making changes to its interim final rule that stipulated emergency relief grants allocated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act be restricted to only students ...
ED Announces Trump’s Executive Order Extending Borrower Relief Will Be Automatic August 21, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) on Friday officially announced that student loan borrowers' federal loan payments, as a part of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, will be automatically paused through December 2020, ...
Senate GOP Proposes Stripped Back COVID-19 Relief Bill August 20, 2020-
On Tuesday evening, Senate Republicans released a slimmed down version of the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, the $1 trillion economic stimulus bill introduced in July to supplement the earlier...
ED Releases Details on New Grant Program for Institutions With Unmet Need August 20, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) in a release on Wednesday announced the availability of a new grant program for higher education institutions, in an effort to help those that demonstrated the most need due to disruptions caused by the ...
ED Appeals Ruling From California Emergency Aid Allocation Lawsuit August 18, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) in a recent legal document filed to a federal appeals court formally gave notice that it intends to appeal a California judge’s ruling, which blocked the department’s guidance and interim fin...
Trump’s Executive Orders Come With Questions as Borrower Relief Will Soon Expire August 18, 2020-
President Donald Trump’s executive orders issued earlier this month in response to the ongoing pandemic may provide a short-term reprieve to student loan borrowers whose payments were set to restart in just over a month, but it's ...
COD System Changes to Comply With CARES Act Cause Headaches for Aid Offices August 11, 2020-
As a disrupted fall semester full of uncertainties approaches, financial aid administrators learned recently that they will have to manually check boxes updating disbursement records directly in the Common Origination and Disbursement (...
Trump Seeks to Extend Student Loan Relief Via Executive Order August 10, 2020-
Seeking to work around the currently stalled congressional negotiations for the next coronavirus relief package, President Donald Trump on Saturday issued an executive order to provide deferments to borrowers on student l...
Higher Education Will Need to Innovate to Survive in Post-COVID World, Panelists Say August 5, 2020-
Much has been discussed in recent months about the future of higher education following the massive disruption caused by the ongoing pandemic, and one thing panelists on Tuesday made clear is that innovation will be needed for higher ed...
Students and Families Look for Backup Plans Should Fall Semester Be Disrupted August 3, 2020-
With few higher education institutions offering discounts for a semester that will largely take place online, some students and their families are seeking to obtain tuition insurance in an effort to safeguard their payments with the ong...
ED Announces Additional Reporting Requirements for CARES Act HEERF Funds July 30, 2020-
On Wednesday, the Department of Education (ED) posted in the Federal Register an information collection request on a data collection form to satisfy Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) reporting requirements specified in sect...
Higher Ed’s Biggest Funding Challenge: State Budgeting Calendars July 27, 2020-
Higher education funding has been severely hampered by past economic downturns, but what makes the fallout from the novel coronavirus more dire has stemmed primarily from the outbreak’s timing. The virus has led to unpreceden...
Senate Republicans Offer Their Opening Pitch for Latest Coronavirus Aid Package July 27, 2020-
Senate Republicans on Monday unveiled their opening marker for the next coronavirus aid package, which formally starts the negotiation process for what could be the final measure aimed at abating the novel virus’ impact before the...
Schools That Were Not Allocated CARES Funding Can Now Apply for Reserve Funds July 23, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) has released information on how potentially-eligible institutions that were not allocated funds in the original formula-based allocation table under Section 18004(a)(1) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, an...
Using Data to Drive Enrollment Decisions: The Impact of COVID-19 July 23, 2020-
The process of administering and awarding need-based aid can be complicated, and by not utilizing available data the challenges become needlessly obtuse. In the latest session of NASFAA’s 2020 Summer Training Series, a group of hi...
Alexander Unveils Bill Text for Student Loan Reform, FAFSA Simplification July 22, 2020-
Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) has released a measure that would modify the current student loan repayment system before borrowers are required to resume monthly payments on October 1, simplify the FAFSA, ...
For Higher Education, CARES Act Emergency Grants Come With Lessons Learned July 21, 2020-
As a vast majority of the funds allocated in the latest stimulus package have been disbursed to institutions and students, the higher education community has its sights set on the next federal stimulus package and is hoping both lawmake...
