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OTC From the Field: Concerningly High Turnover Rates for Financial Aid Employees
September 29, 2023 - This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Andy Brantley, president and CEO at College & University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), to discuss findings from the latest iteration of th... -
Congress Faces Spending Impasse as Short-Term Fixes Face Obstacles in Both Chambers
September 27, 2023 - The annual appropriations cycle hit a significant snag last week that could prompt a government shutdown at the end of the month, as congressional leaders continue to grapple with how to craft a short-term spending deal that can clear both chambers w... -
ED Releases Final Rule on Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency Framework
September 27, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday released its final rule on gainful employment and its financial value transparency framework, with top department officials calling the new regulations a “revitalized and strengthened” version... -
OTC AskRegs Experts: All Things Repayment and the Not So Very Normal FAFSA Year
September 22, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss the latest details on the return to student loan repayment and highlight the nuances of a new FAFSA simplification term: “contributors.” Allie and Jill kick things off by running... -
Cassidy, Foxx Call for GAO Review of ED’s Work to Return Student Loan Borrowers to Repayment
September 22, 2023 - Two top-ranking Republican lawmakers are pressing the Department of Education (ED) for more details surrounding its planned resumption of student loan repayments this October, as well as the department’s work to provide clear and proper guidanc... -
OTC From the Field: All Things SAVE With Under Secretary James Kvaal
September 13, 2023 - This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal to discuss the administration's Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, a new income-driven repay... -
OTC Inside the Beltway: ‘Not the Rosiest Way to Start September’ - Big Questions on Federal Budget Negotiations
September 8, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to dig into the latest state of play surrounding the federal budgeting process. The team high... -
Webinar Explores Positive Impact College Advising Can Have for Under-Resourced Communities
September 7, 2023 - As policymakers ramp up their work on the annual federal budget, higher education advocates are looking to highlight how specific key investments can promote positive returns on investment for students, particularly those from low-income households. -
ED Discharges $72 Million in Student Loan Debt for Borrowers Who Attended Ashford University in California
August 31, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday announced it will cancel the federal student loans of 2,300 borrowers who enrolled in an online for-profit institution based in San Diego, California. The latest discharge would total $72 million and, per... -
Families Are Paying 11% More for College While FAFSA Submission Rates Remain Stable, New Report Finds
August 24, 2023 - An annual report from Sallie Mae® and Ipsos has highlighted the latest trends in college affordability for undergraduate students and their parents, and found that costs have risen, while FAFSA submission rates have stabilized following previous ... -
Meet the New Certified Financial Aid Administrator® Commission Chair, Craig Slaughter, FAAC®
August 22, 2023 - For Craig Slaughter, FAAC®, financial aid has been more than just an occupation — it's been a profession deeply committed to the continuation of learning. As the director of financial aid at Kenyon College, Slaughter is curren... -
ED Unveils New Resources on Usage of Race-Conscious Admissions Policies
August 15, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Monday unveiled new resources to help postsecondary institutions pursue efforts to achieve student diversity, while lawfully complying with the United States Supreme Court’s decision that struck down race-con... -
Update: Senate Appropriators Detail 2024 Spending Bill
July 31, 2023 - The Senate Appropriations committee released the official text of its spending plan, which provides more details as to how the chamber’s bipartisan legislation seeks to allocate funding for the Department of Education’s (ED) programs for ... -
Biden Administration Launches Beta Application for New Student Loan Repayment Plan
July 30, 2023 - The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) this weekend quietly launched the beta application for student loan borrowers to enroll in its new income-driven repayment plan (IDR), dubbed the “Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE)” plan. -
Senate 2024 Spending Plan Would Boost Maximum Pell Grant
July 28, 2023 - The Senate Appropriations committee on Thursday unveiled its annual spending plan, which contains $79.6 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education (ED), and subsequently advanced the proposal out of the full committee by a vote ... -
‘This Is an All-Hands-on-Deck Situation’ – ED Hosts National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
July 27, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday hosted a day-long summit exploring the ways in which higher education can promote diversity, ensure equal opportunity, and reduce barriers for students entering postsecondary education. The event comes on... -
ED Discharges $130 Million in Student Loan Debt for Borrowers Who Attended CollegeAmerica in Colorado
July 26, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced it will cancel the federal student loans of 7,400 borrowers who enrolled at CollegeAmerica’s Colorado-based locations between Jan. 1, 2006 to July 1, 2020. The discharge would total $130 mil... -
House Republicans’ 2024 Budget Proposal Looks to Slash Education Spending
July 17, 2023 - The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday forwarded its fiscal year 2024 spending plan to the full appropriations committee. The bill contains an overall request of $... -
OTC Inside the Beltway: The SCOTUS Recap
July 14, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin and Rachel are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to recap the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that struck down race-conscious admiss... -
NASFAA Virtual Conference Highlight: Kvaal Outlines ED’s Agenda Following SCOTUS Rulings and Details Upcoming Regulatory Framework
July 12, 2023 - The Department of Education's (ED) top higher education official, Under Secretary James Kvaal, on Tuesday gave the keynote address at NASFAA’s 2023 Virtual Conference, giving a glimpse into the department’s latest actions that will direct... -
Federal Court Blocks ED’s New Borrower Defense Regulations for Some Texas Schools
July 5, 2023 - A federal court late on Friday partially blocked the Department of Education’s (ED) final rules on borrower defense to repayment from taking effect. The final rules were slated to go into effect on July 1, but a three judge panel sided with a T... -
SCOTUS Blocks Biden’s Student Loan Debt Cancellation Program
June 30, 2023 - The United States Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of a challenge to President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation program, halting the administration from carrying out its executive action that would cancel up to $20,000 in federa... -
Biden Outlines Next Steps for Student Debt Cancellation and Repayment Plans
June 30, 2023 - Despite a fatal blow from the United States Supreme Court, President Joe Biden doubled down on his efforts to carry out his student loan debt cancellation program on Friday and announced that the Department of Education (ED) would instead pursue impl... -
Supreme Court Strikes Down Race-Conscious Admissions Policies
June 29, 2023 - The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Thursday ruled that race can not be considered in college and university admissions, striking down more than 40 years of precedent in a move that will also impact how some postsecondary student financial aid is awar... -
Reminder: SCOTUS Decision on Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation Program Imminent
June 28, 2023 - The United States Supreme Court’s highly anticipated ruling on President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation program is expected to be released as soon as this Thursday. The two central issues stem from whether the plaintiffs ... -
Analysts Outline 5 Alternatives to Race-Conscious College Admission Policies Ahead of SCOTUS Decision
June 27, 2023 - This week the United States Supreme Court is expected to issue a highly anticipated ruling that will determine the future of the legitimacy and usage of race-conscious admission policies. In preparing for the court’s decision, the Urban In... -
House Fails to Override Biden’s Veto of Legislation to Repeal Debt Cancellation Program
June 23, 2023 - The House on Wednesday was unable to override President Joe Biden’s veto of a resolution seeking to overturn his administration’s student loan forgiveness plan and immediately end the pause on federal student loan payments. In order to ov... -
House Republicans Unveil Package Seeking to Improve the Student Loan Program
June 20, 2023 - A group of House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a new piece of legislation and proposed their alternative framework to President Joe Biden’s efforts to overhaul the student loan portfolio. -
Lawmakers Discuss Best Practices for Innovation in Higher Ed
June 15, 2023 - Although the higher education landscape looks very different than it did 15 years ago, many of its systems and practices are outdated — including the central governing law, the Higher Education Act (HEA), which is now 10 years overdue to be rea... -
OTC AskRegs Experts: Deep Dive on Proposed GE Regs and Removal of Housing Question on FAFSA
June 9, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David cover the latest developments concerning the Department of Education’s roll-out of its proposed gainful employment regulations and financial value transparency framework, as well as the remova... -
Parent PLUS Loans and Black Borrowers: Two Generations Saddled With Student Loan Debt for One Degree
June 8, 2023 - The Parent PLUS loan program has faced increased scrutiny in recent years and now a new brief is highlighting how the plan can have a disproportionately negative financial impact on Black parents who take out such loans for their children’s edu... -
Biden Vetoes Effort to Rescind His Administration’s Debt Cancellation Program
June 7, 2023 - President Joe Biden on Wednesday formally vetoed the resolution that would overturn his administration’s student loan forgiveness plan and immediately end the pause on federal student loan payments. -
SoFi Drops Lawsuit Challenging Student Loan Repayment Pause
June 6, 2023 - SoFi, a personal financing company that oversees student loan refinancing products, on Monday announced it is dropping its lawsuit against the Department of Education (ED). -
President Biden Signs Debt Ceiling Legislation Into Law: Prevents Default and Codifies Impending End of the Student Loan Payment Pause
June 5, 2023 - Over the weekend uncertainty surrounding the looming debt ceiling limit was averted with the bipartisan effort to prevent default making its way to the White House. The Senate cleared the House’s bipartisan legislation by a vote of 63-36 o... -
Senate Advances Bid to Overturn Biden’s Student Loan Debt Cancellation Plan
June 2, 2023 - The Senate on Thursday cleared a resolution that would overturn President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan and end the pause on federal student loan payments, and now heads to the White House for an expected presidential veto. -
OTC Inside the Beltway: Wrapping Up the Debt Ceiling and the Latest on Student Loan Debt Cancellation
June 2, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Rachel joins Justin and Karen to discuss some breaking news on the Hill concerning the debt ceiling and congressional efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan. The team starts ou... -
House Passes Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal That Would End Student Loan Payment Pause
June 1, 2023 - The House on Wednesday evening passed a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling and address future spending levels, all but staving off the potential consequences of a default on the national debt. The package also contains a provision that would c... -
Report: State Funding Up Nearly 5% for Higher Ed, But Concern Remains for Future Levels of Investment
May 30, 2023 - For the first time since the 2008 Great Recession state funding for public higher education surpassed pre-recession funding levels per-student, with an increase of 4.9% in appropriations. -
Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal Contains Provision to Restart Student Loan Repayments
May 30, 2023 - President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) over the weekend agreed to a proposal that would raise the debt ceiling and address future spending levels. The bill text also contains a provision that would codify the Biden administra... -
House Republicans Open Investigation Into Biden Administration’s Borrower Defense Settlement
May 25, 2023 - A pair of House Republican leaders are accusing the Biden administration of seeking to “hijack” federal courts in order to advance a borrower defense settlement, and have launched an investigation into the Department of Education’s ... -
House Passes Bill to Rescind Student Loan Debt Cancellation Plan
May 25, 2023 - The House by a vote of 218-203 advanced legislation that would overturn President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan and end the pause on federal student loan payments. -
ED Releases Draft Pell Grant Look-Up Tables for 2024-25
May 22, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Friday released its Pell Grant look-up tables for award year 2024-25, which help determine if a student may be eligible for a maximum or minimum grant. -
OTC AskRegs Experts: Federal Work-Study and Murky COVID Flexibility
May 19, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss recent developments related to the Federal Work-Study program and how financial aid professionals can navigate the wind-down of COVID flexibilities. Jill details a recent information collect... -
ED to Publish Proposed Rule on Gainful Employment and New Information Collection
May 18, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday unveiled a forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an overhaul of gainful employment, with top department officials calling the regulations the “strongest-ever” safeguard for stud... -
House Hearing Focuses on ED’s FY 24 Budget Proposal and Committee Oversight Efforts
May 17, 2023 - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona spent Tuesday offering hours of testimony to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to justify the Department of Education's (ED) budget request for fiscal year 2024 and responded to questions that delve... -
FSA: Consent Revocation Not Necessary for FAFSA
May 15, 2023 - On Friday Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that the consent revocation process is not necessary for FAFSA purposes. The announcement follows comments NASFAA submitted to the Department of Education (ED) questioning the need for ED to create a cons... -
Vulnerable Student Loan Borrowers at Risk of Missing Out on IDR Benefits
May 15, 2023 - Student loan debt relief has been a top priority for the Department of Education (ED), with the Biden administration pushing for a host of changes aimed at improving borrowers’ experience. But the borrowers who could benefit most from some of t... -
OTC Inside the Beltway: The Debt Ceiling
May 12, 2023 - This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss the implications of the ongoing negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling and how ... -
GAO Determines FSA Had Adequate Processes to Comply With CARES Act Guidance
May 11, 2023 - A new report out of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Federal Student Aid (FSA) had “adequate processes” for implementing provisions outlined in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. According... -
Student Loan Interest Rates for 2023-24 Award Year Set to Increase
May 11, 2023 - Interest rates are determined each June 1 for the upcoming award year by adding a fixed percentage to the high yield of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the final auction prior to June 1. As a result of yesterday’s auction, the interest r... -
Panel Highlights Landscape of Student Loan Default as Clock Runs Out on Repayment Pause
May 8, 2023 - The impending wind down of the three-plus year payment pause on federally-held student loans is prompting higher education experts to warn policymakers that more investments are needed in order to stem off a rise in borrowers defaulting on their stud... -
NASFAA Task Force Rolls Out Report and Detailed Toolkit in Preparation of Student Loan Repayment Restart
May 8, 2023 - The COVID-19 pandemic upended nearly every sector of the economy — including the student loan portfolio, where monthly payments and interest accrual on federal student loans have been paused since March of 2020. In order to prepare for the logi... -
With a Focus on Improving College Access, New Paper Highlights Ways to Alleviate Barriers to FAFSA Completion
May 8, 2023 - As the Department of Education (ED) continues its efforts to roll out a simplified FAFSA application this December for the 2024-25 application cycle, a new paper draws focus to the barriers that students face when applying for federal financial aid. -
Bipartisan Group of House Members Introduce Tax Free Pell Grant Act
May 1, 2023 - On Friday a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Ways and Means Committee reintroduced the Tax Free Pell Grant Act, which would seek to remove logistical barriers that prevent students from accessing tax credits that they may be eligible for ... -
OTC From the Field: A Conversation on Higher Education Policymaking With Rep. Bobby Scott
April 28, 2023 - This week on a special episode of “Off the Cuff,” Justin is joined by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a discussion on the latest issues impacting the higher education pol... -
Average Tuition Discounting Rates at Private Institutions Hit New Record High, NACUBO Report Finds
April 26, 2023 - The 2022 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study, released on Monday, found that the majority of private colleges and universities clear the 50% mark in their tuition discount rates. -
Cardona Takes Aim at House GOP Debt Limit Proposal
April 26, 2023 - As House Republicans move this week to shore up votes on their debt limit legislation, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is urging lawmakers to abandon the proposal, arguing that the budget cuts could impose a potentially “grim reality” ... -
House Passes GOP Debt Limit Plan
April 26, 2023 - House Republicans on Wednesday passed their debt limit legislation in a party-line vote of 217-215. The bill underwent some last minute changes on Wednesday in order to shore up support among conservative members, but retained its higher education pr... -
House Republicans Unveil Debt Limit Legislation Targeting Biden’s Student Loan Policies
April 20, 2023 - House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday formally unveiled the GOP’s highly anticipated proposal to address the debt limit, seeking to push President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats into negotiations over future spending level... -
Debt Limit Talks Take Center Stage as House Appropriators Question Cardona on ED’s 2024 Budget Properties
April 19, 2023 - Speaking before members of the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) Subcommittee on Tuesday, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urged lawmakers to support the Department of Education’s... -
New Report Details FAFSA Simplification’s Impact on Student Financial Aid
April 18, 2023 - The rollout of FAFSA simplification is slated to be one of Federal Student Aid’s (FSA) biggest priorities for the upcoming year that will have profound effects on student aid. In a new report published Monday, Phillip Levine, a nonresident fell... -
ED and FSA See Staffing Declines and Dip in ‘Best Places to Work in the Federal Government’ Rankings
April 14, 2023 - The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) was ranked the 318th best place to work in the federal government out of 432 subcomponent agencies in 2022, according to the annual calculations by the Partnership for Public Service and the Boston Consulting G... -
FSA Reminds College Presidents to Adequately Staff, Train, and Provide Resources to Aid Offices Ahead of Significant Changes to the FAFSA
April 12, 2023 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) in a letter to college presidents, chancellors, and chief executive officers is reminding institutions of higher education about the significant overhauls set to impact the financial aid system in the upcoming academic year,... -
Student Loan Payment Pause Faces New Legal Challenge
April 11, 2023 - A new lawsuit is seeking to upend the Department of Education’s (ED) continuation of the pause on federal student loan payments and interest accrual, arguing that all of the department’s approved extensions lack authority. -
GOP Questions ED’s Oversight of Foreign Gift Reporting Compliance
April 7, 2023 - House Republicans on Wednesday sent a letter to the Department of Education (ED) seeking budgeting details into the department’s operations and enforcement activities concerning foreign gift reporting. -
Scholarship Available for Institutions Supporting Students in Financial Distress
April 5, 2023 - Financial hardships, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic, are a significant obstacle to students continuing their program of study. Recognizing this hurdle, the Ellucian Foundation is again offering the Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hop... -
ED Urges Institutions to Enroll Eligible Students in SNAP Before Emergency Declaration Expires
March 31, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday released a memo to remind institutions of higher education that the ongoing national emergency declarations tied to the coronavirus pandemic will end on May 11, and that schools should use the winddown per... -
OTC Inside the Beltway: Working Through the FAFSA Roadmap and the White House Budget Request
March 31, 2023 - This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss the road map for the Department of Education’s 2024-25 FAFSA release, and Pr... -
Senate Republicans Want to Overturn Biden’s Student Debt Cancellation Plan
March 20, 2023 - Republicans are turning to a new legislative tool in an effort to rescind President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan, which is currently stalled as the United States Supreme Court considers lawsuits challenging the program. -
OTC From the Field: Making Sense of Accountability Metrics in Higher Ed
March 17, 2023 - This week on a special episode of “Off the Cuff,” Justin is joined by Michael Itzkowitz, the former director of the College Scorecard under the Obama administration, in a wide-ranging discussion focused on data and accountability metrics ... -
FSA Announces Latest Institutional Oversight Tool: Secret Shoppers
March 15, 2023 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Tuesday announced that it will utilize secret shoppers to evaluate recruitment, enrollment, financial aid, and other postsecondary program practices, in order to ensure that schools are not conducting predatory or decepti... -
NASFAA Urges FSA to Consider Action Plan for Upcoming FAFSA Rollout
March 15, 2023 - NASFAA joined seven other higher education organizations in a letter urging Federal Student Aid (FSA) to consider a number of recommendations should the Department of Education (ED) launch the FAFSA later than its typical October 1 release date. -
CBO Estimates $230 Billion for Biden’s Proposed Income-Driven Repayment Changes
March 14, 2023 - The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Monday unveiled an analysis of President Joe Biden’s proposed changes to the income-driven repayment (IDR) program and estimated that the administration’s adjustments would cost the federal governm... -
Scott Reintroduces House Democrats’ Plan Seeking to Lower College Costs
March 13, 2023 - While President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan remains in limbo with the United States Supreme Court, House Democrats are doubling down on their own proposal seeking to address the underlying flaws in the student loan system. R... -
OTC AskRegs Experts: FAFSA Simplification Surveys and Making Sense of Payment Periods
March 10, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss highlights from NASFAA’s FAFSA Simplification Implementation Working Group and cover some important details concerning late disbursements and retroactive payments. Jill dives into a pa... -
FAFSA Completion Trends Show ‘Sunny’ Trajectory
March 8, 2023 - The high school class of 2023 is continuing to deliver positive FAFSA completion trends, thanks in part to state initiatives that are requiring students to complete the application. -
SoFi Sues to End Student Loan Payment Pause
March 7, 2023 - A personal financing company that oversees student loan refinancing products is suing the Department of Education (ED) to immediately end the ongoing freeze on federal student loan repayments and interest accrual — only for borrowers who are no... -
