NASFAA in the News: 2018 Archive
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NASFAA Mention: Senate Passes Bill to Streamline FAFSA
December 21, 2018 - "The Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation that would streamline applications for student aid and enrollment in income-driven loan repayment plans. The bill, dubbed the FAFSA Act, would do so by amending the tax code and the Higher Ed... -
NASFAA Mention: Reverse-Transfer Policies May Particularly Help Underrepresented Groups
December 20, 2018 - "While facing logistical challenges, reverse credit transfer is becoming a more common practice nationwide as a way of getting an associate’s degree or certificate for students who had gone on to take courses in a baccalaureate program that cou... -
NASFAA Mention: Should Colleges Consider Home Equity?
December 17, 2018 - "Stanford University has become the latest top university to announce that it will no longer consider home equity when calculating how much money a student and her family can afford to contribute toward a college education," Inside Higher Ed reports.... -
NASFAA Mention: Financial Aid Staff Earns Large Number of National Credentials
December 14, 2018 - "The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Financial Aid staff members have earned 182 National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) credentials," the university writes. -
NASFAA Mention: Being Smart About Work-Study at College
December 10, 2018 - "Federal work-study is one of the more commonly misunderstood components of financial aid," according to The Wall Street Journal. -
NASFAA Mention: New Aid Policy Focuses on Low-Income Students
December 6, 2018 - "In a recent article published by Inside Higher Ed on Nov. 26, 2018, Trinity College was commended for its decision to institute a four-year policy, requiring low-income students to only apply once for aid from the College, rather than every year. Th... -
NASFAA Mention: Smartphones for All Students: An Academic Equalizer in an Era of Income Inequality?
December 5, 2018 - "As social inequality on American college campuses continues to spark debate, the fast-growing use of smartphone technology is raising new questions about the divide between poor and affluent students: Should all students have smartphones, whether or... -
NASFAA Mention: DeVos Decries Student-Loan Program as a 'Looming Crisis'
November 29, 2018 - "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday warned that the federal student aid program is a 'looming crisis in higher education,' in a speech that some education experts say lacked an understanding of the problem or solutions," The Washington Post r... -
NASFAA Mention: Why Remind Poor Students That They Are Poor?
November 26, 2018 - "'Prior-prior year' was one of the major student aid reforms of the Obama administration. To encourage students to apply for financial aid earlier, the rules were changed so that applicants could use the previous year's income data instead of waiting... -
NASFAA Mention: Michael Bloomberg Gives $1.8 Billion To Financial Aid At Johns Hopkins University
November 21, 2018 - "Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore will get the largest-ever individual donation to a single university - $1.8 billion. It's from an alumnus, the former New York City mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg. He announced the donation yesterday... -
NASFAA Mention: Divided Congress Means No Quick Fixes for Ailing Student Loan System
November 9, 2018 - "The Higher Education Act — legislation that, among other things, spells out how much you can borrow from the government when you go to college, how much it will cost you, and what your options will be if you have trouble paying it back —... -
NASFAA Mention: The Fight for the Future of Higher Education: Neg Reg 101
October 22, 2018 - "Last summer, the Department of Education (ED) announced potential changes to some key higher education rules that govern which colleges qualify for money, and how much their students receive. But while the Department says it’s lookin... -
NASFAA Mention: Colleges Ask Education Department to Reimburse Forgiven Loans
October 22, 2018 - "College and financial aid administrators are asking the Education Department to repay schools that spent as much as $400 million forgiving student loans through a now-defunct program," according to Bloomberg Government. -
NASFAA Mention: Pay-It-Forward Debt Relief
October 19, 2018 - "This spring, the University of Pittsburgh will pilot a 'pay-it-forward' financial aid program that offers students up to $5,000 upon graduation to pay down their student debt. In return, the university asks, but does not require, graduates of the pr... -
NASFAA Mention: History of Helping: Black Churches Have Tradition of Giving College Scholarships
October 15, 2018 - "The United States has a long history of churches and other religious organizations giving money to youngsters seeking a college education. Such financial support has been particularly instrumental in the lives of African-Americans, whose denominatio... -
NASFAA Mention: Income Verification for Federal Aid Hinders Low-Income Students
October 12, 2018 - "Many scholarships, grants and other financial assistance given to low-income college students are usually offered on the premise that those students are already receiving federal aid to help pay tuition," Inside Higher Ed reports. -
NASFAA Mention: ACE, NASFAA Ask Education Department to Reimburse Institutions for Perkins Loan Forgiveness Costs
October 10, 2018 - "The Perkins Loan Program, which expired in September 2017, provided low-interest loans for students with financial need and was funded through a partnership between the federal government and participating higher education institutions," according t... -
NASFAA Mention: New Tool for FAFSA Completion
October 4, 2018 - "... College-access advocates hope a new mobile student aid app launched by the Education Department this week will remove one barrier to financial aid by allowing applicants to access the FAFSA on their smartphone," Inside Higher Ed reports. -
NASFAA's Example Award Letters are a Good Start, but They Could be Better.
