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Inceptia's SAP Advisor is a fully automated online solution that provides students, faculty and the financial aid staff with the tools to effectively manage Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals quickly and seamlessly. SAP Advisor increases efficiency and empowers students to actively engage which improves the opportunity for successful outcomes. Visit Inceptia.org to learn more.

Lumina Foundation on Monday hosted a policy discussion about its proposed Affordability Benchmark for Higher Education. Based on “The Rule of 10” for college affordability, it states that students "should pay no more for college than the savings generated through 10 percent of discretionary income for 10 years and the earnings from working 10 hours a week while in school." Panelists discussed the benchmark’s benefits, including its simplicity and ability to help students and families plan ahead. They also discussed its challenges, including the need to assist low-income and nontraditional students who are unable to save. Re-read NASFAA's coverage of the Benchmark and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Are you getting questions in your office about institutional eligibility regulations? Not sure where to find the answers? Check out NASFAA’s Student Aid Index for resources on institutional eligibility, including Department of Education References and NASFAA Publications and Articles. And even better – institutional eligibility is just one of more than 30 topics the Student Aid Index can guide you through. Why wait? Start using the Index today.

Professional Judgment decisions continue to be a confusing topic in the world of federal student aid. This collaborative facilitated online course provides attendees an overview of the requirements, and how to use Professional Judgment in Need Analysis, when originating Direct Loans, and evaluating Satisfactory Academic Progress. Less than eight seats remain - Register Now.

The NASFAA office will be closed on Monday, November 12 in observance of the Veterans Day federal holiday. The NASFAA website and other online services will still be available, but NASFAA's Today's News will not be sent and technical and membership support will not be available until the office reopens on Tuesday, November 13.

This Electronic Announcement informs institutions of a webinar that will provide an overview of the Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) experiment that was announced in the October 15, 2015 Federal Register.

"Fifty years ago Sunday, in a ceremony at his alma mater, Southwest Texas State College, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 into law," according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in the article.

" ... Colleges and universities have become one of the most effective lobbying forces in Washington, employing more lobbyists last year than any other industries except drug manufacturing and technology," according to The Wall Street Journal.

"Systematically providing selective colleges with detailed information about applicants’ high-school backgrounds could significantly raise the admission rates of low-income students, a new study concludes," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

"Many American parents face a tug of war over trying to save enough for retirement and saving for college," NPR reports.

"U.S. higher education is the envy of the world, with the most renowned universities attracting young men and women from around the globe. ... Yet higher education faces severe problems. It is unaffordable for many, creating a $1.3 trillion mountain of student debt," Albert R. Hunt writes in an opinion piece for Bloomberg.

"If conventional wisdom says that three is a trend, then what is four, five or a dozen? We’d like to believe that it’s the beginning of real change. That’s why we are excited about the growing number of public/private partnerships that combine resources and collaboration to create innovative, affordable new higher education opportunities," Dave Adkisson, president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and Cheryl King, senior consultant with HCM Strategists, write in an opinion piece for The Hill.

"Last week, Congress cleared the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015, which President Obama signed into law on Monday. The bill includes a small but important provision allowing the federal government and its contractors to use predictive dialer technology to collect a debt owed to or guaranteed by the United States," James P. Bergeron, president of the National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER), writes in an opinion piece for The Hill.

"Work hard. Stay in school. Go to college. Earn your degree. Those are the steps we laid out for young people, regardless of where they started out, to climb the economic ladder and achieve the American Dream. That’s what we tell our kids, but have we been making false promises?" Marcus B. Simon (D), who represents the 53rd District in Virginia’s House of Delegates, writes in an opinion piece for The Washington Post.

"After decades in the shadows, the gatekeepers who determine which colleges can access taxpayer money through student loans will have to start operating in the sunlight," according to ThinkProgress.

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