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There was some optimism at the start of the year that the U.S. Census Bureau would get a better count of college-aged students — many of whom undergo a transient period of life — due to the availability of new digital reporting options for the 2020 census. Then came COVID-19. With students vacating campuses in the middle of the census data collection period, institutions of higher education will struggle to get an accurate count on their campus-based population, putting them at risk of losing federal funding for a number of resources and student programs, and entrenching them in further economic peril for long-term funding allocations.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden selected Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate, his campaign announced Tuesday. The choice makes Harris both the first Black and the first Asian-American woman on a major presidential ticket. The former vice president in a post on Twitter called the senator “a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants.” NASFAA previously analyzed Biden’s various options for his vice presidential pick and what their selection would mean for his higher education platform. As a senator and previously as California’s attorney general, Harris has been a strong advocate for holding for-profit schools accountable for fraud, and as a presidential candidate released a complex plan to wipe out student loan debt. Stay tuned for more coverage of the 2020 presidential election and its impact on higher education. 

While institutional planning for higher education programs remain in flux for this fall, a new paper is urging colleges to consider the implications that awarding — or not awarding — Federal Work-Study (FWS) may have on their student workers’ ability to maintain their access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program. The research provided by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) aims to help ensure that students with high financial need can maintain their access to SNAP in order to meet basic food needs that have been unsecured further by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Policies and regulations in the financial aid world can change rapidly, and no one knows the full impact better than you, our members who are on the ground with students every day. NASFAA would like to hear your thoughts and amplify your voice within the profession. Seeing something interesting on your campus that you'd like to highlight? Have an opinion on how new policies and regulations will play out in real time in aid offices? Feel strongly about a bill that's working its way through Congress? Write in and let us know! Simply fill out a form with your contact information and the article you'd like to submit for consideration to publish in Today's News. We can't wait to hear Your Thoughts.

Yes. The following can be found in the July 10, 2020 Electronic Announcement: "The Department is extending the date for institutions to distribute annual Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) disclosures to required recipients to December 31, 2020. We encourage institutions to provide these disclosures on the normal schedule if possible." View the full answer to this question to learn more and search for answers to your other pressing regulatory and compliance questions, in NASFAA's AskRegs Knowledgebase.

The Department of Education (ED) announced the posting of the 2021-2022 EFC Formula Guide on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website. The guide includes EFC worksheets and tables for the 2021-22 processing cycle. The worksheets and tables in this guide can be used to calculate an estimated EFC for students. The methodology for determining the EFC is found in Part F of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).

The Department of Education (ED) is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) for the Student Support Services (SSS) program in which grantees must submit the Annual Performance Report (APR) annually. The reports are used to evaluate grantees' performance for substantial progress, respond to ED's General Administrative Regulations (GPRA) requirements, and award prior experience points at the end of each project (budget) period. ED also aggregates the data to provide descriptive information on the projects and to analyze the impact of the SSS program on the academic progress of participating students.

ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) for the Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) programs, which is designed to motivate and assist veterans in developing academic and other requisite skills necessary for acceptance and success in a program of postsecondary education. The program provides assessment and enhancement of basic skills through counseling, mentoring, tutoring and academic instruction in the core subject areas. The primary goal of the program is to increase the rate at which participants enroll in and complete postsecondary education programs.

This notice provides information to members of the public on submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the Secretary of Education. The request pertains to the summer 2021 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The meeting date and location have not been determined, but will be announced in a later Federal Register notice. In addition, a later Federal Register notice will describe how to register to provide oral comments at the meeting.

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