States, Colleges Navigate Fall Plans Amid Pressure to Reopen July 13, 2020-
A small batch of states and individual institutions have released detailed plans as to how institutions of higher education can safely return to in-person instruction for the upcoming fall semester, but with just a few weeks left, some ...
ED Releases New Reporting Requirements for HEERF Grants to Institutions July 9, 2020-
Yesterday, the Department of Education (ED) released a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act quarterly reporting communication that outlined a process for schools to meet legislative reporting requirements. The CARE...
FAFSA Renewals See Steady Increase After Turbulent Spring July 7, 2020-
Following a dismal spring of FAFSA submissions due to the disruptions caused by the novel coronavirus, renewals of the application for federal financial aid are starting to level out, registering just a 1% decrease through the middle of...
Panel Discusses Policy Options to Support Student Borrowers Through COVID-19 Crisis June 26, 2020-
With less than 100 days until student loan repayments are set to resume following their suspension under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a group of higher education policy experts discussed what continued...
New Survey Finds 90% of Students Likely to Continue Education This Fall June 18, 2020-
The vast majority of students at research universities plan to continue their education in the fall of 2020 even as states continue to grapple with containing the novel coronavirus, according to a new study reporting that only 1% of dom...
In Limbo, Graduate Students Wonder if Fall Assistantships Will Be Available June 17, 2020-
Graduate students face a different set of financial questions as they grapple with the new economic reality imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, their livelihood depends on their school being operational with the campus open &mda...
Opening Pitches Being Made for What Could Be a Final Coronavirus Aid Package June 12, 2020-
While Congress resumes consideration of legislative activity in an amended form, negotiations over the latest COVID-19 aid package have begun to gradually unfold, with congressional Republicans pitching liability protections for institu...
Federal Judge Blocks ED Policy Restricting CARES Act Grant Eligibility in Washington June 12, 2020-
A federal judge has sided with Washington state's attorney general Bob Ferguson and blocked the Department of Education's (ED) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act guidance restricting emergency grant eligibility f...
NASFAA Survey Results Highlight COVID-19 Impact on Professional Judgment Requests June 11, 2020-
A newly released survey from NASFAA has found that the majority of financial aid administrators surveyed anticipate an increase in professional judgment (PJ) requests related to expected family contribution (EFC) and cost of attendance ...
Working Students and New Graduates Eligible for CARES Act Unemployment Benefits June 10, 2020-
As the unemployment rate climbs to its highest level since the Great Depression, more than 38 million Americans have filed new unemployment claims in the last three months. When Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic ...
‘Summer Melt’ Intensifies Amid Global Pandemic June 8, 2020-
If “summer melt” is the annual exercise of institutions watching as many as a third of students who enroll opting instead to not attend in the fall, then those in higher education are fearful of what a “pandemic melt&r...
Report Finds Underlying Trends Imposing ‘Hard’ Realities in Higher Ed June 2, 2020-
While COVID-19 has beset the higher education community with a number of pressing challenges, a new report has highlighted noteworthy trends that have been causing significant long-term disruptions for institutions. But many of those di...
Rep. Shalala Addresses Federal Higher Education Policy in Post-COVID World June 1, 2020-
The long-lasting and deep impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on federal higher education policy cannot be understated, said Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) Friday during a conversation hosted by Third Way, a center-left think tank....
Panel Discusses State Budget Challenges for Higher Ed in the Wake of Coronavirus May 21, 2020-
In a webinar hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center on Wednesday, a group of higher education experts outlined approaches to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on state higher education budgets, and highlighted potential policy options as ...
Until SCOTUS Acts, Financial Aid for DACA Students Largely Left Up to the States May 18, 2020-
The spring was slated to be a consequential season for individuals in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — and that was before the health pandemic, which has now brought an added economic strain on the popul...
NASFAA Members Say ED Guidance Delayed Ability to Disburse CARES Act Student Grants May 15, 2020-
Higher education institutions are still struggling to disburse emergency aid grants to students allocated in the last federal coronavirus relief package, largely attributing their issues to confusing and inconsistent guidance from the D...