ED Issues Updated Personal Liability Guidance for Financially ‘Risky’ Institutions
March 3, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday announced that it would be taking steps to hold leaders of private colleges personally liable for debts owed to the department when they fail to operate in a financially responsible manner. -
SCOTUS Hears Lengthy Oral Arguments on Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation Program
March 1, 2023 - The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday heard heavily anticipated legal arguments in which the Biden administration laid out its justification of the president’s student loan debt cancellation program while the opposing parties in two cases ... -
Q&A With Gail Holt, Chair of the FAFSA Simplification Implementation Working Group
February 22, 2023 - With the FAFSA Simplification Implementation Working Group’s efforts well under way, chair Gail Holt spoke with NASFAA about the group’s work and the roadmap ahead for FAFSA simplification. The purpose of the FAFSA Simplific... -
OTC From the Field: A Conversation on Higher Ed Policymaking With Rep. Virginia Foxx
February 17, 2023 - This week on a special episode of “Off the Cuff,” Justin is joined by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a conversation that focuses on the policymaking landscape for higher ... -
ED Solicits Feedback on Incentive Compensation and Updates Third-Party Servicer Guidance
February 16, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday announced that it will be reviewing the bundled services exception to the incentive compensation ban in current guidance and also issued updated guidance seeking to provide clarity on what entities are co... -
OTC Voices From the Aid Office: NASFAA National Chair Brad Barnett
February 10, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA’s 2022-23 National Chair Brad Barnett, FAAC®, associate vice president for access and enrollment management/director of financial aid and scholarships at James Madison University, to k... -
Higher Ed Affordability and Opportunities for Short-Term Pell Take Center Stage in House Education Panel Hearing
February 9, 2023 - The House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Wednesday held its first hearing of the new session, which included an extensive conversation on how Congress can work to improve access, accountability, and affordability within the higher educat... -
Rebuking Biden’s Debt Cancellation Program, Congressional Republicans File Amicus Briefs With SCOTUS
February 8, 2023 - Republicans have filed a pair of amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to detail the ways in which President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation program would be an overreach of executive authority. -
In State of the Union Address, Biden Calls for Restoring Education as ‘Affordable Ticket to the Middle Class’
February 8, 2023 - President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday night was centered on a message of “unity” and detailed the administration’s top priorities for the newly divided Congress. -
Top Republicans Press ED on IDR Proposal and Urge for Extension of Comment Period
February 7, 2023 - The top Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate education committees are voicing their opposition to the Department of Education’s (ED) recently unveiled draft income-driven repayment (IDR) regulations, and are calling on the department to... -
Biden Administration Details How HEERF Aid Assisted an Estimated 18 Million Students
February 2, 2023 - The White House on Wednesday unveiled a new fact sheet and report detailing how the administration’s pandemic relief has provided an estimated 18 million students with direct financial aid since the start of 2021. -
House Democrats Introduce Bill Aimed at Easing Transition Back Into Student Loan Repayment
February 1, 2023 - Congressional Democrats have unveiled new legislation seeking to ease student loan borrowers' transition into resuming repayments on their student loans, which is now expected to resume no later than June 30, 2023. -
Biden to End Pandemic’s Emergency Declaration on May 11. Here’s What It Means for Financial Aid
February 1, 2023 - President Joe Biden on Monday announced that the White House will end the ongoing national emergency declarations tied to the coronavirus pandemic on May 11. The administration has used the authority granted by the emergency powers as justification f... -
New Paper Examines How Colleges Can Help Close the ‘SNAP Gap’ for Students
January 31, 2023 - Nearly 1 in 3 college students are struggling to meet their basic food needs, and a new issue paper is looking to help identify the ways in which policymakers and institutions can better ensure that vulnerable families have access to programs that pr... -
House Republicans Unveil Updated Short-Term Pell Legislation
January 30, 2023 - Republican leaders on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce unveiled legislation that would allow students enrolled in certain short-term programs to qualify for Workforce Pell Grants. The measure, Promoting Employment and Lifelong Learn... -
FSA Annual Report Highlights Student Loan Repayment Pause and Cancellation, Calls for Reforms to Increase Equity
January 27, 2023 - The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Monday released its annual performance report which included details on a wide range of topics, such as the student loan portfolio, employee engagement, data protection and cybersecurity, and updates on its ... -
Independent Audit Flags ‘Material Weakness’ in ED’s Most Recent Budget Estimates for Student Loan Cancellation
January 27, 2023 - President Joe Biden’s student loan debt relief plan has come under increased scrutiny from an annual audit of the Department of Education’s (ED) finances. The audit, conducted by KPMG, an independent certified public accounting firm contr... -
Policy Experts Discuss Data Needs for Students Looking to Make Sense of Postsecondary Finances
January 26, 2023 - Data doesn’t lie, but like many facets of the financial aid process, it can be complicated by the ways in which it is aggregated, reported, and presented to students. A group of policy experts convened on Wednesday to share their thoughts on th... -
Meet Edgar Martinez, 2022-23 Diversity Leadership Program Class
January 25, 2023 - Meet Edgar Martinez. Throughout his career in higher education Edgar has continually felt a passion for empowering students to succeed, with a particular emphasis on improving accessibility to low-income, first-generation, and historically disadvanta... -
In Annual Call to Action, Cardona Urges for Bipartisan Investment in Education
January 25, 2023 - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday detailed his priorities for the Department of Education (ED) for the upcoming year, urging policymakers to put partisan politics aside and treat education funding like an issue of national security. -
ED’s Office of Inspector General Finds FSA Missing Key Steps in Next Gen Initiative
January 20, 2023 - A review of Federal Student Aid’s (FSA) transition to the Next Generation Loan Servicing Environment, has found that the agency is not performing key steps or following best practices in implementing the transition. -
OTC AskRegs Experts: Hey ChatGPT, Can You Draft This Week’s Podcast Title?
January 20, 2023 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin, Jill, and David put the latest artificial intelligence (AI) software to the test and cover the nuance of “unusual circumstances” for FAFSA simplification. Jill kicked things off with a recap of how Cha... -
NASFAA Mourns the Loss of Edson Sample
January 18, 2023 - It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Edson W. Sample, a longtime director of financial aid at Indiana University, a "founding father" of NASFAA, and a long-standing mentor to many leaders and members of the association. -
Watchdog Report Finds ED Lacking in Recent Efforts to Combat College Misrepresentation
January 18, 2023 - The Department of Education’s (ED) efforts to crack down on colleges making false or misleading statements about their programs have been stymied in recent years, with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) citing the agency’s reorgan... -
Q&A With Celena Tulloss, FAAC®, Chair of the Federal Work-Study Task Force
January 11, 2023 - With the Federal Work-Study Task Force’s work now under way, chair Celena Tulloss, FAAC®, spoke with NASFAA about the task force’s upcoming plans. The purpose of the Federal Work-Study Task Force is to examine what chang... -
Foxx Returns to Lead House Education Committee
January 10, 2023 - On Monday, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) was selected by her colleagues to helm the gavel on the House Education and Labor Committee. Prior to the midterm election Foxx, who has previously served as chair of the Education and the Workforce Committee &m... -
ED to Publish Proposed Rule on Income-Driven Repayment, Previews Gainful Employment Changes
January 10, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday unveiled a forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an overhaul of income-driven repayment (IDR), with top department officials detailing additional accountability efforts being rolled out as a ... -
New Congress Could Seek to End Biden’s Pandemic Flexibilities, With Impacts for Higher Ed
January 6, 2023 - President Joe Biden could be forced to issue his first presidential veto in the coming months should the new Congress successfully terminate the national emergency declaration tied to the coronavirus pandemic, which the administration has used as jus... -
ED Outlines Agenda for Its 2023 Regulatory Roadmap
January 6, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) announced that it will embark on a series of negotiated rulemaking sessions this spring that will dive into eight postsecondary regulatory topics. -
Biden Signs FY 2023 Budget Into Law With Increases to Pell Grants and Student Aid
December 30, 2022 - President Joe Biden formally signed the year-end omnibus package into law, staving off a government shutdown and completing the budget cycle for fiscal year 2023. The law, signed on December 29, allocates $79.6 billion to the Department of Education ... -
2022 Year in Review: NASFAA’s Policy, Grant, and Advocacy Efforts
December 22, 2022 - NASFAA continued to adapt in its policy, research, and advocacy efforts in 2022. By continuing to hold both virtual and in-person events, such as the Advocacy Pipeline with Capitol Hill staffers, the policy and federal relations team made strides in ... -
Congress Unveils Sprawling Fiscal Year 2023 Spending Bill With $500 Maximum Pell Grant Boost
December 21, 2022 - Congressional appropriators early on Tuesday formally unveiled their $1.7 trillion package that would fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year 2023 budget cycle. Lawmakers are expected to work throughout the week to pass the bill ahea... -
MVP Kathy Bialk, FAAC®
December 20, 2022 - Meet Kathy Bialk, FAAC®. Kathy got her start in financial aid after a short stint as a residence life director, which helped her find an open position in a financial aid office. "After graduating from college and then taking a ... -
Congress Considers Weeklong Extension of Government Funding to Prep Year-End Omnibus
December 16, 2022 - Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are currently making their way through what appears to be a final short-term extension for government funding as negotiators seek to wrap up stalled spending levels for fiscal year 2023 by as soon as next week. The latest sp... -
Q&A With Justin Chase Brown, Chair of the Staffing and Benchmarking Task Force
December 12, 2022 - With the Staffing and Benchmarking Task Force’s work now under way, chair Justin Chase Brown spoke with NASFAA about the task force’s upcoming plans. The purpose of the Staffing and Benchmarking Task Force is to determine wh... -
New Report Shows Equity Divide in Student Loan Default Patterns
December 8, 2022 - While many borrowers are still experiencing a reprieve from monthly student loan payments, as the ongoing federal student loan moratorium enters its third year, new data is showing concerning trends in default patterns. The Urban Institute recently r... -
Foxx Obtains Waiver to Lead House Education Committee
December 8, 2022 - On Wednesday Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), currently the ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee, received a waiver from her Republican colleagues that she will need in order to return to her leadership position on the panel during t... -
2022 Year in Review: The 10 Most Downloaded “Off The Cuff” Episodes
December 5, 2022 - NASFAA's weekly policy podcast, "Off The Cuff," reached tens of thousands of listeners in 2022, keeping members up to date on all things related to financial aid and higher education amid a busy year full of changes and challenges. Check out the top ... -
