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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.

For now, college affordability is taking a backseat to other issues demanding attention from the federal government. But across the country, state governors and legislatures are stepping up to find ways to bring college into reach for more students and families.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday voiced her support for reinstating the year-round Pell Grant, telling a group of students at Florida's Valencia College that it is “definitely on the plate to be considered” by the Trump administration. During the student roundtable, DeVos said that "a common theme" she has heard since her appointment is the need for more flexibility within the Pell Grant program. The Trump administration's "skinny budget" released earlier this month proposed a “cancellation” of nearly $4 billion of the estimated $10.6 billion surplus in the Pell program, which some supporters have said should be used to revive the year-round Pell Grant program.

To ensure that Today’s News is providing members with the news and information they want, and not expending time and energy on issues, topics, or resources that aren’t of interest, NASFAA held two focus groups and conducted a survey of NASFAA members. As a follow up to those efforts, the TN Feedback Working Group will provide input that NASFAA’s communications staff can use to definitively make and implement changes to Today’s News in the first quarter of the 2018 year. Review the task force charter for more details, and, if interested, complete the volunteer form.

We recently asked how your office delivers Title IV credit balances to students. The majority of the 274 respondents—48.5 percent—said they deliver funds through Electronic Funds Transfer (direct deposit) to a student’s bank account, while 39 percent said they send a paper check by mail or do an in-person pick up. Nearly 9 percent said they use a Tier One Arrangement, and 3.6 percent said they use a Tier Two Arrangement. If you'd like to take more polls, head to our Poll the Pros page.

Learn the answer to this question and learn how to instantly find credible and reliable solutions to your most pressing regulatory and compliance questions with NASFAA's AskRegs Knowledgebase. The Knowledgebase guide and video tutorials highlight the many features of this tool.

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 COD Processing Update provides information related to COD System processing and includes the following sections: COD News and Updates, Current Issues (with a subsection for All Programs, Direct Loans, and Grants), and Reminders.

"Forget final exams. The stressful season for many students – and their families – is tax time," according to U.S. News & World Report. "'Some [loans] are taxable and some aren’t, which can be confusing,' says Megan Coval, vice president of policy and federal relations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators."

"During the nearly four hours of questioning at her confirmation hearing in January, Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, did not speak with specificity about her views on a host of Obama-administration regulations meant to rein in abuses by for-profit colleges. ... A pair of recent policy decisions begin to paint a picture of how that might play out," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

"GOP lawmakers have been clear since November's election about plans to dismantle several Obama administration higher education regulations, including two major rules aimed at the for-profit college sector," Inside Higher Ed reports.

"Parents considering a move to further their children’s educations might want to take a new look at Florida. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Florida first in the nation in higher education," GoodCall reports.

"California State University’s governing board Wednesday approved the first tuition increase in six years for the system’s 23 campuses, drawing chants of opposition from students who said they’re already struggling to afford the cost of education," according to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

"Right now is crunch time for high school seniors and college students all across the country who are applying for financial aid to help cover the cost of college, but a big wrench has been thrown into the middle of the process for some due to the temporary suspension of an IRS tax tool used by many to complete the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form," according to a blog post from NextAdvisor.

"One of the primary reasons students enroll in college is to improve their chances in the job market. For some, that might mean getting a new or better job. For others, the objective might be higher earnings. While students’ goals vary, one thing remains true: Too many students who take out loans do not earn a degree or do not earn enough to pay down their debt, and they face damaging consequences either way," Antoinette Flores, a senior policy analyst on the Postsecondary Education Policy team at the Center for American Progress, writes in a blog post.

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