Education Department to Resume Collecting Interest on Student Loans July 11, 2025-"The Education Department will resume collecting interest on federal student loans next month, canceling the last part of a Biden administration debt forgiveness program that courts have ruled illegal," The Washington Times reports.
Trump Signed the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ What’s Next? July 10, 2025-"Since the passage last week of President Trump’s domestic agenda, the Department of Education now has less than a year to carry out what policy analysts are calling the most significant overhaul to federal student aid in more than a decad...
Interest Accrual Resumes for Biden’s SAVE Plan July 10, 2025-"The Education Department will soon begin charging interest for the nearly 7.7 million borrowers on the Saving on a Valuable Education repayment plan, according to a Wednesday announcement," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Student Loan Interest Freeze Ends for 7.7 Million Under SAVE Plan July 10, 2025-" The U.S. Department of Education announced on July 9 that interest will resume accruing on federal student loans enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment program beginning August 1," WCTU reports.
Trump Ends Interest Subsidy for Biden’s Student Loan Repayment Plan July 9, 2025-"The Education Department on Wednesday said it will resume collecting interest on the student loans held by 7.7 million people enrolled in a Biden-era repayment plan that is tied up in the courts," The Washington Post reports.
Trump’s Law Reshapes Federal Loans and Pell Grants, Impacting California Students July 8, 2025-"The domestic policy law signed by President Donald Trump will have major implications on how students in California and across the country pay for college, with analysts describing it as the most consequential federal higher education legislation in...
Daily Briefing: The Senate's Bitter Pills Aren't Quite Poison Pills July 2, 2025-"Feds won’t kick employers out of PSLF before next July: A contentious proposal to make workers ineligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program if their employers take part in “activities that have a substantial i...
GOP Megabill Could Put a Strain on College Affordability July 1, 2025-"The tax and spending megabill that President Donald Trump describes as the 'largest tax cut in American history' is also likely to make college less affordable for many," Barron's reports.
No, a TikTok Trick Won’t Erase Student Loan Debt June 24, 2025-"TikTok videos, some with tens of thousands of views, are claiming that borrowers can have all their student loans erased by following a few simple steps," The New York Times reports.
Federal Cuts Put Institutional Aid at Risk June 24, 2025-"The annual National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators conference convened in Anaheim, Calif., this morning under a cloud of worry," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Carrying a Heavy Load: Student Loan Debt Weighing Down Law Students, Recent Grads June 18, 2025-"Student loan debt can present steep financial obstacles for young attorneys once they graduate from law school, and the Trump administration’s more aggressive collection practices is increasing the struggle," The Indiana Lawyer writes.
Students’ Advocates Voice Concern as Education Dept. Amps Up ID Verification June 13, 2025-"College financial aid offices and students’ advocates say that a Trump administration plan to crack down on fraud in the federal aid system could burden university staff and hinder access to college programs," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Good News for College Students: You May See a Dip in Student Loan Rates June 13, 2025-"There’s one small bit of good news for college students heading to campus in the fall who are borrowing to fund their education: The rates on new federal loans will fall, though ever so slightly," The New York Times reports.
Parent PLUS Student Loan Forgiveness: What You Should Know June 13, 2025-"The U.S. Department of Education offers direct loans specifically for parents of college students, called Parent PLUS loans. Like with other federal student loans, only a few special circumstances qualify parents for loan forgiveness," U.S. News &am...
Daily Briefing: Talk Is Cheap. Apprenticeship Programs Are Expensive. June 9, 2025-"New live FAFSA verification requirements: The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced a crackdown on financial-aid fraud that will require all students who are selected to verify their identity to show photo identification in person or on a...
U of M Proposes Tuition Hikes Across All Campuses, 7% Cut to Academic Programs June 9, 2025-"The University of Minnesota is proposing tuition hikes of up to 7.5% and cuts to academic programs for the next fiscal year as it navigates what it calls 'unprecedented challenges facing higher education,'" CBS Minnesota reports.
Trump Seeks to Slash Pell Grants June 8, 2025-"The Trump administration's budget proposal cuts from $7,395 to $5,710 a year the maximum federal Pell Grant award, federal aid available to low-income families who demonstrate financial need and on which 40% of undergraduate students ...
Students Applying for Financial Aid Will Face Stricter ID Verification June 6, 2025-"The Education Department on Friday announced new measures to verify the identities of people applying for financial aid — a move it says is needed because of rising fraud but is being met with mixed reactions from the higher education communit...
Trump’s Bill Cuts Support for Low-Income Students in HE June 5, 2025-"Among the US$1.7 trillion cuts contained in President Donald J Trump’s tax and spending plans, or what he has dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful [Budget] Bill' (OBBB), is the largest ever reduction in funding for Pell Grants – federal grants ...
Trump’s Budget Would Reduce Pell Grant Awards and Work-Study Programs June 5, 2025-"The Trump administration is proposing the biggest cuts in a half-century to federal financial aid by reducing Pell Grant award amounts for low-income college students, plus the government’s contribution to the Federal Work-Study program. Fewer...
