Student-Loan Borrowers May Be Spared the Worst if U.S. Fails to Raise Debt Ceiling May 17, 2023-"If Washington’s debt ceiling fight leaves the U.S. government unable to pay all of its bills, that would disrupt payments to millions of Americans, including students receiving federal loans and grants," The Wall Street Journal reports.
How Campuses Can Help Prepare Borrowers for the Resumption of Student Loan Repayments May 15, 2023-"The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) recently released a report providing guidance to college and university leaders on how to support borrowers waiting for their student loan repayments to resume or those beginn...
Federal Student Aid Funding Woes Complicate Resuming Student Loan Payments May 11, 2023-"The Office of Federal Student Aid faces a 'colossal undertaking' as it prepares to resume student loan payments after an unprecedented three-year pause, and funding constraints could hamper that effort, student loan experts say," Inside Higher Ed re...
Daily Briefing: Public-Private Partnerships' Problems Play Out May 10, 2023-"Elsewhere: The financial-aid officers’ association has outlined ways colleges can help borrowers prepare to restart loan payments," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
‘Huge Sense of Relief’: How New FAFSA Could Help Homeless Students May 9, 2023-"Lexi Geampa didn’t think she would be able to go to college. She was couch surfing with friends during her senior year of high school and needed to be verified as an unaccompanied homeless youth in order to receive federal financial aid becaus...
Financial Aid Is Changing. How Will It Affect Your Family? May 1, 2023-"The FAFSA Simplification Act is the biggest shakeup to federal financial aid in decades. For some students and their families, it will mean more aid; for a smaller but not insignificant number, it will mean less," Forbes reports.
Biden’s Student Loan Help Would Be ‘Annihilated’ by GOP Bill April 28, 2023-"President Joe Biden’s student loan agenda would be all but obliterated by the U.S. debt legislation passed by House Republicans, dooming his mass cancellation, scrapping a more generous loan repayment option and permanently barring future regu...
FAFSA Overhaul Could Raise Costs for Some Students April 24, 2023-"The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) makeover aimed at streamlining the application process and altering the formula for eligibility, could also mean that some families may be facing extra costs, according to two recent rep...
Students Express Confusion Over Financial Aid Packages April 19, 2023-"In Fall 2020, 67% of all first-year students at Ithaca College received need-based aid, but upon receiving financial aid packages, some students have had trouble understanding how much their aid will cover," The Ithacan reports.
How New FAFSA Will Change What Students Pay April 18, 2023-"The upcoming overhaul to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the underlying formula that determines how aid is dispersed will mean thousands more students will be eligible for the Pell Grant and higher-value Pell Grants than under the c...
FAFSA Simplification: How New Rules Will Change the Price of College April 18, 2023-"Families of college students applying for financial aid for the 2024-2025 academic year will have a significantly different experience than those applying in the past — and potentially obtain an unexpected outcome," EconoFact reports.
Hearings Kick Off Negotiated Rule Making April 17, 2023-"The Education Department’s latest round of negotiated rule making is officially underway, though officials remain mum on what changes they are planning to propose as part of an ambitious regulatory agenda for the next year," Inside Higher...
Draft FAFSA Released March 28, 2023-"The first version of what the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid will look like is here, and it’s not the short application many have hoped for. It has 46 questions and runs 21 pages, although many students won’t have to answer...
How to Afford Out-of-State Tuition March 28, 2023-"Attending an out-of-state college appeals to many students. Some people want to live in a new place. Others look out of state because it also opens up hundreds more options so students can choose a school that matches their future plans. In most sta...
FAFSA Launch Officially Delayed March 23, 2023-"The new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid won’t be available to students until December, the Education Department confirmed this week," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Updated FAFSA Launch Officially Delayed Two Months To December March 23, 2023-"The Department of Education (ED) has officially said that this year’s Free Application for Federal Student aid (FAFSA) will not open until December, two months later than usual. The delay comes as the result of a huge overhaul of the fede...
New FAFSA Will Debut in December, Education Department Says March 22, 2023-"A new, simplified version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, will debut sometime in December, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed Tuesday," Higher Ed Dive reports.
Treating Farm Families Unfairly? March 21, 2023-"Higher education administrators say a change in the federal student aid formula could mean lower levels of financial aid for children whose parents run family farms or small businesses, and they want Congress to take action," Inside Higher Ed report...
FAFSA Redesign Delayed By Two Months, Says Education Dept. March 21, 2023-"The Education Department said Tuesday it will launch the redesign of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in December, missing the annual Oct. 1 release of the form that millions of students rely on to determine their eligibility for grants ...
