Webinars

Launching and sustaining a Prison Education Program (PEP) requires more than just collaboration with the financial aid office—though that’s often where the process begins. Even the initial application to become a PEP involves key financial aid considerations. But did you know that several other college administrative offices are just as vital to a program’s long-term success?

In this dynamic webinar, we’ll spotlight the often-overlooked—but absolutely critical—roles of the Admissions Office and the Registrar’s Office. Join representatives from AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) and NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling), along with NASFAA, as we explore how these partnerships can empower your institution to build a more effective, collaborative, and sustainable PEP.

The  NASFAA Quiz Show webinar is back, and we are preparing for season 5! As always, our NASFAA Quiz Show webinar allows you and your staff a chance to take a break from all the things that keep you awake at night and enjoy a fun webinar set to provide training in an entertaining manner! We bring to life some of those very thought-provoking and sometimes mind blowing AskRegs questions in an approach that is considered edutainment. The goal is to provide a good mix of questions so even our financial aid neophytes can participate in the fun as well. So, join NASFAA’s Kochie Vaughan and David Tolman in this engaging webinar as they test your knowledge on a variety of financial aid topics. Have fun watching, learning, and seeing which staff members in your office are NASFAA Quiz Show Champions!

CSS Profile delivers a common application for institutional financial aid that supports all students, from those living in the U.S. to internationally and undergraduate to graduate/professional enrollments. Attendees will hear from institutions regarding how they use CSS Profile to support their institutional missions, and CSS Profile staff will share an overview of the application as well as information on a shorter CSS Profile application option.

Forward-looking institutions are adopting new technologies to meet changing student expectations, economic forces, and workforce demands. Such innovation can be energizing, but also deeply disruptive, as it requires letting go of familiar processes and mindsets. Managing the operational and emotional loss that can accompany change is critical but often overlooked. 

Join Norma Robinson and Sarah Austin to explore the rules regarding the access and use of federal tax information (FTI). This session will review the expanded definition of FTI, including intermediate and derived value data elements. Learn about these newly defined FTI elements, compliance with Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) labeling, and strict data use and disclosure limitations under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and the Higher Education Act (HEA). This session will be helpful for financial aid professionals to navigate compliance and ensure proper handling of sensitive tax data.

Join Tiffany Gibbs, Director of Online Compliance Products, alongside a panel of educational institutions, as they discuss enrollment reporting, the challenges schools are facing, and the strategies being implemented to address and overcome these obstacles. The National Student Clearinghouse will also be present to highlight common errors and provide guidance on proper resolution.

This webinar dives into NASFAA's Diversity Leadership Program (DLP). We'll explore eligibility, application details, and the details of the program. Learn how the DLP program benefits and provides selectees a robust portfolio of benefits, mentorship, and guidance on how to develop as a financial aid association leader.

What changes are in store for the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)? Are there new questions or deleted questions? Will there be an updated process for contributors? Join NASFAA’s Lissa Powell and Kochie Vaughan with the Training and Regulatory Assistance team to discuss the changes and modifications in place for the 2026-27 application cycle.

The webinar will focus on a timely hot topic in the financial aid community. The topic will be announced three months prior to the event.

This webinar will review the 2026-27 verification data element and documentation requirements. It will focus on any changes that are made to the verification process for the new award year, as well as some of the more complicated verification-related issues that come up year after year. Join David Futrell, NASFAA director of institutional compliance, and Jennifer Philen, NASFAA regulatory specialist, as they lead you through the latest verification requirements and challenging issues.

We've explored the labyrinth of academic calendars, where clock hours are 50 minutes, weeks aren't always seven days, and years come in different shapes and sizes. Now, it's time to put theory into practice.

In this third installment on academic calendars, we'll take what we've learned and apply it to real-world scenarios. How could subtle changes in term dates impact aid eligibility? When do you evaluate satisfactory academic progress in a nonterm program? What happens if a student wants to take a class outside of their academic program?

Join us as we troubleshoot tricky calendar configurations and solidify our knowledge. Join David Tolman and Norma Robinson to conquer the elasticity of time in Title IV administration—no flux capacitor required!

The NASFAA Policy Update will include the latest updates on what's happening in Washington related to student aid policy. The Policy Team will provide updates on student aid funding, regulatory action, administration initiatives, and close with a question-and-answer session.

 Join Jennifer Philen, NASFAA regulatory specialist, and Lissa Powell, NASFAA training content and presentation specialist for a review of some of the most frequently asked AskRegs questions related to Direct PLUS Loans. Depending on the most popular questions leading into the webinar, topics will likely range from aggregate loan borrowing and additional Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility when parents are unable to obtain a Direct PLUS Loan, disbursing Graduate PLUS loans after a credit check has expired, and is a PLUS Loan borrower required to be on the FAFSA.

