"The Education Department on Thursday made available the $21.2 billion in help to higher education included in the coronavirus relief legislation Congress and President Trump approved in December, but undocumented students could be left out of getting help through emergency student grants again," Inside Higher Ed reports. 

..."As for the latest round of approved coronavirus relief, it will allow more flexibility on how colleges and universities can spend the money than in last spring’s CARES Act, and allows for more students to be eligible to receive emergency student grants. It was unclear if undocumented students are again being left out of getting help like last time, higher education lobbyists said. But Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and Terry Hartle, the American Council on Education’s senior vice president for government relations, said their analysis of guidances released by the department is that undocumented students are ineligible for receiving student grants, as in the CARES Act.

Drager called on Biden to make it clear these students can get the help when he takes office next week.

Former education secretary Betsy DeVos, in a move blasted by higher education leaders, denied CARES Act grants from being able to go to those who are ineligible for federal student aid. According to an FAQ released by the Education Department, that order does not apply to this latest round of money.

That will allow students not eligible for financial aid for reasons like having poor grades or having defaulted on repaying student loans to get emergency grants as they struggle with the ability to pay for housing and equipment like computers during the pandemic. 'We're ecstatic that potentially millions of students will be eligible for aid who shouldn't have been denied it in the first place,' Draeger said."

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: 1/15/2021