Higher Ed Organizations Press for Firm FAFSA Release Date March 21, 2023-"Eight higher education organizations are asking the U.S. Department of Education to commit to a date by which it will release the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is in the process of being revised," K-12 Dive reports.
Secret Shopper Policy Draws Praise, Concern March 20, 2023-"The Department of Education’s announcement last week of a secret shopper program to investigate the recruitment, enrollment, and financial aid practices of schools has garnered mixed reactions. While advocates of access hailed the policy,...
Opinion: A Simplified FAFSA? Yes—and Yet, Not Yet March 13, 2023-"Last week I sat in a room filled with enrollment management leaders from across the country. This group, which represents public and private, large and small colleges, accounts for hundreds of years assisting students and families with the admission...
6 Ways Financial Aid Officers Support Student Success March 13, 2023-"Financial wellness may not be the first area that comes to mind when thinking of well-being, but it is considered one of the eight dimensions of wellness," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Biden’s Budget Calls for $820 Pell Increase March 10, 2023-"President Biden is seeking a third increase to the annual Pell Grant, of $820, as part of his budget request to Congress, which was unveiled Thursday," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Biden’s Proposed $90B Education Department Budget Features Tuition-Free Community College March 9, 2023-"President Joe Biden laid out his budget blueprint for fiscal 2024 on Thursday, a plan that would infuse the U.S. Department of Education with $90 billion in discretionary spending and fund tuition-free community college nationwide, one of his centra...
Supreme Court Justices Skeptical of Debt Relief March 1, 2023-"Several Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of the Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans during a nearly four-hour hearing Tuesday," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Fight Over Student Debt Cancellation Hits Supreme Court February 28, 2023-"After months of uncertainty for borrowers, the Biden administration’s student loan debt cancellation program, which offers $10,000 of relief to those making up to $125,000 and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, came before the Supreme Court on...
Survey Highlights Barriers to FAFSA Simplification February 28, 2023-"Financial aid administrators at colleges and universities say a lack of time and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education are key barriers they’ll face in preparing to carry out the coming overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Stu...
How to Negotiate With Creditors to Reduce Your Debt February 20, 2023-"It would be hard to overestimate the impact of a crushing burden of debt. It can be a hole that gets deeper even after you spend years trying to fill it in," The Wall Street Journal reports.
How Much Can I Borrow for College? February 14, 2023-"The cost of attending college continues to rise, and for many students, paying for their education requires borrowing. A variety of federal student loans are available through the U.S. Department of Education, while private loans are offered by...
How to Pay for College Without Loans February 14, 2023-"For high school students and their families, the process of applying for college can be loaded with questions: Where will I be accepted? Which major should I choose? And, perhaps most importantly, how will I pay for it all? For many students, paying...
Class of 2022 Missed Out on $3.6B in College Grants, Report Shows February 10, 2023-"High school graduates left billions of dollars in free college aid on the table by not filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, in 2022. Among the class of 2022, 44% of high school graduates skipped the FAFSA — ...
A Return to the ‘Normal-Normal’: Colleges Ready to Adjust to End of Pandemic Emergencies February 8, 2023-"As the COVID-19 pandemic dawned in Spring 2020, the federal government granted institutions of higher education a series of waivers and flexibilities that allowed them to continue functioning under radically different conditions," Diverse: Issues in...
Education Department Hints at Possible Delay of FAFSA February 8, 2023-"The new version of the Free Application of Student Aid might not be ready by Oct. 1, Federal Student Aid officials said Tuesday, though the agency is planning to launch the application in the fourth quarter of this year," Inside Higher Ed ...
Education Dept. May Miss Oct. 1 Deadline for Redesigned FAFSA Form February 7, 2023-"The Education Department may miss the Oct. 1 deadline for launching its redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid, raising the ire of advocates who say a delay could be detrimental to students from lower-income households," The Washin...
Emergency Pandemic Funds Kept Schools Afloat, New Report Says February 3, 2023-"Joe Biden’s tenure in office has proven his administration does not take the pandemic lightly for higher education: His $40 billion bandage has helped over 18 million students receive emergency aid since 2021, according to the Department of Ed...
Pandemic Higher Ed Relief Funds Kept Students Enrolled and Institutions Open February 2, 2023-"More than 18 million college students received federal COVID-19 emergency funds in the last two years—money that helped them stay in college and cover the cost of basic needs, the Education Department found in a new report on the fed...
Federal Student Loan System In Need of ‘Robust Interventions’ January 30, 2023-"The federal student aid system needs “robust interventions” in order to break the cycle of inequity in higher education finance, the ombudsman for the agency that runs the system concluded in its annual report," Inside Higher Ed reports.
