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Great Lakes. Delivering solutions that streamline financial aid. Our engaging financial wellness solutions and resources solutions make it easy for you to help students and families plan for higher education—before, during, and beyond school. Visit schools.mygreatlakes.org, or contact us your Great Lakes representative.

The federal and state governments together spend billions of dollars in higher education tax credits, deductions, and exemptions for students and families, but those investments are often missing from discussions about postsecondary spending, according to a new report.

Federal law holds schools accountable for the truthfulness of information upon which students and families might rely, for example to make decisions regarding attendance. False or erroneous statements made directly or indirectly to a student, prospective student or any member of the public, or to an accrediting agency, to a state agency, or to the Secretary by an institution or its administrators are called what? Think you know what the term is? Head to NASFAA's Student Aid Index to see if you're correct.

The NASFAA 2018 Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo will convene Monday, February 26 in Washington, D.C. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors—CampusLogic, College Ave, CommonBond, and MPOWER Financing, as well as our other exhibitors—Citizen's Bank, CMD Outsourcing Solutions, Financial Aid Services, FATV, Sallie Mae, SchoolVision, and Third Coast Higher Education—for all they have done to help make this a successful conference.

With less than two weeks until class begins, make sure you reserve your seat to learn about gainful employment (GE) programs and their intended purpose within the context of eligibility for Title IV program funding. Familiarize yourself with the processes involving GE programs, determine which programs qualify, and confirm you know requirements for certifying the eligibility of programs that qualify - Register Now.

The Department of Education on Tuesday published twelve electronic announcements related to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Reference Materials, which have been compiled here.

"Senate Democrats are asking Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for details on a higher education task force that the president of Liberty University says the Trump administration has asked him to lead," The Washington Post reports.

"The Accrediting Council on Independent Colleges and Schools — the beleaguered accrediting agency that had oversight for two recently collapsed for-profit schools — lost its bid Tuesday to stop the U.S. Department of Education from terminating its federal recognition," Diverse: Issues in Higher Education reports.

"Talk about the need to make a college-level education more accessible is common. Everyone understands that a college education is valuable and that many jobs list a degree as a requirement for applying, so those without a college degree are missing out on significant opportunities in the future," Matthew Lynch, a higher education consultant and owner of Lynch Consulting Group, LLC, writes in an opinion piece for Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

"Among the many sayings dubiously attributed to Albert Einstein is that the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. Lack of limits and stupidity have another overlap in the Parent PLUS loan program, which allows parents of undergraduate college students to borrow unlimited sums from the federal government for their children’s education," Preston Cooper writes in an opinion piece for Forbes.

"As industries evolve and demographics change, the need for education continues to grow. ... And yet, as we spend more money on education, and as schools create new degree and certificate programs, employers are asking for graduates with different skills than we teach, and some students struggle to get jobs, leaving many unemployed or underemployed," according to Inside Higher Ed's StratEDgy.

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