Trump's Budget Calls for a 15% Funding Cut to the Education Department June 2, 2025-"The Trump administration has released new details of its vision to wind down the U.S. Department of Education. The budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 calls for a 15% funding cut to the department and a handful of changes to key K-12 and highe...
FY26 Budget Plan Would Slash Maximum Pell Grant by Nearly a Quarter June 2, 2025-"Maximum Pell Grants would be cut by nearly $1,700, or about 23%, under the U.S. Department of Education’s fleshed-out fiscal 2026 budget request released on Friday," Higher Ed Dive reports.
Restart of Student Debt Collections Expected to Trigger More Student Loan Scams May 29, 2025-"Beginning in June, tens of thousands of student loan borrowers who didn't make payments for quite some time are expected to start seeing less money in their monthly federal benefits checks, like Social Security, as serious debt collection tactics st...
Chalkbeat National: 100 Ways to Earn a Diploma May 28, 2025-"Did you know? 6 in 10. That’s how many colleges reported a noticeable slowdown in responsiveness from the Federal Student Aid office after Education Department layoffs, according to a survey by the National Association of Student Financial Aid...
How Will Trump’s Tariff Policies Impact College Students? May 27, 2025-"New tariffs could make the high cost of attending college even steeper by increasing the likelihood prices on essential items such as computers, food, clothing, housing and transportation will rise," Higher Ed Dive reports.
Department of Education Must Reinstate Terminated Staff, and Other Student Loan News May 27, 2025-"On May 22, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plans to dismantle the Department of Education by ordering the ED to reinstate recently-terminated staff members. The ruling coincides with a new study revealing the negat...
The Financial Aid System Is Changing. Here’s What College Students Need to Know May 27, 2025-"BestColleges spoke with Melanie Storey, the newly appointed CEO and president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, to learn how changes to the federal financial aid system could impact students," Best Colleges writes.
Republican Budget Bill Reforms Student Loan Repayment Options, Pell Grants May 26, 2025-"College students receiving federal aid and higher education institutions are set to face major changes to loan borrowing and repayments as early as July 2025, if President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' passes the Senate," The Center Squ...
California Community Colleges Battle Against the Bots May 23, 2025-"Faced with an ongoing swell of fraudulent applications and enrollments, the California Community College system is hotly debating what to do next to win their battle against bot “students” for good," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Here’s How Reduced ED Staffing Has Hurt Financial Aid Offices May 22, 2025-"College and university financial aid offices are strained, underequipped and slower at assisting students with FAFSA requests since the Trump administration cut staffing at the Department of Education," University Business reports.
Education Department Must Reinstate Nearly 1,400 Fired Workers May 22, 2025-"A federal judge on Thursday ordered the reinstatement of nearly 1,400 fired federal workers at the Education Department, delivering a major setback for President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency," The Washington Post repor...
Trump Administration Policies Creating ‘Chilling Effect’ on Smaller Colleges May 22, 2025-"The new president of American International College wants to increase enrollment by touting the school’s benefits, but she is watching what she says, careful not to anger President Donald Trump," Mass Live reports.
How to Pay for College Without Loans May 22, 2025-"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?" U.S. News & World Re...
Daily Briefing: Federal Student Aid Stumbles May 21, 2025-"When the U.S. Department of Education laid off half of its workers in March, Secretary Linda McMahon said the agency was committed to directing resources 'to students, parents, and teachers,'" The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Another ‘Breakdown’ in Federal Student Aid? May 21, 2025-"Financial aid professionals at colleges across the country say that this spring’s cuts at the Department of Education caused 'breakdowns' in the federal student aid system that could affect student aid processing this cycle, according to a new...
House GOP Wants to Put Colleges on the Hook for Unpaid Loans. How Would It Work? May 19, 2025-"Under a new accountability measure recently proposed as part of a larger House budget bill, colleges would have to pay millions of dollars each year to reimburse the government for their students’ unpaid loans," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Understanding the Latest at the Department of Education May 19, 2025-"There’s no shortage of news about the U.S. Department of Education these days—from an executive order proposing to eliminate the agency, to new proposals on Capitol Hill that could reshape federal aid programs, to upcoming regulatory cha...
Student Details Might Get Added Protection May 7, 2025-"State lawmakers are moving to protect student data as concerns mount that sensitive personal information shared in college financial aid forms could be used by federal authorities to target immigrant students," NJ Spotlight reports.
Student Loan Default: What to Know As Collections Restart May 6, 2025-"Some 42.7 million borrowers owe more than $1.6 trillion in student debt as of May 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Education," U.S. News & World Report writes.
Can the Trump Admin Use FAFSA Data for Immigration Enforcement? May 5, 2025-"The U.S. has entered a new age of data sharing as part of President Donald Trump’s deportation push, leaving some in higher education wondering if the administration will try to use federal financial aid application submissions for law enforce...
Republican Education Reform Bill: Reshaping Higher Education's Future May 5, 2025-"A seismic shift in federal higher education policy is on the horizon. The Republican-led House Education Committee has unveiled what many analysts call the most sweeping changes to student financial aid in decades," Forbes reports.