The Best Grants for Students January 30, 2023-"Grants are monetary awards for college-related costs, like tuition, room and board, books, fees and other related expenses. Unlike loans, grants don’t have to be paid back, and there’s no limit to how many you can get," Bankrate reports.
Given Delays, Higher Education Observers Are Worried About New FAFSA January 22, 2023-"The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the backbone of the federal financial aid system and a source of deep frustration for millions of students, parents, high school counselors, and financial aid administrators. Perhaps the only t...
Clear Financial Aid Offers Require More Than Federal Legislation January 10, 2023-"I write regarding Wesley Whistle's December essay urging Congress to step in to improve the transparency of financial aid letters. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has spent significant time with st...
Groups Seek Details on FAFSA Simplification Timeline January 9, 2023-"The Department of Education is supposed to release an updated version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in October, but organizations representing financial aid officers and college access groups are seeking to confirm that timeline," ...
Federal Student Loan Delinquency and Default: What to Know December 27, 2022-"Delinquency paves the way to default when it comes to repaying student loans, and millions of Americans who borrowed to fund their postsecondary education find themselves on that problematic path each year," U.S. News & World Report writes. ...
Opinion: College Admission “For The Rest Of Us” December 23, 2022-"Let’s face it, the college admission process exists to serve one primary purpose: for colleges and universities to fill seats with those students who will be the best match for what the institution offers. Despite the public good and lofty mis...
5 Ways to Pay for Community College December 22, 2022-"Cost is often the deciding factor for students choosing between enrolling at a community college or four-year college," U.S. News & World Report writes.
Task Force Hopes to Make Financial Aid Applications More Transparent December 21, 2022-"To improve the clarity and consistency of college financial aid offers, ten higher education associations launched a task force to standardize financial aid applications, making them more accurate, clear, and transparent," Campus Reform reports.
NASFAA Rolls Out Recommendations for Pell Grant Expansion December 20, 2022-"Education officials should step up communication about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process for incarcerated students to make sure the upcoming Pell Grant expansion is successful, according to a new report," Best Colleges rep...
How Can Colleges Adapt Their Financial Aid Offices for Prison Education Programs? December 20, 2022-"Colleges interested in providing prison education programs need to adapt their financial aid practices to best serve incarcerated students, according to a new report from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators," Higher...
Washington Watch: AACC Involved in Addressing Concerns Over Institutional ‘Award Letters’ December 15, 2022-"The seemingly straightforward process of colleges notifying individuals about the amount of student aid they are eligible for, as well as the costs of attending the college, has suddenly generated heated attention. AACC is involved in addressin...
Opinion: Colleges Need to Be More Transparent About Costs December 13, 2022-"The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report that felt all too familiar. The report found that the financial aid offers (also known as award letters) that colleges and universities send to students that detail personali...
5 Higher Education Bills to Monitor This Lame-Duck Session December 9, 2022-"Transparency, HBCUs, and the federal Pell Grant program have a chance to take center stage during Congress' lame-duck session this year," Best Colleges reports.
Financial Literacy: What College Students Need to Know December 8, 2022-"Given the rising cost of tuition, college students need to be more informed than ever about the implications of paying for higher education. But making financial decisions – including around budgeting, taking out loans or investing &ndash...
4 Ways Biden’s New Student Loan Repayment Plan Could Help Borrowers December 8, 2022-"Student loan forgiveness has captured the attention of millions of Americans, as they wait to see how the Supreme Court will rule on the Biden Administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of federal debt per borrower," Money reports.
Higher-Ed Groups Create Task Force to Clarify College Costs December 6, 2022-"Last week, a group of higher-education associations announced the creation of a task force that aims to increase clarity around college costs and financial aid," Associations Now reports.
Is Your College Following the 10 Best Practices for Financial Aid Transparency? December 6, 2022-"Most colleges are not following best practices for providing clear and standard information in their financial aid offers. That’s a direct quote from the latest federal analysis of how easy—or difficult—colleges and ...
GAO Blasts Colleges on Aid Offers December 6, 2022-"One of the most important steps when a student is choosing a college is knowing they have access to enough money to pay for it. But a new report from the Government Accountability Office blasted most colleges for failing to tell students how mu...
GAO: FINANCIAL AID OFFERS DON’T INCLUDE THE COST OF COLLEGE December 6, 2022-"Most colleges are not following the Education Department’s best practices for providing clear information in their financial aid offers. Nearly two-thirds of colleges follow half or fewer of the 10 best practices and no college followed all 10...
Most Colleges Don’t Provide Accurate Financial Aid Offers, Federal Watchdog Says December 6, 2022-"More than 90% of colleges lowball their net price or don’t provide any detail about it in students’ financial aid offers, according to a blistering new report from a federal watchdog, which called on Congress to pursue legislation t...
