ED Creates New Borrower Defense Portal in Partner Connect
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday announced that beginning in October, institutions will use a new Borrower Defense portal to respond to notifications from Federal Student Aid (FSA) related to borrower defense to repayment (BDR) applications.
Specifically, starting in October, institutions will use FSA Partner Connect to respond to notifications from FSA regarding borrower defense to repayment applications filed by former or current student borrowers through a new Borrower Defense portal. This portal is available through the FSA Partner Connect home page, and is meant for institutions to review cases, understand applicable regulation years, and upload evidence.
ED noted that it will update FSA Partner Connect to offer a new summary page for borrower defense cases, search and filter tools, improved functionality to review case details, and a “modernized approach to manage evidence.”
With the launch of this new portal, the department will host two webinars to help users understand and navigate the new functionality. The first webinar, on Wednesday, September 23, from 1-2:30 p.m. ET, is geared towards school administrators. The second webinar, on Thursday, September 24, from 1-2:30 p.m. ET, is geared towards third party servicers and district servicer organization administrators. Registration is not required to attend these webinars, and participation is capped up to 10,000 attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.
ED noted in its Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that it will also provide self-paced training materials to help users navigate the new portal in late September. Additionally, a recorded webinar will be available to watch in the FSA Training Center.
Publication Date: 9/14/2026
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