OTC From the Field: One Step Closer to the Metaverse? Let’s Talk About the FSA Virtual Conference
December 2, 2022 - This week on a special edition of “Off the Cuff” Justin is joined by Karen, Jackie Cottom, NASFAA’s instructional content specialist, and Tony Erwin, FAAC®, Blue Icon’s principal consultant, to break down their impressions... -
Kvaal Updates Financial Aid Professionals on ED’s Affordability and Accountability Agenda
December 2, 2022 - On day three of the Federal Student Aid (FSA) annual training conference, the Department of Education's (ED) top higher education official, Under Secretary James Kvaal, provided an update on how the department plans to prioritize its commitment to im... -
ED Officials Share Regulatory, Programmatic Updates as Annual Training Conference Convenes
November 30, 2022 - Financial aid professionals across the country again gathered — albeit virtually — for the Office of Federal Student Aid’s (FSA) annual training conference, which kicked off on Tuesday. Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray welcom... -
FSA Identifies FAFSA Renewal Issue
November 28, 2022 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) has acknowledged an issue causing an error message for some applicants who are trying to access their 2023-24 FAFSA renewal form. In recent weeks, applicants have reported instances in which they have received an error messa... -
White House Announces Another Extension of Student Loan Payment Pause as Cancellation Plans Face Legal Challenges
November 23, 2022 - The White House is providing a new roadmap to the restarting of federal student loan repayments and interest accrual now that the administration’s debt cancellation program is stalled by a pair of legal challenges. -
FSA Unveils 2024-25 Draft Student Aid Index and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide
November 22, 2022 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Monday released the 2024-25 Draft Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide, which contains details about the transition from the expected family contribution (EFC) to SAI and the methodology for determinin... -
OTC From the Field: Making Sense of the Midterm Elections and What Comes Next for Higher Ed
November 18, 2022 - This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Lanae Erickson, senior vice president for social policy & politics at Third Way, to sort through the impact that last week’s midterm elections will have on hi... -
Court Rulings Complicate Future of Student Loan Cancellation, End of Payment Pause and Return to Repayment
November 15, 2022 - President Joe Biden’s plans for student loan cancellation, as well as his decision to end the pause on federally-held student loan payments and interest accrual, have been complicated by legal challenges over the last few days. -
Watchdog Finds ED Lacking a Decade’s Worth of Reporting on Experimental Site Initiative
November 14, 2022 - For more than a decade the Department of Education (ED) has failed to provide Congress with more than a dozen Experimental Sites Initiative (ESI) reporting requirements, according to a report recently released by the department’s Office of Insp... -
Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden's Debt Cancellation Plan
November 11, 2022 - A federal judge on Thursday struck down President Joe Biden's student loan debt cancellation program, declaring the action an "unconstitutional exercise of Congress's legislative power." The ruling, coming from a court case in Texas, further complica... -
OTC AskRegs Experts: A Blizzard of New Regulations, FAFSA Simplification Guidance, and a Quick Debrief on Midterm Elections
November 10, 2022 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin, Jill, and David discuss the latest news coming out of the Department of Education (ED) with updates on how the department will implement provisions from the FAFSA Simplification Act for the 2023-24 award year and ... -
How the Midterms Could Shift Congress’ Higher Ed Leadership
November 7, 2022 - The results of tomorrow’s highly anticipated midterm elections will have significant implications for Congress as a whole — as well as its education panels, which could see change in their leadership. While much of the congressional jocke... -
ED Drafting Guidance on Implementation of FAFSA Simplification Items for 2023-24
November 4, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Friday formally gave notice that it will be implementing several provisions of the FAFSA Simplification Act that were authorized for implementation for the 2023-24 award year. Congress required ED in technical revi... -
Blocked by Injunction, Biden Said He’s Ready to Approve 16 Million Student Loan Cancellation Applications
November 4, 2022 - President Joe Biden rounded out the week making speeches and attending last-minute rallies aimed at bolstering congressional Democrats’ campaigns, and used remarks to home in on his student loan debt cancellation program, which is currently bei... -
ED Issues Final Rules on Borrower Defense, Closed School Discharges, Total and Permanent Disability Discharges, Interest Capitalization, False Certification, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness
November 1, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Monday announced highly anticipated final rules on a number of issues, including the contentious borrower defense to repayment regulations, which aim to create an easier path for borrowers defrauded by their instit... -
ED Issues Final Rules on 90/10 Rule, Prison Education Programs, and Change in Ownership
October 28, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday announced final rules for the 90/10 rule for for-profit colleges, Pell Grant Eligibility for Prison Education Programs (PEP), and procedures for institutions undergoing changes in ownership. -
GAO Issues 14 Recommendations for FSA’s Delayed Implementation of Next Gen Initiative
October 27, 2022 - The effort to modernize Federal Student Aid (FSA) technology and operations has proven to be a time-consuming and costly process, as evidenced by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) providing more than a dozen recommendations for FSA to consid... -
With Limited PSLF Waiver Approaching Expiration, ED Details Future of Forgiveness Programs
October 26, 2022 - Top Department of Education (ED) officials on Tuesday provided an update on one-time account adjustments to address servicer errors that resulted in incorrect payment counts toward time-based loan forgiveness under income-driven repayment (IDR) plans... -
Biden Says 22 Million Borrowers Have Applied for Debt Cancellation
October 24, 2022 - President Joe Biden on Friday took to Delaware State University to deliver remarks on his student loan debt relief program, where he re-iterated the parameters of the plan and said that roughly 22 million borrowers have applied for the relief. Biden ... -
OTC AskRegs Experts: FAFSA Simplification and Debt Cancellation — ED’s Dueling Priorities
October 21, 2022 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin, Jill, and David discuss the rollout of FAFSA simplification provisions and the basics surrounding the administration’s debt cancellation application. Jill details the Department of Education’s (ED) pla... -
MVP Jacquelyn LeSueur
October 18, 2022 - Meet Jacquelyn LeSueur. Jacquelyn got her start in financial aid shortly after completing her bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University and working as an administrative assistant at the University of Tennessee Health Science C... -
Preliminary FAFSA Data Shows Encouraging Completion Trends
October 17, 2022 - It’s early in the process, but with the 2023-24 FAFSA cycle officially underway, completion data is starting to roll in — with some potentially positive signs for higher education enrollment. In the latest dataset for this cycle, compiled... -
Biden Launches Official Application for Student Debt Cancellation
October 17, 2022 - President Joe Biden on Monday announced that the Department of Education’s (ED) application for student loan cancellation is open and ready for eligible borrowers to fill out. According to the administration, over 8 million borrowers utilized t... -
Marketing Deals Between Colleges and Financial Institutions Garner CFPB and ED Scrutiny
October 14, 2022 - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Thursday published a new report detailing how partnerships between a small set of financial institutions and colleges and universities have promoted products that have garnered higher than necessary ... -
ED Publishes Notice Detailing Authority to Carry Out Student Debt Relief
October 13, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday unveiled an official notice detailing its authority to carry out President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan. -
White House Provides Detailed Preview of Student Loan Debt Cancellation Application
October 11, 2022 - The White House on Tuesday published a detailed preview of the application to receive student loan debt cancellation, highlighting what the site will look like as well as all the information a borrower can expect to submit. -
OTC Inside the Beltway: Legal Challenges Look to Create Roadblocks for Debt Cancellation
October 7, 2022 - This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's assistant vice president for government relations, to discuss the Department of Education’s planned rollout of student loan debt cance... -
National Cohort Default Rate Plummets Amid Pandemic Payment Pause
October 4, 2022 - The national cohort default rate (CDR) for federal student loans that entered repayment in fiscal year (FY) 2019 dropped significantly, falling to 2.3% from 7.3% for loans that entered repayment in FY 2018, according to data released by the Departmen... -
Biden Signs Short-Term Spending Bill for Fiscal Year 2023
October 3, 2022 - Over the weekend, President Joe Biden signed a continuing resolution that will keep the government funded through December 16, offering Congress additional time to work through spending levels for fiscal year 2023 following the midterm elections. Con... -
First Legal Challenge Falters as Conservatives Look for a Way to Halt Biden’s Debt Cancellation Plan
October 3, 2022 - A federal judge on Thursday determined that the first legal challenge to President Joe Biden’s student debt cancellation plan would not bring irreparable harm to a borrower who argued that the automatic discharge could result in an unintended t... -
Completion Grants and Emergency Aid: Building a Financial Aid Infrastructure to Bolster Student Success
September 30, 2022 - For many students the final hurdle to completing their academic program stems from unforeseen financial challenges that can derail their degree completion — but with emergency aid, institutions are looking to stem the tide of these financial pi... -
Amid GOP Legal Challenges, ED Begins Email Outreach to Borrowers on Student Loan Cancellation
September 30, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday provided student loan borrowers with an update to the administration’s student debt relief plans and formally outlined upcoming steps that will accompany the rollout of the application for loan cance... -
Senate Preps Short-Term Spending Bill to Avert Impending Government Shutdown
September 29, 2022 - This week the Senate unveiled a continuing resolution that will keep the government funded through December 16 and offer Congress additional time to work through spending levels for fiscal year 2023 following the midterm elections. The spending bill ... -
Legal Challenges to Student Loan Debt Cancellation Begin to Take Shape
September 28, 2022 - Opponents of President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan are attempting to mount a legal challenge, with a borrower alleging that the move could directly result in their financial harm should the Department of Education (ED) autom... -
Survey Highlights Pandemic’s Initial Impact on Recent College Graduates
September 28, 2022 - A new longitudinal study gives insight into how the initial months of the pandemic impacted 2015-16 bachelor’s degree earners, with a particular focus on trends related to enrollment, student debt and repayment, work, and family experiences. -
CBO Estimates $400 Billion for Biden’s Student Loan Debt Cancellation Plans
September 27, 2022 - The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has unveiled its initial analysis of President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation action, determining the cost of outstanding student loans to the federal government will increase by about $400 bill... -
House Clears Fix to Joint Consolidation Loan Program