In today’s evolving workforce and the increasingly complex world of financial aid, preparing yourself and your team for the future is more important than ever. Proactively investing in professional development enhances employee engagement and job satisfaction, in turn reducing turnover and time to competency. One effective approach to fostering growth is career pathing—a purposeful and strategic plan for skill development, relationship-building, and career advancement. Join this webinar to hear from a panel of experienced financial aid professionals who will share expert advice and real-life examples for cultivating the skills and abilities of financial aid office staff. You’ll also gain valuable insights into the recent efforts of several NASFAA Task Forces to define key financial aid competencies and promote career path awareness within the profession. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn practical strategies for strengthening your team and advancing the future of financial aid!

Student success extends beyond the classroom, requiring a comprehensive support system that addresses financial, academic, and mental well-being. In this collaborative webinar, we will explore the vital connection between financial aid, student affairs, and mental health services. We’ll examine how financial stress impacts student well-being, discuss the role of student services in providing holistic support, and share strategies for fostering cross-campus collaboration. Whether you work in financial aid, student affairs, or mental health services, this session will offer valuable insights on creating a more supportive and resilient campus community.

The January 3, 2025, final rule made significant changes to R2T4 regulations that increase the accuracy and simplicity of calculations, address what constitutes a withdrawal, and codify longstanding policies into regulation. With the July 1, 2026, effective date closing in, it’s time to begin preparing for implementation! Don't worry, we'll help! David Futrell, NASFAA Director of Institutional Compliance and Michelle Thompson, Regulatory Specialist, will focus on the changes made in the final rule and discuss how those changes impact standard R2T4 practices.

The webinar will focus on a timely hot topic in the financial aid community. The topic will be announced three months prior to the event.

In its commitment to the graduate and professional community, NASFAA is providing this webinar as a forum for graduate and professional financial aid administrators to discuss current issues of concern for their students and peers. NASFAA will provide an update on topics specific to the graduate and professional aid community, and close with a question-and-answer session.

New changes to Consumer Information requirements focus on increasing transparency, improving communication, and helping students make informed decisions about their education and finances. Institutions must proactively implement these updates to stay compliant and better support students. This session will review the enhancements and test your knowledge of the requirements.

NASFAA's Annual Business Meeting will be conducted virtually, immediately preceding the Policy Update Webinar. NASFAA's bylaws dictate that the association must meet annually for the purpose of transacting all business which may be brought before the membership. The meeting will include updates on NASFAA's financial status, FAAC®? program, governance and oversight, and diversity efforts.

The NASFAA Policy Update will include the latest updates on what's happening in Washington related to student aid policy. The Policy Team will provide updates on Higher Education Act reauthorization, student aid funding, regulatory action, administration initiatives, and close with a question-and-answer session.

The webinar will focus on a timely hot topic in the financial aid community. Full webinar details forthcoming.

The NASFAA Quiz Show webinar is back, and we are preparing for yet another season! As always, our NASFAA Quiz Show webinar allows you and your staff a chance to take a break from all the things that keep you awake at night and enjoy a fun webinar set to provide training in an entertaining manner! We bring to life some of those very thought-provoking and sometimes mind blowing AskRegs questions in an approach that is considered edutainment. The goal is to provide a good mix of questions so even our financial aid neophytes can participate in the fun as well. So, join NASFAA's Kochie Vaughan and David Tolman in this engaging webinar as they test your knowledge on a variety of financial aid topics. Have fun watching, learning, and seeing which staff members in your office are NASFAA Quiz Show Champions!

NASFAA's Annual Business Meeting will be conducted virtually, immediately preceding the Policy Update Webinar. NASFAA's bylaws dictate that the association must meet annually for the purpose of transacting all business which may be brought before the membership. The meeting will include updates on NASFAA's financial status, FAAC®? program, governance and oversight, and diversity efforts.

The NASFAA Policy Update will include the latest updates on what's happening in Washington related to student aid policy. The Policy Team will provide updates on Higher Education Act reauthorization, student aid funding, regulatory action, administration initiatives, and close with a question-and-answer session.

Join Tiffany Gibbs, Director of Online Compliance Products, alongside a panel of seasoned program administrators, as they dive into the fundamentals of administering the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program. This informative session will cover key topics such as carry forward/carry back procedures, matching requirements, and the community service mandate. Whether you're new to FWS or looking to refine your knowledge, this webinar will provide valuable insights and practical tips to ensure your program’s success.

Are you preparing to attend the NASFAA 2025 National Conference? Join our live Q&A to get all the essential details. We'll cover session highlights, networking opportunities, featured events, the Charity 5K, and tips for first-timers.

