Brought to you by:

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.

Congress on Friday morning entered into a brief government shutdown for the second time this year before lawmakers passed a two-year budget deal raising federal spending caps and a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded through March 23, giving lawmakers time to resolve appropriations details for a final fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget, which will finalize funding for award year 2018-19.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Megan, and Allie give a recap of the recent Senate education committee hearing on college affordability and student debt, and what everyone had to say about the "Bennett Hypothesis." Meanwhile, Congress is busy at work as lawmakers attempt to pass a two-year deal on spending caps and another continuing resolution to keep the government open for another few weeks. Away from Capitol Hill, the committee reconvened for the second session of negotiated rulemaking on gainful employment, and it's unclear how much negotiators will agree on going into the third session next month. Plus, Megan shares some insights from a recent event with a special featured speaker — former Vice President Joe Biden.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the non-partisan accounting arm of Congress, released a cost estimate on Tuesday for the PROSPER Act, the House Republicans' Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization bill. In total, the bill, if enacted as written, would result in a net loss in student aid of approximately $15 billion over 10 years.

Higher education stakeholders gathered Thursday for the last time this month to rewrite the federal regulations of gainful employment (GE), which they will pick up again during a final session in March. After debating the Department of Education’s (ED) proposals to eliminate the alternate earnings appeals process, alter disclosure requirements, and remove reporting burdens, negotiators offered their own proposals for ED to consider as it rewrites GE regulations over the next few weeks. Negotiators also revisited a previous debate about the expansiveness of proposed disclosures applying to all educational programs.

Here are a few things you probably didn't know about the Student Aid Index: Topics are updated on a regular and rolling basis— a team at NASFAA works to update the associated topics and subtopics as soon as possible. The Index provides a unique mix of references, including legislation, regulation, the Federal Student Aid Handbook, and more. It is mobile-friendly— this means you have NASFAA and U.S. Department of Education resources right at your fingertips. We value your feedback. Please use the feedback form to tell us what we're doing well or what you'd like to see more of.

The data submitted electronically in the Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) is used by the Department of Education to determine the institution's funding need for the award year and monitor program effectiveness and accountability of fund expenditures. The data is used in conjunction with institutional program reviews to assess the administrative capability and compliance of the applicant.

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) is seeking a renewed three-year clearance for the College Affordability and Transparency Explanation Form (CATEF) data collection. 

"College students would lose $15 billion in federal student aid over the next decade if House Republicans succeed in turning their higher education bill into law, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office," The Washington Post reports.

"Tucked into the two-year congressional budget deal are provisions that would greatly benefit two colleges in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky," according to The Washington Post. 

"As a controversial accreditor of for-profit colleges sought new federal recognition, the Department of Education relaxed requirements for institutions affected by its loss of that recognition," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

"The American dream -- the idea that everyone is given an equal chance to succeed -- is embedded in U.S. politics and culture. But the reality is that Americans start off in different places in ways that are sometimes difficult to overcome," Inside Higher Ed reports. 

"It’s not uncommon to see student loan borrowers muse about what would happen if their student debt was suddenly wiped out. Whether it’s an unlikely pipe dream or due to legal issues with their college, it’s a life-changing fantasy," according to MarketWatch.

"The public higher education system in the United States is a promise that every student who is prepared for and desires to pursue higher education should have the opportunity to enter. However, this is not currently the case," according to the National College Access Network (NCAN).

"In the student debt crisis, black borrowers take the hardest hit," NerdWallet reports. "They borrow at a higher rate than any other group: 87% of black students borrowed federal loans compared with 65% of Latino students and 60% of white students, according to an analysis of government data by the Center for American Progress, a public policy think tank."

VIEW NEXT ISSUE

Contact us to submit questions, content or to purchase advertisements.