"A $900 billion coronavirus-relief package, passed by Congress late Monday night, gives colleges and universities another $23 billion in relief aid, which the head of the American Council on Education blasted as 'wholly inadequate.' The Senate shortly before midnight followed the House in also approving overwhelmingly a larger $1.4 trillion budget deal to fund the government through next September," Inside Higher Ed reports.

..."The expansion of financial aid eligibility and increase in grant levels are particularly important for low-income students, many of whom struggle to afford college. The changes are also important because it's unlikely Congress will take up a rewrite of the nation’s main higher education law, the Higher Education Act, anytime soon, said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators."

..."In addition, the bill would also simplify determining eligibility for maximum Pell Grant. Rather than forcing families to undergo the complicated process of determining how much their families could contribute towards the cost of attending college, only household size and the family’s income relative to the poverty rate would be continued, said Karen McCarthy, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ director of policy analysis."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 12/22/2020