Financial aid administrators operate in a regulated environment where even concepts of time might not mean what they do in day-to-day life. An hour, a day, a week, and a year are all regulated calendar terms with a lot of subregulatory guidance attached. In campus discussions about new academic program structures, we sometimes hear ourselves thinking "You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

In this webinar we will parse out these terms and explore how even subtle changes to academic programs and courses could impact payment periods, semesters or quarters, and the timing of disbursements and student eligibility determinations. 

Collaboration between financial aid and business office professionals is essential for providing students with seamless financial support. However, differences in workflows and priorities can often create confusion or challenges.

This webinar addresses common questions that financial aid professionals have for their business office counterparts.

Join us for a panel discussion of best practice approaches to institutional data sharing. The complexities of applying evolving guidance on FAFSA data and FTI data sharing is challenging. The panel will discuss examples of how institutions are creating processes to inform key stakeholders, navigate the many requests, and share allowed financial aid data.

To participate in the Title IV aid programs, schools must demonstrate certain standards of administrative capability. Join Tiffany Gibbs, director of online compliance products, and Michelle Thompson, regulatory specialist, as they provide an overview of the measures of administrative capability, including special attention on the new provisions that went into effect July 1, 2024.

In its commitment to the graduate and professional community, NASFAA is providing this webinar as a forum for graduate and professional financial aid administrators to discuss current issues of concern for their students and peers. NASFAA will provide an update on topics specific to the graduate and professional aid community, and close with a question-and-answer session.

Come join us to learn about what to expect with the launch of FAFSA Batch Corrections for 2024-25 and 2025-26. The conversation will share the experiences of those who Beta tested the FAFSA Batch Corrections process, and the participants will provide their findings and best practices to help prepare you for the upcoming process.

Join NASFAA in collaboration with SchoolHouse Connection for an insightful webinar dedicated to supporting unaccompanied homeless youth on their journey through higher education. Led by experts in financial aid and youth homelessness advocacy, this webinar will delve into the unique challenges faced by unaccompanied homeless youth and explore strategies for providing them with the necessary financial aid resources and support services.

When Partner Connect and the E-App changed at the beginning of 2024, schools discovered they would need to add some unanticipated details to their application the first time they did a submission after that. And when the process and documentation to apply to be a Prison Education Program (PEP) via the E-App changed in the fall of 2025, it left schools with some questions about how to prepare before they do the actual application.

This webinar will share some real life experiences about the first time a college goes through the E-App after the changes in 2024, focusing on what general information to have prepared, as well as the new PEP attachments and questions.

This webinar will review the 2025-26 verification data element and documentation requirements. It will also focus on some of the more complicated verification-related issues that come up year after year. Join David Futrell, NASFAA Director of Institutional Compliance, as he leads you through the latest verification requirements and challenging issues.

The NASFAA Policy Update will include the latest updates on what's happening in Washington related to student aid policy. The Policy Team will provide updates on Higher Education Act reauthorization, student aid funding, regulatory action, administration initiatives, and close with a question-and-answer session.

"I'm Just a Bill, and I'm Sitting Here on Capitol Hill": How a Bill Really Becomes a Law Schoolhouse Rock!'s iconic "I'm Just a Bill" video only had it partially right. It didn't cover authorization vs. appropriation legislation, regulatory vs. statutory guidance, mandatory vs. discretionary spending, or negotiated rulemaking. In financial aid, how does a bill really become a law? And how do we implement it once it gets signed? To quote Schoolhouse Rock!, "While a few key congressmen discuss and debate whether they should let me be a law. How I hope and pray that they will, but today I am still just a bill." How do we help bills cross the finish line and, more importantly, what happens once they do?

Join us as we delve into critical considerations around consumer protection requirements related to student funding that extend beyond U.S. Department of Education Title IV Federal Student Aid expectations. This session will guide you through key aspects of ensuring appropriate approaches to Enrollment Agreements, Institutional Payment Plans, Tuition Discounts, Education-for-Work Agreements, and Debt Collection, ensuring you understand the nuances of each. Additionally, review the regulations surrounding Private Lending and Preferred Lending Rules to protect students and institutions alike. Don’t miss this opportunity to equip yourself with the tools and insights necessary to safeguard student financial aid and promote ethical practices in education funding.

Financial aid administrators often describe their own career paths as an individual journey of discovery rather than intention. Despite being pivotal to the success of postsecondary institutions, this role is frequently a position that talented individuals "fall into" by happenstance and then learn to love, grow, and find success in. Join this webinar to hear from a panel of experienced financial aid administrators and association leaders as they explore possibilities and solutions for how to change our profession from an accidental career to a chosen professional pathway.

As aid administrators prepare for a new aid year, schools must remain diligent in their commitment to remain in compliance. Although there were several regulatory changes with the 2024-25 FAFSA, schools should be reminded that many rules and regulations did not change and attention to remaining in compliance should be a priority. In light of the Department of Education's temporary suspension on routine program reviews through September 2024, campuses should identify practical strategies to mitigate risks and ensure institutional compliance. Join Blue Icon and two peer reviewers as we delve into the top findings from recent SOE reviews and how schools can minimize their risks in those areas.

