NASFAA Urges ED to Confirm Funding Levels for Higher Education Programs
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
Now that Congress has completed its work on fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending levels by passing legislation to fund the federal government through September 30, NASFAA, along with over a dozen higher education organizations, led by the American Council on Education, sent a letter urging the Department of Education (ED) to confirm the funding levels for all higher education programs.
Earlier in March, Congress passed, and President Donald Trump signed into law, a continuing resolution (CR) that funds the federal government until September 30 at FY 2024 levels.
With the enactment of this spending bill, and amid the reduction in force (RIF) at ED and Trump’s executive order to dissolve the department, the letter sent on Monday requested ED confirm that federal student aid programs and all other higher education programs will be funded at FY 2024 levels, as intended by Congress in the CR.
The letter noted that earlier in March, institutions received a letter from acting Under Secretary James Bergeron, which mentioned that under ED’s RIF, funds for higher education programs will continue to “flow normally” and program functions will not be disrupted.
Furthermore, the organizations wrote that institutions are already packaging financial aid awards for the 2025-26 year, and it is crucial that institutions are certain of the Pell Grant maximum award. In late March, ED posted the final funding authorizations for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) programs.
“Without this information, incoming freshmen cannot make enrollment decisions for the fall, and returning students cannot be assured their aid will continue,” the letter reads. “This is particularly important given the chaos created during the delayed implementation of the new FAFSA at the beginning of the current award cycle.”
Additionally, institutions are already operating under the assumption that they’ll have the same level of federal grant funding as in FY 2024, and are in varying stages of the grant-making process, the letter highlighted. If there are any changes to federal funding amounts, institutions’ ability to provide program support would be hindered, the organizations stressed.
“With FY 2025 more than half over, it is critical that the Department provide funding for the current fiscal year that is consistent with FY 2024, as intended by Congress,” the letter reads. “We appreciate your attention to this matter and are eager to work with you and the Department to address this request.”
Publication Date: 4/9/2025
Lisa K | 4/10/2025 8:40:44 AM
I checked again this morning and the final authorizations are now posted.
Peter G | 4/9/2025 6:9:20 PM
I agree CB funding levels are urgent, even if that doesn't feel like the only unsettled question.
Notable Title III waiver processing is behind schedule as well, so that is making some of us nervous. I doubt we'll know if we have a match waiver or not til at least the end of May.
On another note, we're going to need to start planning for FVT/GE in the next month or so here and it would be good to have some sense of if that's actually happening.
Brice H | 4/9/2025 1:9:55 PM
We don't have our final funding levels yet. I logged into COD this morning and I have a statement of account that shows FWS and SEOG deposits for 2025-26 as of 4/9/25. Does anyone else have those?
Courtney H | 4/9/2025 12:3:50 PM
Final funding authorizations have not been posted.
David S | 4/9/2025 8:57:36 AM
One school after another is having millions of dollars that were appropriated by Congress arbitrarily revoked without due process, with even more threatened, because Donald Trump thinks they're too "woke." So far the funding has been research grants; don't get too comfortable that Title IV funding won't be subject to similar elimination on a school by school basis just because Trump thinks it would be good to use individual schools as examples of what happens when you don't align with his way of thinking. That this is totally illegal means nothing to him, and Republicans in Congress lack the courage to do anything about it.
Everyone's Office of General Counsel will have a very busy few years ahead.
Fight hard.
Mark R | 4/9/2025 8:37:14 AM
Our 25-26 Final Funding authorizations have not yet been posted either.
Audrey P | 4/9/2025 8:27:27 AM
We don't have final funding authorizations either!
Lisa K | 4/9/2025 8:19:24 AM
"In late March, ED posted the final funding authorizations for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) programs. "
As of this morning, we still do not have our final funding authorizations for campus-based aid.
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