September 22, 2022 - The House on Wednesday cleared the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act that would allow for joint consolidation loans to be split into two Direct Loans and enable borrowers to become eligible for certain student debt relief programs. Specifically... -
ED Details State-by-State Estimated Impact of Student Debt Cancellation
September 22, 2022 - A new analysis from the White House provides details on how the administration’s student debt relief plans will impact borrowers on a state-by-state basis, with more than 40 million borrowers identified as eligible for cancellation. The fact sh... -
A Decade of Personalized Financial Aid Learning: NASFAA U Marks 10th Anniversary
September 19, 2022 - Online coursework has become ubiquitous in recent years, but for NASFAA the virtual world and online instruction have been tools that financial aid professionals have long had access to, with NASFAA U’s online facilitated courses marking their ... -
Borrowers Eligible for Debt Cancellation Will Receive Automatic Refunds on Past Payments, Per Updated ED Guidance
September 16, 2022 - According to a new FAQ from the Department of Education (ED), borrowers who made payments on their federally-held student loans during the pause on payments and interest accrual during the pandemic and meet the eligibility requirements for cancellati... -
Continuing the Double Pell Drumbeat, NASFAA Members Convene in Rhode Island
September 15, 2022 - In a recent ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant, members of the NASFAA Board of Directors helped to develop and carry out a program highlighting how federal aid has served as a lifeline to generations of students seeking to ... -
House Democrats Unveil Package Seeking to Lower College Costs
September 15, 2022 - House Democrats on Thursday unveiled a proposal that aims to lower the costs of higher education for both current and future student loan borrowers by making key investments as well as overhauling components of the repayment system. -
Biden Administration Unveils Final Rule on DACA
September 14, 2022 - The Biden administration, in a move to strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, recently unveiled final regulations in the Federal Register that would codify the program through the regulatory process. This is the first t... -
NASFAA Urges ED to Bolster Partnership Efforts to Ensure Financial Aid Professionals Can Best Serve Students
September 8, 2022 - NASFAA in a letter to both the Department of Education (ED) and Federal Student Aid (FSA) is calling on the department to meet with NASFAA’s leadership to better coordinate on partnership initiatives that will address ongoing operational challe... -
Servicers Warn ED of Operational Disruptions as Loan Moratorium Approaches End Date
August 24, 2022 - Once again, the student loan repayment pause is approaching its expiration. With less than 10 days until repayments are slated to resume, servicers are warning that the federal loan program will be in a “precarious position” if the admini... -
Updated: Biden Takes Executive Action on Student Loan Cancellation, Extends Repayment Pause
August 24, 2022 - This article has been updated to note that the relief includes current students and borrowers who have federally-held undergraduate, graduate, and Parent PLUS loans where the first disbursement was on or before June 30, 2022. A previous version of th... -
Financial Aid Professionals Reflect on 2021-22 NASFAA Advocacy Pipeline
August 24, 2022 - During 2021-22, NASFAA continued its Advocacy Pipeline efforts with the latest cohort of financial aid professionals meeting virtually with congressional staffers. Participants discussed a wide range of timely issues including doubling the maximum Pe... -
ED Terminates Federal Recognition of ACICS
August 22, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Friday formally stripped the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) of its federal status as a college accreditor. ED denied ACICS’ most recent appeal and will require institutions o... -
Policy Experts Share Insights on Higher Education’s Shifting Public Opinion and Perceptions
August 19, 2022 - Recent reports have indicated that American attitudes toward higher education have wavered in recent years, with the country’s positive outlook of the sector dropping significantly since the onset of the pandemic and the economic uncertainty th... -
White House Launches New PSLF Resource, Urges Borrowers to Apply Under Temporary Waiver
August 18, 2022 - The Biden administration has launched a new website to highlight the benefits of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program’s temporary waiver, and is reminding borrowers that the window to participate is winding down. The page provides... -
Nearly 90% of Federal Student Loan Borrowers Are Utilizing Payment Pause
August 17, 2022 - The vast majority of federal student loan borrowers have left their balances untouched since March 2020, with only 10.3% of balances decreasing since the initial implementation of the repayment pause and interest accrual, according to new data. An up... -
OTC From the Field: Retaining Talent in Your Financial Aid Office
August 12, 2022 - This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Andy Brantley, president and CEO at CUPA-HR, and Anthony Jones, executive director of scholarships and financial aid at the University of Utah, to discuss employee rete... -
Questions Surround the Apparent Launch of Operation ‘Fresh Start’
August 10, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) has quietly begun implementing the so-called “Fresh Start” initiative, which was originally touted as a way for delinquent and defaulted borrowers to reenter repayment in good standing. But many questions ... -
New Jersey to Implement Its Own Gainful Employment Standards for All 'Career-Oriented' Higher Ed Programs
August 9, 2022 - For more than 10 years, the higher education community has tussled with developing a federal gainful employment standard. While the debate continues at the federal level, at least one state is taking action to implement its own gainful employment sta... -
Court Awards Preliminary Settlement to Borrower Defense Claims
August 8, 2022 - A federal judge on Thursday granted preliminary approval to the Biden administration’s recently proposed borrower defense settlement that would discharge the loans of 200,000 borrowers who say they were defrauded by their institutions. The cour... -
House Republicans Propose Student Loan Reforms, Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs, and Limits on ED Authority
August 4, 2022 - House Republicans are championing a new proposal to bring targeted reform to the sprawling student loan portfolio, while at the same time challenging their Democratic counterparts to do the same, rather than allow the administration to tinker with th... -
20 State Attorneys General Urge Biden Administration to Extend PSLF Waiver, Expand Program
August 3, 2022 - With the limited waiver period for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program quickly approaching its expiration date, a group of 20 attorneys general are calling on the Biden administration and the Department of Education (ED) to use their a... -
Credit Cards and Student Loan Borrowing: New Paper Conducts Study on Impact of CARD Act
July 29, 2022 - A federal law intended to curb the marketing of credit cards to college students may be inadvertently pushing them to take on more student loan debt, particularly among less affluent students, according to a new working paper. The report, which was c... -
Senate Releases Text for Fiscal Year 2023 Spending Bill
July 29, 2022 - The Senate Appropriations committee on Thursday formally unveiled the draft text of its annual spending plan that contains $87.3 billion in base discretionary funding for the Department of Education (ED). The Senate’s proposal marks an increase... -
ED Has Drafted Plans to Carry Out Student Loan Debt Cancellation, According to New Report
July 29, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) has drafted plans to implement broadscale student loan debt cancellation should President Joe Biden decide to approve such a policy, which has been teased since the 2020 presidential campaign, according to an internal... -
Education Department to Publish NPRM on 90/10, Change of Ownership, and Pell Grant Eligibility for Prison Education Programs
July 27, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday unveiled proposed regulations for the 90/10 rule for for-profit colleges, Pell Grant Eligibility for Prison Education Programs, and procedures for institutions undergoing changes in ownership. According to ... -
Getting to Know NASFAA's Diversity Officer Derek Kindle
July 26, 2022 - To get a better idea of how issues involving diversity manifest in the world of higher education and financial aid, we spoke with NASFAA's newly appointed Diversity Officer Derek Kindle, vice provost for enrollment management at the Uni... -
ED Publishes Proposed Regulations for 90/10, Change of Ownership, Pell Grant Eligibility for Prison Education Programs
July 26, 2022 - On Tuesday, the Department of Education (ED) published proposed regulations for its 90/10 rule for for-profit colleges, Pell Grant Eligibility for Prison Education Programs, and procedures for institutions undergoing changes in ownership. A pair of n... -
Kvaal Highlights ‘Complex’ Nature of Efforts to Implement Student Debt Cancellation
July 25, 2022 - As the student loan repayment pause again approaches its expiration, the Department of Education's (ED) top higher education official — Under Secretary James Kvaal — recently reiterated that the administration is continuing to look at bro... -
OTC Ask Regs Experts: FAFSA Updates and Pell Recalculation Dates
July 22, 2022 - This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Senior Policy Analyst Jill Desjean and NASFAA U Instructor David Tolman to discuss regulatory updates from the Department of Education (ED) that directly impact the Pell Grant program and FAFSA ... -
July Hearing for Borrower Defense Claims Settlement Delayed by Court
July 21, 2022 - A hearing to consider the Biden administration’s proposed borrower defense settlement that would discharge the loans of 200,000 defrauded borrowers — originally scheduled for next week — has been delayed so the court can consider a ... -
House Committee Spars Over Student Loans at Hearing Focusing on TCU Investments
July 20, 2022 - During a congressional hearing on Tuesday that gathered leaders of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), committee Republicans took issue with the lack of time dedicated to providing oversight on the federal student loan portfolio. The House Educa... -
NASFAA Virtual Conference Closing Session: NASFAA's Washington Roundup
July 18, 2022 - Attendees wrapped up the 2022 NASFAA Virtual Conference with a session focusing on key updates on policy initiatives taking shape in Washington that will directly impact student aid policy. NASFAA’s policy team walked participants through their... -
Celebrating 10 Years of DACA While Awaiting Its Uncertain Future
July 15, 2022 - Legal challenges to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program have been in flux since its implementation, leaving more than 800,000 participants in a precarious position. During a breakout session of the 2022 NASFAA Virtual Conference... -
ED Officials Provide an Updated Guide on All Things FAFSA Simplification
July 15, 2022 - A group of Department of Education (ED) officials joined the 2022 NASFAA Virtual Conference on Thursday to detail how the impending FAFSA simplification changes will be impacting financial aid offices for the 2023-24 award year and beyond. Federal St... -
FAFSA Completion on the Rise, With Universal Completion Policies Showing Strong Gains
July 14, 2022 - After two cycles of concerning FAFSA completion numbers, the class of 2022 has returned to near pre-pandemic norms with 52.1% of the senior class completing the application. The latest dataset compiled by the National College Attainment Network (NCAN... -
Top Republicans Request Additional Time for Public Comments on ED’s First Batch of Draft Rules
July 14, 2022 - The top Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate education committees are calling on the Department of Education (ED) to extend the comment period for its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that was unveiled on Wednesday. In a letter penned by ... -
ED Awards Final HEERF Aid to Postsecondary Institutions With Greatest Unmet Need
July 14, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday awarded $198 million in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds III (HEERF III) created under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to assist students at 244 colleges and universities and provide resources to th... -
Post-Pandemic Higher Education: Where Are the Challenges and the Opportunities?