ED’s Decision to Send Last of CARES Act Funding to Small Schools Draws Ire May 14, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) late last month began allocating roughly $350 million set aside in the federal stimulus package to help colleges most impacted by the novel coronavirus in a way that ensured every eligible higher-educati...
Decision Day Still Looming as Viral Outbreak Delays College Admissions Process May 14, 2020-
When it comes to the academic calendar, the only certainty left in the wake of the novel coronavirus is that this current year is coming to a close. What that means for the fall semester has left students and admissions offices guessing...
California Community Colleges Sue ED Over Emergency Aid Eligibility Requirements May 13, 2020-
The California Community Colleges system has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (ED) in response to its recent guidance on distributing emergency grant funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (C...
FAFSA Renewal Declines Have More Than Doubled Since Before Pandemic May 7, 2020-
There has been a substantial drop in FAFSA renewals compared to this time last year, according to an analysis of federal data from the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), which showed the 2020-2021 aid cycle’s declines in ...
ED OIG Coronavirus Relief Oversight Plan May 5, 2020-Department of Education's (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) oversight report on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Consumer Groups Sue DeVos Over Student Loan Wage Garnishment May 4, 2020-
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is facing allegations that the Department of Education (ED) is continuing to garnish the wages of borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans, according to a new lawsuit. The class action ...
Status of Higher Education Scholarships in Flux with Coronavirus Outbreak April 27, 2020-
As the world of higher education braces for budget cuts and furloughs in the wake of COVID-19, prospective and currently enrolled college students must now grapple with an impending recession that could further dampen their financial pr...
Is the Pell Grant Reserve Fund in Trouble? April 24, 2020-
As millions of families across the country grapple with the financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, experts are concerned that more students becoming eligible for Pell Grants in the fall and coming years could leave the...
ED Outlines Requirements for CARES Act Emergency Relief Institutional Funds April 22, 2020-
The Department of Education (ED) announced this week the availability of roughly $6 billion in institutional funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) created in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CAR...
For the Class of 2020, the Coronavirus Poses Amplified Economic Strain April 21, 2020-
As college graduates approach what was meant to be their commencement season, they instead find themselves facing an abruptly bleak job market, setting up significant barriers to their economic well-being. With unemployment numbers spik...
NASFAA to Maintain Operational Continuity During HQ Closure April 16, 2020-Following federal guidelines to work from home whenever possible for the next 15 days, the NASFAA office has closed until further notice due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. NASFAA has had contingency plans in place for some time to maintain operatio...
NASFAA Joins in Support of Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 April 15, 2020-Community letter voicing support for the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 that would provide the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) important flexibility to address disruptions to veterans’ education benefits caused by COVID-19.
COVID Adversely Impacting High School Seniors’ Outlook on College Enrollment April 13, 2020-
A recent batch of polling data has found that the timing of the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting high school seniors' outlook on the college admissions process particularly as families across the country are facing new financial realities...
Student Debt Relief Gains Bicameral Traction in Congress Amid COVID Outbreak April 13, 2020-
As the federal government continues its rollout of financial aid assistance to students suffering in the wake of COVID-19, a bipartisan pair of House members have committed to introducing legislation that would allow college seniors gra...
Lawmakers Urge ED to Exclude For-Profit Schools From COVID-19 Relief Funds April 9, 2020-
A group of Democratic senators sent a letter Wednesday urging the Department of Education (ED) not to deploy a portion of the $14 billion in emergency relief funds included in the third COVID-19 stimulus package to for-profit institutio...
Cuts Expected for State Higher Education Funding in the Wake of COVID-19 April 8, 2020-States aiming to circumvent the havoc that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely have on their annual budgets are looking toward their education departments to soften the blow. Missouri has already frozen millions of dollars to its department of higher e...
ED Directs Servicers to Implement COVID-19 Student Loan Relief by Next Week April 3, 2020-As part of the third COVID-19 relief package signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, Congress mandated the Department of Education (ED) suspend payments and interest accrual on federally-held student loans until Sept. 30, 2020. As borr...
