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NASFAA. Shout out to our NASFAA 2025 National Conference Charity Sponsors! Catch them at our Charity 5K and Trivia Night events in Anaheim, made possible with their support, and swing by the Innovation Hall to say hi.

The Department of Education (ED) on Friday announced that the NSLDS Post-screening Eligibility Changes files are now available to download from the Common Origination & Disbursement (COD) website. Earlier in January, ED announced that NSLDS Postscreening Results would not appear on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) until “early Spring 2025.” As a result, with postscreening results now delayed for several months, ED created a new tool for institutions to mitigate the delay – the NSLDS Post-screening Eligibility Changes file, which is an Excel file of students whose eligibility status may have changed as a result of new information in NSLDS since their initial 2024-25 FAFSA submission. 

Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Friday released the Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts for the 2025-26 award year. The maximum Pell Grant award is $7,395 and the minimum award is $740. However, FSA noted, Congress has only passed a short-term spending bill to fund the government through March 14, 2025 – meaning the funding law will expire unless Congress acts to extend it. If Congress does pass legislation that modifies the current maximum award for 2025-26, FSA will publish revised maximum and minimum award amounts. Stay tuned to Today’s News for updates on the appropriations process.

Navigating the higher education system for the first time can be a daunting task especially if your parents are also new to the process. For Brenda, growing up with Nigerian parents who were new to navigating the nuanced and bureaucratic world of higher education made the financial aid process all the more complicated. Inspired by her own experience, she is driven by a commitment to empowering students.  Learn more about Brenda and her career in financial aid in this brief Q&A.

The school is not required to confirm or verify the Individual Retirement Account (IRA, or Individual Retirement Arrangement), pension, or annuity rollover amount unless a rollover amount is reported on the FAFSA and the applicant is selected for federal verification. View the full answer to this question to learn more.

NASFAA's 2025 Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo will convene February 9-12 in Washington, D.C. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our platinum and gold sponsors — College Board, Earnest, and College Ave Student Loans — for all they have done to help make this a successful conference.

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