July 13, 2022 - In the keynote presentation of the 2022 NASFAA Virtual Conference on Tuesday, attendees heard firsthand about how what were once thought to be short-term impacts of the pandemic have resulted in unprecedented change to the higher education sector. Dr... -
Pre-Conference Diversity Session: How to Be an Inclusive Leader for Justice and Equity
July 12, 2022 - The 2022 NASFAA Virtual Conference kicked off its first session on Monday with a conversation geared toward promoting student success by focusing on inclusivity within the financial aid profession and the higher education community. Attendees learned... -
OTC Inside the Beltway: NASFAA 2022 Debrief, Congress’ Summer Agenda, Regulatory Updates from ED and SCOTUS
July 8, 2022 - This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's assistant vice president for government relations, to discuss some key takeaways from the NASFAA 2022 National Conference. Jon then pro... -
ED to Publish Proposed Regulations for Borrower Defense, PSLF, and More Targeted Relief Programs
July 7, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday announced that it will be publishing a highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on a number of regulations, including borrower defense, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, i... -
Annual Watchdog Audit Finds ED Failed to Meet Compliance Reporting Requirements
July 5, 2022 - The Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the agency was not in compliance with all six reporting requirements, as outlined by the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA), to reduce improper paymen... -
House Appropriations Committee Advances Education Spending Bill
July 1, 2022 - The House Appropriations Committee advanced, by a 32-24 vote along party lines, the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) spending bill, which contains an overall request of $86.7 billion in... -
NASFAA Inside the Beltway: Top 10 Issues Impacting Financial Aid Administration
June 29, 2022 - In rounding out NASFAA's 2022 National Conference, leadership provided members with key insight into issues that the profession will need to be on the lookout for in the next calendar year. The final session of the conference provided a detailed focu... -
Federal Student Aid Chief Talks Student Debt Relief at NASFAA 2022
June 28, 2022 - In kicking off the Tuesday session of the 2022 NASFAA National Conference in Austin, attendees had the chance to hear directly from the head of Federal Student Aid (FSA) Richard Cordray, who provided NASFAA members with details on the latest initiati... -
The Bias in Funding Higher Education: How Obstacles Impact Students and What You Can Do
June 28, 2022 - An important component of financial aid is to help prospective students overcome barriers to embarking on their higher education careers, but one hurdle that plagues many can stem from bias. In a presentation from the University of Wisconsin-Mad... -
Affordability and Today's Middle-Income Families
June 28, 2022 - For middle-income families, the issue of affordability can become incredibly acute, because these families find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place as they do not qualify for a federal Pell Grant, but do not have the financial resources... -
How the ‘NASFAA Gives Back’ Initiative Reinvests in Members
June 27, 2022 - For the first time in two years, NASFAA kicked off its annual national conference in person on Sunday with the announcement of a new, year-long initiative that will support member institutions, who helped support NASFAA as we weathered ... -
A Collaborative Approach to Data Sharing: Financial Aid, Development, and Academic Success Initiatives
June 27, 2022 - Getting a handle on the guidelines for data sharing concerning student records has varying degrees of complexity, where institutions not only have to develop internal guidelines but also be in compliance with the Department of Education’s (ED) ... -
Pell for Incarcerated Students: The Road to Implementation & Perspectives From the Field
June 27, 2022 - Beginning July 1, 2023 incarcerated students enrolled in eligible programs will have access to the Pell Grant program restored and the Department of Education (ED) plans on publishing new regulations and guidance concerning eligibility for college-in... -
Next Gen FSA: New Development to Support School Partners, Students, and Borrowers
June 27, 2022 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) has undergone a number of updates and enhancements in recent years with more in the pipeline for the remainder of 2022. -
A Problem of Fit: How the Complexity of College Pricing Hurts Students - and Universities
June 27, 2022 - Most students pay less than they think, but more than they can afford, to attend college. Phillip Levine's new book, "A Problem of Fit: How The Complexity of College Pricing Hurts Students — and Universities" provides an in-depth analysis on th... -
A Conversation With Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal
June 27, 2022 - The Department of Education's (ED) top higher education official — Under Secretary James Kvaal — sat down with NASFAA President & CEO Justin Draeger for a wide-ranging interview on the agency's higher education priorities, touching on... -
Preparing for the Future: Financial Aid Administrators Convene for 2022 NASFAA National Conference
June 26, 2022 - Crack out those Federal Student Aid Handbooks, the NASFAA National Conference is back! In kicking off NASFAA 2022, the first in-person national conference the association has had since 2019, members were able to re-engage with their colleagues t... -
ED Settles an Additional 200,000 Borrower Defense Claims
June 24, 2022 - An additional 200,000 student loan borrowers who claim they have been defrauded by their institutions will have their loans discharged by the Biden administration, with the Department of Education (ED) agreeing to a settlement concerning pending borr... -
House 2023 Budget Proposal Would Boost Education Spending, Add $500 to Max Pell Grant
June 24, 2022 - The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday forwarded its fiscal year 2023 spending plan to the full appropriations committee. The bill contains an overall request of $... -
ED Delays 5 Regulatory Rules to Spring 2023
June 23, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) is delaying a number of proposals that were under discussion in its most recent negotiated rulemaking sessions to the spring of 2023, meaning that the earliest the regulations could take effect will be after July 1, 2... -
Pell Turns 50: Federal Leaders Push for Increasing Student Aid
June 23, 2022 - Higher Education advocates convened on Capitol Hill Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant program, with federal leaders redoubling their efforts to advocate for increasing the annual investment in the program. The conversation was ... -
ED to Retire myStudentAid Mobile App
June 22, 2022 - Just less than four years after its launch, the Department of Education (ED), citing low consumer engagement, is slated to wind down support for its mobile app and instead direct borrowers to StudentAid.gov, where applicants more regularly submit the... -
New Survey Indicates Impending Hurdles for Vulnerable Borrowers
June 17, 2022 - While the Department of Education (ED) continues to plot out the parameters of its ‘fresh start’ policy for borrowers currently in default, a new survey is indicating that federal student loan holders who have struggled with repayment cou... -
Student Loan Payment Pause Should Be Used to Bolster Accountability Metrics, Think Tank Says
June 16, 2022 - As the pause on federal student loan payments and interest accrual continues, some policy experts are calling for federal leaders to take the opportunity to rework accountability metrics tied to student loan default and protect students from poor out... -
On What Authority? Top Republicans Press ED on Student Loan Actions
June 16, 2022 - The top Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate education committees are once again calling on Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to detail how the Department of Education (ED) is utilizing executive authority to go about implementing changes to... -
OIG Report Highlights $73 Million in Duplicative HEERF Awards
June 15, 2022 - The Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued new findings concerning duplications totaling $73 million in the awarding process for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), along with recommendations... -
Report Details How Student Loan Debt Cancellation Would Reduce Racial Disparities
June 14, 2022 - As conversations continue over a potential framework for student loan cancellation through executive authority, policy experts continue to offer analysis on the implications of such a move from the Biden administration, with a new paper detailing the... -
CFPB Targets Brazen Student Debt Relief Scam Reboot
June 13, 2022 - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Thursday announced that it is taking action against the owner of a student loan debt relief company that allegedly, without authorization, withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from student borro... -
ED Announces Appointment of First-Ever Chief Economist
June 10, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) has appointed Jordan Matsudaira as its first-ever chief economist to guide real time policymaking, and serve as a liaison between experts in the Office of the Chief Data Officer, the Institute for Education Sciences, ... -
Coming Soon: President Biden’s Decision on Debt Cancellation Now Expected in Late Summer
June 9, 2022 - Reports are now indicating that President Joe Biden will be making a decision on student loan debt cancellation through executive authority “later this summer.” While the White House had been previewing its consideration of the move in re... -
Cardona Talks Loan Cancellation, Data Sharing, 2023 Budget With Senate Appropriators
June 8, 2022 - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona appeared before the Senate Appropriations Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) subcommittee to discuss the Department of Education’s (ED) budget for fiscal year 2023, updates on the student loan portf... -
Scholarship Available for Institutions Supporting Students in Financial Distress
June 7, 2022 - Financial hardships, which have been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, are a significant obstacle to students continuing their program of study. Recognizing this hurdle, the Ellucian Foundation is again offering the Progress, Accomplishment, Thriv... -
ED Joins Policy Experts to Discuss What’s Next for the Student Loan System
June 7, 2022 - As the Biden administration again faces what could be an impending expiration of the federal moratorium on student loans, the Department of Education (ED) finds itself returning to questions over how it will go about managing the student loan portfol... -
State of Play: Approaches to Transcript Withholding Policies
June 6, 2022 - As institutions look to reduce obstacles that prevent students from completing their programs, one issue that has stalled at the federal level is making some progress at the state level: banning the practice of transcript withholding for students wit... -
ED Discharges $5.8 Billion in Borrower Defense Claims for Borrowers Who Attended Corinthian
June 2, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday announced it will cancel the loans for 560,000 borrowers who attended any campus owned or operated by Corinthian Colleges, Inc. from its founding in 1995 until its closure in April 2015. In all, the disch... -
House Republicans Call on DOJ to Intervene in ED’s Drafting of Borrower Defense Regulations
June 1, 2022 - As the Department of Education (ED) gets closer to drafting final rules on several issues addressed by its recent negotiated rulemaking committees, a dozen congressional Republicans are demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) intervene in the ... -
Cardona Denounces Desensitization to School Shootings While Updating Congress on ED’s Budget Priorities
May 27, 2022 - Following a week dominated by another school shooting, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Thursday met with the House Education and Labor Committee to update the panel on the department’s priorities — heavily focusing on the help that ... -
ED Makes State Visit to Highlight Continued Efforts Bolster PSLF
May 26, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) recently participated in a roundtable discussion with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to highlight the ways in which the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program can be utilized by public servants, with the state co... -
Policy Solutions for Student Loan Borrowers in Crisis: 7 Recommendations for Repayment
May 25, 2022 - In response to the ongoing issues stemming from the financial hardships imposed by the complicated nature of the current student loan system, NASFAA has developed comprehensive recommendations aimed at providing policy makers with targeted and tangib... -
Policy Solutions for Student Loan Borrowers in Crisis: 12 Recommendations for Default
May 23, 2022 - Student loan reform isn’t simple. The system — from the types of loans and servicers, to the various repayment plans — is complex, and to truly get to the root of the flaws that have led borrowers into financial distress, each compo... -
