today’s news for Friday, October 25, 2013
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NEWS FROM NASFAA
NASFAA Standards Of Excellence Teams Identify Institutional Strengths, Areas For Improvement
Are financial aid practices at your institution in compliance? Does your office operate as efficiently as possible, serving students to the utmost of your ability? NASFAA's Standards of Excellence (SOE) teams can answer those questions and many more through an intensive peer review.
Do You Receive Questions about the Value of Higher Education Attainment? NASFAA Can Help!
As higher ed professionals, we know the value our institutions bring to students and society. But with college costs and debt levels grabbing headlines, it's important that schools use data to make their case with families. Check out NASFAA's Value of Higher Education page for a comprehensive list of studies on the long-term benefits of higher education. Recent data include a Neilsen survey on how higher education is valued globally, a College Measures report on post-graduate earnings, and much more! Seen a report that would be valuable to your colleagues? Send to it [email protected]!
Presenting at Financial Aid Night? Get Your Message Out Using NASFAA's Toolkit!
NASFAA's updated 2014-15 Financial Aid Night presentation, What You Need to Know about Financial Aid, is now available free of charge to members, along with the accompanying slideshow, guide, and participant handouts. NASFAA designed this presentation to provide students and families with a basic understanding of financial aid concepts, sources of financial aid, and the application process for federal student aid.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
10-24: Draft 2014-2015 FAFSA Form/Instructions
The updated draft of the 2014-2015 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for comment.
Federal Student Aid has made substantive revisions to Volume 1 – Student Eligibility and Volume 3 – Calculating Awards and Packaging of the 2013-2014 Federal Student Aid Handbook.
This letter announces the third in a series of instructor-led, online training sessions providing information on the implementation of the new 150 percent limit for Direct Subsidized Loans. This webinar, originally scheduled for early October, was cancelled due to the government shutdown. The Department has now rescheduled the webinar for early November. If you previously registered for one of the October sessions, you must re-register for a November session.
HEADLINES
National News
More Access And Affordability Needed For Higher Ed, FLEC Says
"Although college tuition rose this year by the smallest percentage in 30 years, its crippling cost still deters too many young Americans from pursuing a higher education degree that could eventually land them a lucrative job, finance and education experts said Wednesday," Medill News Service reports.
Former Higher-Education Official Seeks Stronger Oversight Of For-Profit Colleges
"A former top higher-education official at the U.S. Department of Education is urging the agency to step up its oversight of for-profit colleges and become 'more proactive at rooting out fraud and protecting student interests,'" The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Online Programs Don't Always Expand Access To Higher Education, Report Says
"Online programs often promise to expand access to higher education by providing more flexible options for students to work at their own pace and offer degrees at a lower cost. But according to a new report from a national faculty organization, these programs may be blocking access to a group of students who could benefit the most from the flexibility they offer: low-income, adult and working students," according to U.S. News and World Report.
As Price Of College Rises, How Will Higher Education Evolve To Be Affordable?
"A new report from the College Board, the group that owns the SAT test, finds costs at four-year public schools posted the smallest increase in more than 30 years, up 2.9 percent -- the bad news, federal aid for undergraduates declined by 9 percent over a two-year period," PBS's Newshour reports.
State News
More Montana Students Graduating With Higher Debt
"According to the U.S. Department of Education, more students are borrowing money for college, they're borrowing more than ever and a startling number are struggling to pay them off. Montana students are no exception," KQTV reports.
Louisiana's Higher Education Governing Board Asking For $87M Budget Increase Next Year
"The state's top higher education board is asking Gov. Bobby Jindal and lawmakers for an $87 million boost in college funding next year," The Associated Press reports.
Blogs and Think Tanks
Harvard Campaign Seeks To Encourage More Low-Income Applicants
"Harvard University on Thursday introduced a new outreach campaign that seeks to encourage more students from low-income backgrounds to apply there and to other elite institutions, The Boston Globe reported," according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's The Ticker blog.
Watchdogging Private Student Loan Companies
"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's public complaints database levels the playing field for private student loan borrowers -- giving aggrieved private student borrowers true negotiating strength in a financial marketplace that is tilted toward banks," Ethan Senack, federal higher education associate at U.S. PIRG, writes in The Huffington Post.
Why The Current Conversation About Higher Ed Misses The Majority
"When taking current national conversations on college education into account, the focus seems to always revolve around the traditional 18- to- 22-year-old student demographic," Jayson Boyers, vice president of Continuing Professional Studies for Champlain College, writes in The Huffington Post's The Blog.
MEMBER NEWS
George Washington University: A Message From President Steven Knapp
George Washington University President Steven Knapp issues a statement on the school's "need aware" policy. Knapp says that "being need aware is currently our best option for meeting the financial need of as many students as possible while recruiting an academically strong and diverse class. Our goal has always been to come as close as possible to meeting our students’ financial needs."
INDUSTRY NEWS
NASFAA CAREER CENTER
- Financial Aid Advisor, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, California
- Financial Aid Advisor, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Modesto, California
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