Politico Pro Morning Education: College Presidents Chase a Dream November 30, 2022-"Ten of the country’s top higher education associations are setting up a new task force intended to create financial aid offer 'principles and standards' so students understand how much a postsecondary education will cost and better compare off...
A New Push to Make Financial-Aid Offers More Transparent November 29, 2022-"So how much does this cost? It’s a simple question people ask all time, whether they’re shopping for a winter coat or a Camry. But as many Americans know, it’s much more difficult to determine exactly how much money they’ll n...
‘Paying for College Transparency Initiative’ Launched November 29, 2022-"The leaders of 10 national higher education associations have launched the Paying for College Transparency Initiative," Inside Higher Ed reports.
U.S. Universities Promise More Clarity on Student Aid Offers November 29, 2022-"U.S. universities are promising to make clearer to students their actual costs, agreeing through their nationwide leadership associations to create a single standard for understanding and comparing net prices and financial aid offers," Times Higher ...
What Changed in 2 Years Since Grinnell Said It Would Try No-Loan Financial Aid November 22, 2022-"In November 2020, colleges and their millions of students were smarting from the economic sting of the coronavirus pandemic. Colleges trimmed costs after campus shutdowns prompted many to refund auxiliary fees for services like residence halls ...
Commonplace or a Painful Practice? November 21, 2022-"A group of students at Morehouse College who recently learned they would not be getting scholarship funds they expected and believed they were entitled to receive are demanding change and clarity about the institution’s scholarship policies. T...
NADOHE Panel: Colleges Must Prepare for Affirmative Action Verdicts Now November 21, 2022-"The Supreme Court’s decisions in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina, the cases that could re-shape the role of race in admissions or even ban it entirely, are not likely to be known until next June. But institut...
No-Loan Schools: What Are They and How to Apply November 21, 2022-"The cost of college has nearly tripled over the last four decades. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, tuition at four-year institutions went from roughly $5,000 a year in 1980-81 to over $16,000 a year in 2020-21. Now, record...
Colleges Struggle to Provide Clarity Amid Disruption in Student-Debt Cancellation November 16, 2022-"Three months ago the Biden administration, with much fanfare, rolled out a plan for canceling some student debt. But in the past week, after 26-million borrowers had submitted applications for relief, two court rulings brought it to a halt," The Chr...
Moving Forward on FAFSA Simplification November 11, 2022-"The U.S. Education Department is moving forward to carry out some parts of the FAFSA Simplification Act before unveiling a simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid next fall," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Financial Aid and EFC Changes November 3, 2022-"This week on SA Voices From the Field we interviewed Justin Draeger, President & CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Today we talked to Justin about all of the upcoming Financial Aid and EFC changes that...
Fewer Affordable Options for Pell Grant Students October 31, 2022-"Pell Grant recipients are increasingly finding fewer affordable options for college and higher financial unmet needs, the National College Attainment Network found in a new analysis," Inside Higher Ed reports.
5 Ways to Get a Tuition Discount October 28, 2022-"College is a costly investment, but there are several ways to reduce the burden. One option is through tuition discounts, which in recent years have been offered at historically high rates at private colleges, for instance," U.S. News & World Re...
Student Aid Eligibility Changes Under FAFSA Simplification October 25, 2022-"A new Free Application for Federal Student Aid is less than a year away, and colleges and universities are already planning for the expected overhaul of federal student aid," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Congress Provided $30 Billion In Emergency Aid For Students, What Did We Learn? October 20, 2022-"Early 2020 saw colleges close campus housing, students sent home or sometimes into homelessness, and a switch to online learning as lockdowns led to a massive shift in how higher education operated. These changes also left many students without the ...
Student Loan Forgiveness: Official Application Is Live October 17, 2022-"The student loan forgiveness application officially opened on Monday at studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application, powered by the Education Department (ED). This is the only site where borrowers can sign up for student loan forgiveness," Yahoo Money re...
Student Debt Relief Website Up; OSU-Cascades Students Call It Game Changer October 17, 2022-"The White House on Monday announced the official launch of the student debt relief application website, giving students in debt a chance to eliminate as much as $20,000 of what they owe," Central Oregon Daily News reports.
Student Loan Forgiveness: Government Opens Beta Version of Application October 15, 2022-"The Education Department (ED) opened up a beta version of its student loan forgiveness application process at studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application, offering periodic access to some borrowers who can apply ahead of the official launch," Yahoo ...
More States Require High School Seniors to Fill Out Financial Aid Form October 14, 2022-"A growing number of states are pushing high school seniors to file the federal financial aid form because evidence suggests that students who complete the form are more likely to attend college," the New York Times reports.