ED Outlines Roadmap for Next Generation of Federal Student Loan Servicing
May 23, 2022 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Friday provided stakeholders with an updated roadmap on their efforts to replace the legacy servicing contracts for Direct Loans and federally managed Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, and how they plan ... -
ED Details New FAFSA Verification Requirement Waivers for 2022-23
May 19, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) announced on Wednesday that it would be making temporary changes to the verification process for the 2022-23 award year, as a means of providing relief to students and reducing existing barriers to enrollment for mill... -
New Report Documents Persistent Inequities and Worsening Attainment Trends in Higher Ed
May 19, 2022 - Postsecondary enrollment trends have shown troubling signs since the onset of the pandemic, and a new report is highlighting stark inequities in the system that have the U.S. recording lower rates of educational attainment than other developed nation... -
Policy Solutions for Student Loan Borrowers in Crisis: 12 Recommendations for Servicing
May 18, 2022 - In response to the ongoing issues stemming from the financial hardships imposed by the complicated nature of the current student loan system, NASFAA has developed comprehensive recommendations aimed at providing policy makers with targeted and tangib... -
Barriers to Higher Education: Finding Accessibility and Affordability in College Pricing
May 13, 2022 - High sticker prices and a lack of clarity in how the cost of college is actually calculated leaves many students — particularly from low-income households — stumped when it comes to determining if a given program is accessible to their fi... -
GAO Reviews ED’s Oversight of Online Program Providers
May 11, 2022 - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a recent report is urging the Department of Education (ED) to improve instructions for institutions of higher education, as well as auditors, to better assist in conducting oversight of online program pro... -
Cardona Discusses ED’s Commitment to Affordability in Higher Ed
May 11, 2022 - With Teacher Appreciation Week underway, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona took some time to highlight the ways in which the Department of Education (ED) is working to ensure that pathways to higher education become more accessible and affordable, w... -
New Report Highlights Mental Health, Cost as Risks to Student Enrollment During Pandemic
May 11, 2022 - Disruptions to students’ higher education plans have been heightened by the pandemic — and a new report highlights the ways in which U.S. adults are approaching their post-pandemic college pathways. A recent survey from Lumina Foundation ... -
Senate Hearing on Servicing Shows Stark Divide on Need for Student Debt Relief
May 10, 2022 - The Senate Banking Committee recently delved into the topic of student loan debt in a hearing focused on examining the practices of servicers and their handling of debt forgiveness programs. Yet the conversation underscored just how far apart Democra... -
Applying for PSLF? Federal Higher Ed Leaders Have a Guide
May 9, 2022 - While the Department of Education (ED) continues to encourage eligible borrowers to make use of temporary waivers aiming to streamline the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, federal officials are looking to provide additional resources t... -
Executive Action on Student Loan Cancellation Could Be ‘Legally Risky’ According to Former ED Official’s Memo
May 5, 2022 - A private memo has detailed the ways in which President Joe Biden’s consideration of canceling some amount of student loan debt could face a legal challenge over the use of executive authority, The Wall Street Journal reports. The memo, accordi... -
Some College Credit But No Degree: New Initiative Aims to Help Higher Ed Reengage Stopped Out Students
May 4, 2022 - Efforts to reengage stopped out college students have taken on renewed importance with continued enrollment declines and the disruptions caused by the pandemic. A new initiative from the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) is seeking to iden... -
March FAFSA Data Shows Concerningly Steep Declines in Renewals
May 3, 2022 - Hopes of a March yielding a lion-sized increase in FAFSA renewals did not come to fruition, with an overall 8.9% drop in applications for the 2022-23 cycle. The data tracked by the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) highlighted heightened con... -
New Analysis Details How Targeted Student Debt Forgiveness Thresholds Increase Relief for Vulnerable Borrowers
May 2, 2022 - As borrowers continue with what will amount to be a 30-month reprieve from federal student loan repayments, new reports are continuing to provide details as to how varying forgiveness plans could best target relief for borrowers who struggle the most... -
ED Approves $238 Million in Borrower Defense Claims
April 29, 2022 - Due to documented widespread misconduct, the Department of Education (ED) has announced the discharge of $238 million in student loan balances from borrowers who attended a now-defunct beauty school. Based on borrower defense findings, ED intends to ... -
Cardona Details Biden’s 2023 Budget Proposal as House Appropriators Craft Annual Spending Plan
April 29, 2022 - Congressional leaders are back to sifting through their annual spending bills and on Thursday heard testimony from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who walked through the administration's higher education priorities for fiscal year 2023. -
New Report Finds Facebook Accessed FAFSA Data, No Friend Request Needed
April 29, 2022 - A website managed by Federal Student Aid (FSA) where students go to fill out their FAFSA was found to contain code that unbeknownst to students and parents shared their personal information with Facebook, according to a new article from The Markup. -
Approval Process for Pell-Eligible Prison Education Programs Gets a Detailed Preview
April 28, 2022 - With the impending restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals becoming closer to a reality through congressional and regulatory actions, higher education stakeholders ranging from colleges and accreditors to corrections agencies and the ... -
ED Announces Expansion and Updates to Second Chance Pell Program
April 27, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) unveiled updates to its Second Chance Pell Experiment by opening up a third round of the program to make a total of 200 institutions of higher education eligible to participate. According to the announcement, ED has i... -
Senate Democrats Request ED Detail “Fresh Start” Plan
April 27, 2022 - A group of Senate Democrats is formally asking that the Department of Education (ED) outline its plans to implement its “fresh start” policy for student loan borrowers so that borrowers who are currently in default will have their delinqu... -
President Biden Is Reportedly Considering Canceling Student Debt
April 27, 2022 - President Joe Biden is now signaling that he is actively considering his options to administer student loan debt cancellation through executive action. The indicators from the White House follow a meeting on Monday with members of the Congressional H... -
IDR Faces Increasing Scrutiny With New Reports Highlighting Program Shortfalls and Calls for Reform
April 25, 2022 - Promises of income-driven repayment (IDR) plans serving as a tool to help ease the burden of student loan debt for borrowers have not yielded the policy objectives set at their creation, and as higher education advocates look to bolster protections f... -
CFPB Identifies More Than 5 Million Student Loan Borrowers at Risk of Default When Payment Pause Ends
April 21, 2022 - In a new report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is seeking to identify which types of student loan borrowers will struggle to resume repayment once the pause on monthly payments and interest accrual comes to an end, finding that more... -
House Republicans Allege FSA and CFPB Have Facilitated “Gross Expansion” of Federal Control Over Student Lending
April 18, 2022 - A pair of Republican leaders is accusing the heads of Federal Student Aid (FSA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) of evading congressional oversight and “colluding” to advance policies that will exert federal control ove... -
AACRAO and NACUBO Outline Guidelines for Types of Administrative Holds
April 13, 2022 - In an effort to ensure that institutions of higher education are utilizing best practices on administrative holds, such as transcript withholding, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and National Associa... -
Deferral of Accountability Metrics: Unintended Consequences of the Student Loan Payment Pause
April 11, 2022 - The continued extension of the federal payment pause on student loans and interest accrual has been a relief to borrowers, but amid this freeze a simple accountability metric on institutions of higher education may be less useful in the coming years,... -
White House Extends Student Loan Payment Pause Through August, Pledging to Give Borrowers ‘Fresh Start’ on Repayment
April 7, 2022 - The Biden administration is once again extending the pause on federally-held student loan payments and interest accrual, this time keeping the benefit in effect through August 31. The announcement follows the White House’s continued extens... -
More Than A Moratorium: How the Biden Administration Has Implemented Student Loan Relief
April 7, 2022 - On the heels of the Biden administration announcing the continuation of the student loan moratorium, student loan experts and borrowers on Wednesday dug into the ways in which the administration has gone about making strides in providing targeted stu... -
Congressional Democrats Unveil New Plan to Simplify Student Loan Repayment
April 5, 2022 - As policymakers mull another extension to the pause on student loan payments and interest accrual, and many borrowers are already struggling with the currently available repayment options, congressional leaders are now offering more proposals aimed a... -
Biden’s 2023 Budget Includes Plan to Double Pell by 2029
March 29, 2022 - It’s been less than two weeks since the White House officially enacted spending levels for fiscal year (FY) 2022, but with the appropriations process very out of whack with the annual calendar, the administration on Monday formally unveiled its... -
New Legislation Seeks to Highlight True Cost of Loans for Students
March 28, 2022 - A group of Senate Republicans have unveiled a piece of college affordability legislation that would aim to give prospective college students an estimated total of the amount of interest they would accrue on their student loans. The Student Transparen... -
Catch Up Quick: Where Things Stand for Neg Reg’s Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee
March 24, 2022 - Now that the Department of Education (ED) has wrapped up its second negotiated rulemaking committee, NASFAA has combined its daily coverage into one standalone article detailing how the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility committee wrapped up ... -
Neg Reg Day 5: Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee Wraps Up Work on All 7 Issue Papers With More Caucuses Than Consensus
March 21, 2022 - Negotiators wrapped up work on all seven issue papers to cap a packed week of discussions for the final session of the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility negotiated rulemaking committee, with little agreement on the issue papers at hand, and ... -
Two Top Democrats Urge Biden to Extend Student Loan Moratorium Until 2023
March 17, 2022 - A pair of key congressional leaders are once again calling upon the Biden administration to offer another extension of the student loan moratorium, citing the pandemic, inflation, and supply change issues. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bobby S... -
Neg Reg Day 3: Negotiators Far From Consensus on Gainful Employment Regulations
March 17, 2022 - The third day of the final session of the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility negotiated rulemaking committee saw a consensus vote taken on the much debated gainful employment (GE) proposed regulations from the Department of Education (ED) tak... -
Biden Signs FY 2022 Budget Into Law, With Increases for Pell Grants and Student Aid Funding
March 16, 2022 - President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed Congress’ massive fiscal year 2022 spending bill into law, which contains $24.6 billion for federal student aid programs, and includes a $400 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award, bringing the total to ... -
Neg Reg Day 2: Committee Focuses on Gainful Employment and New Data from ED
March 16, 2022 - The second day of the final session of the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility negotiated rulemaking committee started with a presentation from the Department of Education (ED) of data related to gainful employment (GE), a key topic being cove... -
Final Session of Negotiated Rulemaking for Programmatic Eligibility Committee Kicks Off With Goals of Reaching Consensus
March 15, 2022 - The third and final session of the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility negotiated rulemaking committee began Monday, as committee members were reminded that their goal this week is to reach consensus on seven different topics, with the Departm... -