October 2, 2018 - "Direct and indirect costs, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, net cost and remaining cost--what do these terms mean? Students and families are left to navigate jargon such as these on their financial aid award letters, which colleges and universitie... -
NASFAA Mention: New App Seeks to Help Needy Students Receive Federal Assistance
October 1, 2018 - "Prospective college student[s] can now apply for federal loans on their phones, after the Education Department launched a new app to boost aid requests," Bloomberg Government reports. -
NASFAA Mention: Education Department Warns That Students on Financial Aid Are Being Targeted in Phishing Attacks
September 18, 2018 - "Malicious attackers have recently tried to gain access to students' financial aid refunds at multiple colleges in a scheme that involves sending fraudulent emails to students, according to a warning issued by the Education Department," The Washingto... -
NASFAA Mention: FAFSA Mobile App Makes Applying for College Aid Less of a Pain
September 14, 2018 - "College students and families filing out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may find it’s less of a chore this year, thanks to a redesigned website and new mobile app that should make it easier for students and parents to col... -
NASFAA Mention: Need Money for College? There's Now a FAFSA App for That
September 13, 2018 - "Will filling out more than 100 questions on the official form for financial aid be any easier this year? Maybe," the Detroit Free Press reports. "After all, this year there's an app for that. The new app to fill out the FAFSA form is called myS... -
NASFAA Mention: Filing Your FAFSA Just Got Easier
September 7, 2018 - "If you're planning to go to college next fall, one dreaded task is going to be a little easier: applying for financial aid," according to Consumer Reports. "Starting Oct. 1, you can submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) fo... -
Help, I Forgot to Save for College!
August 23, 2018 - "When researchers at Stanford University offered children a marshmallow but promised them two if they waited, many gobbled down the sweet treat on the spot," AARP reports. -
You Could Pay Thousands More If Your Child Drops That College Course
August 10, 2018 - "This fall, tell your child to think twice before withdrawing from that class she hates. She could lose thousands of dollars in financial aid. That's because college students must meet a series of requirements, including maintaining a minimum C avera... -
Covering the Cost of Going Back to School as an Adult
August 7, 2018 - "When Colleen O’Bryant pivoted from her job as operations manager at an insurance firm to start her own business as an herbalist, her training came with a steep price tag," The Seattle Times reports. -
Fixing FAFSA
August 7, 2018 - "As students prepare to enroll for the fall semester, many are still scrambling to find the resources to pay tuition and other college expenses. Millions of students begin the financial aid process each year, but recent data suggest that a significan... -
Big Data is Getting Bigger. So Are the Privacy and Ethical Questions.
August 6, 2018 - "I’m Goldie Blumenstyk, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education covering innovation in and around academe. For more than two years, I’ve been curating the weekly Re: Learning newsletter. Now I’ll be using it to share my... -
Debates Differ on Completion Incentives
August 1, 2018 - "There is little disagreement that the more courses students take each semester, the more likely they are to graduate on time, but much debate has centered on how to encourage students in that direction," Inside Higher Ed reports. -
Momentum Grows to Increase Transparency and Consistency of Award Letters – NASFAA Signs On
July 25, 2018 - "Financial aid award letters are crucial tools for students and families to determine which colleges are within reach, but many letters are difficult to decipher and compare. TICAS' December 2017 analysis of almost 200 award letters, and Ne... -
Debt-Free College? House Democrats Introduce Higher Education Bill
July 25, 2018 - "House Democrats this week are expected to unveil a sweeping plan to make college more affordable by reducing debt and simplifying financial aid. The Democrats’ plan would also endeavor to boost graduation rates," The Washington Post reports. -
House Democrats Want to Make Community Colleges Free to Students
July 25, 2018 - "House Democrats have introduced a bill that would make community colleges free to students, according to a report from the Washington Post," Breitbart reports. -
Student Loans for Immigrants
July 23, 2018 - "The face of American higher education is changing. More than 1,000,000 foreign students are currently enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities and that number is only growing," according to The Student Loan Report. -
How Higher Ed Would Fare in Congress's Spending Proposals
July 18, 2018 - "Student aid advocates who hoped to see a substantial boost to the Pell Grant will have to settle for a modest increase -- if any -- in a 2019 congressional spending package," Inside Higher Ed reports. "A Senate education funding package that cleared... -
Op-Ed: To Freeze 'Summer Melt' in its Tracks, Congress Must Fix the FAFSA
July 16, 2018 - In an opinion piece published by The Hill, NASFAA President Justin Draeger writes about how verification is just one more obstacle preventing many low-income students from obtaining the necessary funds to pursue a college degree or certific... -
Student-Debt Forgiveness Is a Wonderful Boon, Until the IRS Comes Calling
June 25, 2018 - "Students seeking relief on their college and graduate-school debt could be sitting on a hidden tax bomb: Billions of dollars in one-time bills from the Internal Revenue Service for any debt they get forgiven," The Wall Street Journal reports. -
Transparency Coming for College Financial Aid
June 22, 2018 - "Last week I blogged about the confusion engendered by many colleges and universities when they send students details of their financial aid packages along with their acceptance letters. The terms and conditions spelled out are often opaque... -
Enrollment Boost From Summer Pell
June 21, 2018 - "For many college students, summer is a time to pursue internships, work full-time or otherwise take a break from classes. Not so this year for many students at Louisiana community colleges," Inside Higher Ed reports. -
#Fight4FinAid Becomes Rallying Cry on Twitter
April 16, 2018 - "While we have been writing about and following the Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization for quite some time, the battle has moved to the social media arena. Led by NASFAA along with some of the regional financial aid profes... -
Lee's Dill Elected To Serve On NASFAA
February 22, 2018 - "Marian Dill, director of financial aid at Lee University, has been elected to serve on the National Board of Directors for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. She was elected to a two-year term as a representative-at-la...