All About Public Service Loan Forgiveness May 5, 2025-"Public Service Loan Forgiveness, known as PSLF, has long drawn criticism because of high ineligibility rates fueled by strict and detailed requirements and miscommunication from loan providers," U.S. News & World Report writes.
Daily Briefing: The Big Bill Isn't So Beautiful for Colleges April 30, 2025-"President Trump hopes Congress can overcome razor-thin Republican majorities by slashing spending, cutting taxes, and rewriting policies in one 'big, beautiful bill,'" The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
How Republicans plan to shake up Pell grants and student loans April 29, 2025-"House Republicans are embarking on wholesale changes that could shake up the way students pay for college, advancing a conservative agenda to curtail the federal role in education financing," The Washington Post reports.
Republicans Propose Massive Overhaul of Student Loans, Pell Grants April 28, 2025-"Republicans in Congress are moving forward with a massive plan to overhaul how Americans pay for college. And they're hoping to make an end-run around Senate Democrats to do it," USA Today reports.
One Stop Student Service Center Aims to Help The New School’s Retention Rate Problem April 22, 2025-"The New School’s One Stop Student Service Center will be celebrating its second anniversary this June. The office aims to increase student retention and graduation rates by helping students navigate financial questions, according to One Stop d...
College financial aid hit with glitches, delays due to federal staffing cuts April 14, 2025-"The Education Department’s financial aid apparatus is cracking after the Trump administration imposed sweeping staff cuts, with some fearing that further deterioration could make it harder for students to secure the money they need to attend c...
GAO Calls for Federal Agencies to Do More to Close the SNAP Gap April 11, 2025-"A new Government Accountability Office report concludes that the Education and Agriculture Departments should be doing more to ensure college students receive federal food assistance," Inside Higher Ed reports.
Game Changer Student Loan Bill Would Slash Interest Rates To 2% April 9, 2025-"A new bipartisan proposal in Congress aims to slash interest rates on federal student loans to just 2%, a dramatic drop from the 6% to 9% rates that most borrowers have today," Forbes reports.
Sorry, Your Student Loan Debt Isn't Erased Because DOGE Accessed It April 8, 2025-"If you've scrolled through TikTok lately, you might have seen videos claiming you can get your student loans forgiven because Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency illegally accessed your student loan data," CNET report...
FAFSA Had Been Struggling for Years. Then Trump Cut the Education Department in Half April 6, 2025-"Families and students are growing nervous about the fate of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) amid President Trump’s massive cuts to the Department of Education and his plans to do away with it entirely," The Hill repor...
New Price Tag: Tuition Hikes Threaten Socioeconomic Diversity at Emory March 31, 2025-"A good-quality education can set graduates up for success well into their future — however, those top-tier degrees come with a high price, and Emory University is no exception," The Emory Wheel writes.
Is the FAFSA Poised for Another Fiasco? March 27, 2025-"Last year the financial aid world was thrown into chaos after a newly overhauled Free Application for Federal Student Aid launched with glaring technical errors and user issues. Now, government officials and financial aid professionals say the Trump...
SAVE Plan Blocked, But Education Department To Reopen Older Student Loan Plans March 26, 2025-"According to multiple reports, the U.S. Department of Education will soon reopen applications for particular income-driven repayment plans, ending a freeze that left millions of student loan borrowers in limbo," Forbes reports.
Immigrant Students’ Dilemma: Afford College Vs. Endanger Family March 26, 2025-"Some South Bay high school seniors have more on the line this spring than getting into the college of their choice. They’re facing a potentially life-changing decision — should they risk exposing their family’s immigration status w...
NASFAA Appoints Melanie Storey as President & CEO March 25, 2025-"Melanie Storey has been named the new President & CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), effective May 1, 2025. Her appointment ends a nine-month search after former President Justin Draeger resigned in...
Daily Briefing: Uncertainty Reigns March 25, 2025-"NASFAA taps former Education Dept. official: Melanie Storey directed policy implementation and oversight at the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office for the last five years, leading work on student-loan relief and the...
Daily Briefing: Columbia Bends the Knee March 24, 2025-"Since taking office, the Trump administration spent a lot of time showing how much it wants to shutter the U.S. Department of Education without saying exactly how officials plan to pull it off," The Chronicle of Higher Education repor...
Federal Student Loans Will Be Overseen by the Small Business Administration March 24, 2025-"Federal student loans will be overseen by the Small Business Administration, President Trump said on Friday. That would mean transferring a $1.7-trillion portfolio," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Navigating Announced Changes at the Department of Education March 24, 2025-"There are key changes to understand - in addition to President Trump’s executive order calling for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education," NBC DFW reports.
What Could Happen to Financial Aid Without the Department of Education March 24, 2025-"President Donald Trump has officially moved to dismantle the Department of Education, but said federal funding for core programs, including Pell Grants and student financial aid, will be unaffected," CNBC reports.
Trump Cleaves Student Loan and Special Education Services From Education Dept. March 21, 2025-"President Trump announced Friday that the Education Department would no longer manage the nation’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio or supervise “special needs” programs in a major shake-up of an agency he has sought to elimina...