Will there be significant changes to the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)? With the implementation of the changes required as a part of the FAFSA Simplification Act in place, we will discuss changes and modifications made to the application and the application process in place for the 2025-26 application cycle. Join Lissa Powell and Kochie Vaughan with NASFAA's Training and Regulatory Assistance team as they walk through the coming year's application process.

At the NASFAA convening Breaking Barriers: Bridging Worlds in Prison Education and Student Advising convening in June 2024, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) led a panel discussion exploring questions and practices in recruiting and admissions in higher education programs for students who are incarcerated. This webinar continues that conversation.

What U.S. noncitizen categories are eligible for Title IV aid? How do we tell? How can a student qualify for Title IV aid using ability-to-benefit? How do schools resolve issues regarding aggregate loan limits and overborrowing? Student eligibility will be the focus, so join NASFAA’s Norma Robinson as we explore the answers to these questions, and other related topics.

This session is designed for anyone involved in supporting students who are incarcerated, such as advisors who anticipate working directly with these students; campus-advisors who are in institutions involved with prison education; faculty; and prison education program coordinators. The presenters, representing Achieving The Dream and NACADA, partner organizations of the Advising Success Network, will share strategies for successful implementation of advising strategies tailored to the unique needs of inside scholars.

This webinar dives into NASFAA's Diversity Leadership Program (DLP). We'll explore eligibility, application details, and the details of the program. Learn how the DLP program benefits and provides selectees a robust portfolio of benefits, mentorship, and guidance on how to develop as a financial aid association leader.

What is and what is not other financial assistance (OFA)? This question comes up a lot. Join David Futrell, Director of Institutional Compliance, in a discussion of the longstanding rules and general observations related to the treatment of OFA (formerly EFA). We’ll focus on the changes made by the FAFSA Simplification Act, which removes from OFA 1) emergency financial assistance for unexpected expenses within the student’s cost of attendance (COA); and 2) foster care payments under Title IV, Part E of the Social Security Act. We’ll also discuss what happens when Title IV aid and non-Title IV aid exceed the COA.

 Join us for an insightful webinar as we explore the intricacies of FAFSA data and federal tax information (FTI). This session will provide guidance to assist schools when making determinations on accessing, disclosing, and handling FAFSA and FTI data in accordance with federal statute and regulations. We will navigate through the complexities of FAFSA data and FTI, offering valuable insights into the proper procedures and protocols schools must follow when considering data sharing. Attendees will gain a thorough understanding of their responsibilities in safeguarding sensitive student data.

CSS Profile is a common application for nonfederal, institutional financial aid that opens each year on October 1st. Used by hundreds of institutions, CSS Profile supports schools in providing additional data beyond the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Now, CSS Profile is delivering a shorter application experience intended to increase access and equity while reducing barriers to financial aid. Like the full CSS Profile application, the lighter application experience also provides an estimated Student Aid Index for schools to share tentative federal aid estimates. Attendees will hear from College Board experts and a panel of financial aid leaders at CSS Profile institutions that have implemented the lighter application. Learn more about how institutions implement, utilize, and leverage CSS Profile and the shorter application experience to ensure more students get the aid dollars they need to succeed.

Join David Futrell, NASFAA Director of Institutional Compliance, for a review of some of the most frequently asked AskRegs questions related to FAFSA Simplification. Depending on the most popular questions leading into the webinar, topics will likely range from constructing the cost of attendance (COA) to packaging, as well as include verification and professional judgment (PJ) consideration of special circumstances and dependency overrides.

Join NASFAA's Tiffany Gibbs and Sarah Austin as they provide an overview of all of the new regulations that are not FAFSA Simplification centered, which also go into effect on July 1, 2024. 

Areas where there are changes include financial responsibility, administrative capability, certification procedures, gainful employment and financial value transparency, and ability-to-benefit. 

Prison Education Programs are responsible for ensuring that they are operating in the best interest of their students. Advising services, both those focused on student services and on academic success, must be equitable to those offered to campus students. But operating in a carceral environment is different in many aspects to operating on campus.

This webinar, the first in a series, opens the conversation about advising to students participating in a PEP. It is hosted by NASFAA, working with our partners from the Advising Success Network, including NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, and Achieving the Dream. First, the panelists will focus on defining the essential areas of advising. For each advising topic, they with introduce the discussion of what the implementation challenges might be. Those big questions will set the stage for the in-depth conversation to be held at the NASFAA PEP Convening "Breaking Barriers: Bridging Worlds in Prison Education and Student Advising" scheduled in June.