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today’s news for Monday, May 21, 2018

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Great Lakes. Student loan debt letters are being mandated in a growing number of states. College Cost Meter™ is an affordable and versatile solution to send customizable student debt letters or emails, when it’s required or part of a student success program. Contact your Great Lakes representative or visit mygreatlakes.org/go/ccm for more information.

NEWS FROM NASFAA

In a moment of bipartisan cooperation, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) wrote a letter last week, urging the Department of Education (ED) to reinstate alternative documentation options for independent students and parents of dependent students selected for verification of nonfiling (VONF) status.

Free tuition policies — implemented in a growing number of states across the country as an answer to the rising cost of college — have been met with support and criticism from higher education experts and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. As they debate whether funding such initiatives at community colleges places too much of a burden on taxpayers, a new paper from the Higher Education Policy journal looked at similar policies in other countries and found that they do little to increase access to higher education.

In this week's Forward50 blog post, Kayla Guilford, compliance analyst at Lackawanna College, discusses the need for a centralized data system that will allow students to easily access information to help them make informed decisions about their educational choices. The Forward50 team plans to utilize consumer testing and feedback to develop a user-centered design that will supply students with this much-needed information without creating more burdensome reporting requirements for institutions.

Thanks to All Who Contributed to Help Support Our PRASFAA Colleagues

In an effort to help the Puerto Rico Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (PRASFAA) in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA) set out on a fundraising mission. EASFAA raised $3,400 from member contributions, and EASFAA and NASFAA each contributed $3,300, bringing the grand total donated to PRASFAA to $10,000. Thank you to all those who made a donation to help our colleagues in Puerto Rico as they work to rebuild.

AskRegs

Yes. As of this Q&A publication, there have been no further delays in the implementation of gainful employment (GE) program disclosure distribution requirements found in 34 CFR 668.412(d) and (e). View the full answer to this question for more on the requirements, and search for answers to your other pressing regulatory and compliance questions, in NASFAA's AskRegs Knowledgebase.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Direct PLUS Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2013 have fixed interest rates that are determined in accordance with formulas specified in the Higher Education Act.

x - FEDERAL REGISTER

This notice corrects application and submission instructions for applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education Program, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.938T.

x - HEADLINES

National News

"The proportion of the U.S. college-going population made up by nontraditional students -- at least by some common markers -- has dropped off in recent years as the economy has continued to improve," according to Inside Higher Ed. "And among those pursuing graduate education, the share of black students accumulating significant student debt levels has shot up sharply, outpacing other student groups."

"Yvette Colon took out more than $35,000 in student loans and spent two years at a for-profit college to get a certificate that she says is worthless. Now, she fears even more students could fall into a similar trap after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos reportedly crippled the office charged with investigating the company behind Colon’s now-defunct college, Career Education Corporation, and several other for-profit institutions," TIME reports. 

State News

"Low to middle-income Milwaukee area adults with some college, but no degree, may finally get the nudge they need to complete an associate degree: free tuition at Milwaukee Area Technical College," the Journal Sentinel reports. 

Opinions

"Spurred by the creation of a unit in the Department of Education devoted to cracking down on predatory institutions, and the announcement of new protections for students, some of the biggest names in the industry voluntarily ended some of their most egregious practices or shut down, while others reached sweeping settlements with the government. Today, that investigative unit, which I helped create, is virtually dead," Aaron Ament, who served in the Department of Education during the Obama administration, writes in an opinion article for The New York Times

Blogs & Think Tanks

"Imagine being accepted into the school of your dreams... The price is more than $50,000 a year, so attending that college becomes a mere fantasy," Abraham Ramirez, a student at the University of California writes for studybreaks.com. NASFAA is quoted in the article.  

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