Major Disaster Guidance for Institutions in States Impacted by COVID-19 April 2, 2020-The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has declared multiple states and U.S. territories affected by COVID-19 as major disaster areas — and it is expected that more states may be added to the disaster area list in the future. These decl...
NASFAA Urges ED to Quickly Release Coronavirus Emergency Funds April 2, 2020-NASFAA joined the higher education community in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, urging her to quickly release emergency funds to institutions amid the coronavirus outbreak.
American Council on Education Simulates Distribution of CARES Act Emergency Funds March 30, 2020-In the wake of the $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress last week, colleges and universities across the country are beginning to consider how the legislation might impact their campuses. In an effort to provide schools with a rough ...
Universities Get Creative With Emergency Funds for Students Displaced by Coronavirus March 26, 2020-College and university emergency funds — a relatively new concept in the world of higher education — have taken on added significance as thousands of displaced students continue to grapple with the fallout from the novel coronavirus outbr...
NASFAA Members Share Remote Experiences, Best Practices During COVID-19 Outbreak March 25, 2020-As the novel coronavirus continues to temporarily shut down institutions and move instruction online, colleges, universities, and their financial aid offices are having to adapt to a new reality for higher education — such as addressing student...
ED Halts Collections on Defaulted Student Loans Due to COVID-19 March 25, 2020-The Department of Education (ED) officially announced Wednesday it has stopped requests to withhold the wages, tax refunds, and Social Security benefits of borrowers who are in default on their federal student loans for at least the next 60 days as a...
Congress Strikes Deal for $2 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package March 25, 2020-After a series of long negotiations that spanned through the weekend and into early this week, the Senate passed the third COVID-19 relief package early Thursday morning by a vote of 96-0. The bill, dubbed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Se...
Private Student Loan Borrowers to See Some Reprieve Amid Coronavirus Relief Efforts March 24, 2020-While efforts from the federal government and lawmakers to support student loan borrowers during the COVID-19 outbreak have focused on federally-held loans, some student advocacy groups are pushing for relief for private student loan borrowers, and a...
Senate, House Leaders Negotiate Toward Third COVID-19 Package March 24, 2020-As states and cities across the country implement measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are scrambling to come to a compromise on their latest stimulus package to alleviate some financial burden being placed ...
Congress Passes Emergency GI Bill Fix as Colleges Close Due to Coronavirus March 20, 2020-The House on Thursday passed emergency legislation that will ensure student veterans continue to receive the full benefits of the GI Bill as colleges and universities across the country have shifted to online-only classes in response to the ongoing n...
ED Issues Additional COVID-19 Guidance Regarding Federal Work-Study, Cost of Attendance March 20, 2020-The Department of Education (ED) released additional guidance in the form of an attached Q&A document Friday to its original guidance issued on March 5. ED will continue to provide answers to questions it receives in response to the current guida...
Experts Question the Impact of Trump’s Pause on Student Loan Interest Accrual March 17, 2020-President Donald Trump — during a press conference Friday in which he declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak — excited student loan borrowers when he announced intentions to pause the interest accrual on their federal ...
VA Distributes Coronavirus Guidance for Payout of GI Bill Student Benefits March 13, 2020-The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Friday circulated information to institutions that enroll students who use GI Bill educational benefits, directing them on how to respond to questions regarding the impact on recipients if instruction moves ...
Trump Pledges to Pause Student Loan Interest Accrual in Wake of Coronavirus March 13, 2020-At a press conference Friday afternoon in which President Donald Trump declared a national emergency due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, he also announced he would be pausing the interest on federal loans to support impacted student borrowers &mda...
House, Senate Introduce Coronavirus Legislation Addressing Title IV Concerns March 13, 2020-On Friday, Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced the Supporting Students in Response to Coronavirus Act (S. 3489), a bill that would provide more than $3 billion in funding for a variety of s...
ED Issues Guidance to Institutions on Title IV Implications of Coronavirus Spread March 5, 2020-As concerns about the potential spread of the coronavirus continue to rise, the Department of Education (ED) on Thursday released guidance providing significant flexibility to institutions with students who may experience interruptions in study. The ...