OTC From the Field: A Student Loan Servicing Deep Dive With SLSA Executive Director Scott Buchanan
March 11, 2022 - This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Scott Buchanan, Student Loan Servicing Alliance’s (SLSA) executive director, to discuss the somewhat contentious environment facing the student loan servicing industry as well as its ... -
Congress Introduces Massive Fiscal Year 2022 Spending Agreement With $35 Million Boost to Student Aid Programs, Pell Grant Increase
March 10, 2022 - Congressional appropriators, in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, unveiled an omnibus spending package in an effort to settle negotiations for the current fiscal year’s budgeting cycle. The massive, $1.5 trillion package would alloca... -
Federal Higher Education Leaders Tout American Rescue Plan’s 1-Year Anniversary
March 8, 2022 - In approaching the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which allocated about $40 billion in funding for higher education, the White House hosted a briefing with congressional leaders to highlight the law’s i... -
White House Hints at Another Possible Extension of the Student Loan Moratorium
March 7, 2022 - Since the onset of the pandemic, the status of federal student loan repayments have been tied to the state of the economy and the White House’s effort to reduce the financial strain that borrowers have experienced during the ongoing crisis. As ... -
House Committee Highlights Needed Federal Investments for HSI and MSI Institutions
March 3, 2022 - The House Education and Labor Committee convened a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday to discuss investments needed for both Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that will best enable these institutions to serv... -
FSA Urges PSLF Borrowers to Be Patient While Updated Payment Counts Are Processed
March 2, 2022 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) is committing to clearing out “thousands” of requests made by borrowers enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, but is urging applicants to be patient as the process unfolds. The remarks c... -
In State of the Union Address, Biden Highlights Pell Grant Increase as Administration Priority
March 2, 2022 - President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and while the speech covered a wide breadth of issues — ranging from the ongoing impact of the pandemic to the crisis in Ukraine — it also touched on the... -
CFPB Warns of Heightened Scrutiny of Servicers’ PSLF Management
February 23, 2022 - An announcement from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Friday signals that the agency will be cracking down on student loan servicer conduct regarding borrowers’ eligibility for benefits provided under the recently issued Publi... -
Another Short-Term Spending Bill Enacted, as Congress Eyes an Omnibus in March
February 22, 2022 - Congressional negotiators are of the belief that an agreement over spending levels for the current fiscal year is not yet out of reach, prompting the enactment of another continuing resolution to keep the government funded through March 11. Fiscal ye... -
Neg Reg Day 5: Second Session Concludes Discussion of Issue Papers, With 90/10 and Gainful Employment Headlining
February 22, 2022 - The Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee wrapped up work on its second negotiated rulemaking session, having completed discussion on all of the adenda's outlined issue papers. Now that negotiators have made their positions clear on th... -
Neg Reg Day 4: Committee Works Through Three Issue Papers as Session Begins to Wind Down
February 18, 2022 - The Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee approached the end of its current session by working through the financial responsibility regulatory text, running through work on certification procedures, and beginning discussion on changes ... -
ED Forgives Student Loans for Thousands of Borrowers, Provides Updates on Targeted Student Loan Relief
February 17, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) announced the approval of $415 million in borrower defense claims on Wednesday, citing new findings that come as a part of a continuing review of claims from institutions that have demonstratively misrepresented their... -
Neg Reg Day 3: Committee Tackles Gainful Employment, Financial Responsibility
February 17, 2022 - As the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee hit the midpoint of the week's negotiations, members wrapped up discussions concerning the Department of Education's (ED) gainful employment (GE) issue paper and began work on the financial ... -
Neg Reg Day 2: Gainful Employment Issue Paper Dominates Discussion, Prompts a Host of Negative Temperature Checks
February 16, 2022 - Throughout the second day of work for the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee, negotiators primarily focused on the Department of Education’s (ED) updated regulatory text on the gainful employment (GE) issue paper, working thro... -
Second Bout of Neg Reg Sessions for Programmatic Eligibility Committee Get Underway
February 15, 2022 - The second negotiated rulemaking session for the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee formally kicked off on Monday as members reviewed regulatory language proposed by the Department of Education (ED) for seven different topics, with ... -
PSLF Webinar Offers Updated Guide to Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants
February 11, 2022 - In a webinar on Thursday, Sen. Bob Casey’s (D-Pa.) office provided participants with an updated walkthrough of the student loan landscape for borrowers in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The conversation follows the Departme... -
Bill Would Bar Institutions From Federal Student Aid Over Legacy Admissions
February 9, 2022 - Bicameral legislation recently introduced by a group of progressive Democrats is looking to curtail the use of legacy admissions by banning institutions from participating in federal aid programs if they admit students based on legacy admissions. The... -
ED Updates College Scorecard With Earnings Data, Loan Repayment Metrics
February 8, 2022 - The Department of Education (ED) introduced a number of updates to the College Scorecard on Monday with a focus on data related to college costs, graduation rates, and post-college earnings. The announcement comes with additional metrics that ED... -
Building Back Something? What Democrats’ Updated Legislative Agenda Means for Higher Ed Priorities
February 1, 2022 - Congress is back in session this week, and the path forward for Build Back Better is incredibly muddled, with the legislative options for the sprawling package seemingly at a dead end. Yet with the congressional dynamic of razor-thin majorities still... -
ED to Focus on Student Debt, Institutional Accountability in Coming Year, Cardona Says
January 28, 2022 - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona delivered remarks on Thursday touting his vision for the department as he embarks on his second year in the cabinet and the pandemic, equity, affordability, and access continue to dominate the higher education lands... -
Neg Reg Day 4: Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee Wraps Up First Week of Work
January 22, 2022 - The final day of the first negotiated rulemaking session for the Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee saw the group of negotiators finish preliminary discussions on all seven issue papers they were tasked with reviewing. The negotiato... -
ED Outlines Newly Available Resources for Higher Ed Students
January 21, 2022 - The White House in a joint announcement with the Department of Education (ED) is inviting applications for a $198 million grant program that is seeking to support higher education students’ basic needs. The program was made available as a part ... -
CFPB Expands Oversight of Institutional Student Loans
January 21, 2022 - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in a notice published on Thursday announced that it would begin examining the operations of colleges and universities that extend private loans directly to students. CFPB specifically highlighted t... -
Neg Reg Day 2: Gainful Employment Dominates Discussions, With Negotiators Also Focusing on Financial Responsibility
January 20, 2022 - The second day of the negotiated rulemaking session on Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility on Wednesday saw two of the committee’s most pressing issues take center stage, as negotiators were tasked with completing discussions on administ... -
Advocates Call on ED to Revise IDR Before Student Loan Moratorium Ends
January 19, 2022 - In a new white paper, a number of consumer protection groups outline the importance of the Department of Education (ED) using the current federal student loan moratorium to make improvements to income-driven repayment before the benefit expires. -
New Year, New Neg Reg: Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee Dives into Ability to Benefit and Administrative Capability
January 19, 2022 - The Department of Education’s (ED) Institutional and Programmatic Eligibility Committee convened Tuesday for the first of four days, as the negotiated rulemaking group aims to reach consensus on regulatory language for seven different topics, w... -
Higher Ed Enrollment Sees 5.1% Decline Since Onset of the Pandemic
January 18, 2022 - Since the onset of the pandemic, institutions of higher education have recorded a 5.1% decline in enrollment, accounting for 938,000 students opting out of postsecondary programs. Those numbers, recorded from fall 2019 through 2021, are a part of a n... -
Neg Reg Debrief: Committee Members Recount Experience in the Rulemaking Process
January 14, 2022 - After a rough estimate of 4,500 minutes — or 75 hours — of work, Daniel Barkowitz and Alyssa Dobson, who respectively served as the primary and alternate representative of financial aid administrators during the Department of Education&rs... -
Robust Postsecondary Student Data Highlights Trends From the 2017-18 Academic Year
January 13, 2022 - A recently released study from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is offering an administrative data collection of national- and state-level representative data on postsecondary students enrolled in the 2017-18 academic year. The und... -
White House Foreign Research Disclosure Guidance in the Works
January 6, 2022 - The White House, in an effort to clarify and simplify how researchers — including those at colleges and universities — disclose information to the federal government, has provided updated guidelines for providing more concrete rules for e... -
Second State Seeks to Lift Tuition Assistance Ban on Incarcerated Students
January 6, 2022 - New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced that her administration would seek to restore Tuition Assistance Program funding to incarcerated New Yorkers, lifting a 30-year eligibility ban. The move would make New York just the second state ... -
Where Things Stand: Neg Reg Roundup - Affordability and Student Loans
January 5, 2022 - As the Department of Education (ED) readies its next negotiated rulemaking committee, NASFAA has combined its daily coverage into one stand alone article detailing how the Affordability and Student Loans committee wrapped up its work, highlight... -
FSA Announces Transfer Update on FedLoan Accounts
January 4, 2022 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) in a recent updated notice announced that the student loan servicer MOHELA will be servicing certain types of loans previously administered by FedLoan (PHEAA), which elected to not extend its servicing contract and is curren... -
Build Back Better’s Higher Ed Priorities Face Uncertain Path in 2022
December 23, 2021 - President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda will face an incredibly challenging path forward in the new year along with key higher education investments that may no longer have a route to enactment under the current legislative landscape. Fo... -
OIG Report Highlights Management Challenges for ED
December 20, 2021 - In a recently released report from the Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the internal watchdog identified five specific vulnerabilities that could seriously impact the department’s ability to carry out its ... -
Senate Clears REMOTE Act, Amending Isakson-Roe Veterans Bill
December 17, 2021 - With little fanfare, the Senate cleared the Responsible Education Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions (REMOTE) Act, a bipartisan measure seeking to ensure student veterans retain access to higher education benefits. The bill is aimed at makin... -
Annual Reports Highlight FSA’s Performance, Student Loan Portfolio, and ED’s Use of Resources
December 15, 2021 - As the calendar winds down on 2021, the Department of Education (ED) has published a pair of reports detailing key metrics and performance standards in an effort to keep stakeholders informed on how the agency is approaching its portfolio for the upc... -
White House Issues Executive Order Seeking to Improve Higher Education Financing
December 14, 2021 - In an executive order announced on Monday, the White House is taking steps to improve government interactions with student loan borrowers and the financing of their higher education goals. In total, the administration is directing 17 federal agencies...