By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals looking for a little more guidance on reconciling federal financial aid programs have now received some from the Department of Education. On January 27, the Department released an Electronic Announcement that provides more specific information to assist schools in reconciling the Direct Loan, Pell Grant, and TEACH Grant programs. Reconciliation
By Marlene Seeklander The latest volume of the 2025-26 Federal Student Aid Handbook has just been released by the Department of Education (ED). A January 29 Electronic Announcement from ED announced the availability of Volume 5 – Withdrawals and the Return of Title IV Funds. This volume includes information on how a school should manage Title IV funds when a student
Tip of the Week Weathering the storm Weather, particularly in the winter, can often be unpredictable. This past weekend the weather was a dominating force in the lives of many across the country. The Weather Channel dubbed the event Winter Storm Fern. If you were impacted by the weather this past weekend, you most likely
Tip of the Week – January 28, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Schools facing a reduction in their campus-based funding due to underuse have just a few days to request the penalty be waived. In a January 26 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education outlined that, when a school returns more than 10% of its Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) or Federal Work Study
Deadline approaching for 2026-27 Underuse Penalty Waiver for the Campus-Based Programs Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the upcoming Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. A January 27 Federal Register Notice outlined the intent to establish a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee that will prepare proposed regulations focusing on accrediting agencies and related institutional eligibility requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education
Notice of Intent to establish Negotiated Rulemaking Committee Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Because the FAFSA Specifications Guides are such a useful tool, financial aid professionals will want to make note of several recent updates to both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 guides. The Department of Education recently announced updates to several important volumes of the guides, such as Volume 5 – Edits and Rejects and Volume 6
FAFSA Specifications Guides Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 2 Registration for the 2026 FSA Training Conference requires action by January 23 Schools interested in attending the upcoming Federal Student Aid (FSA) Conference need to act by January 23 to express interest in attending. Department delays collections on student loans Borrowers, who have defaulted on the federal
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – January 22, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Identity theft is a problem worldwide creating high costs and damaging reputations for companies, organizations, and even higher education institutions. Last summer, the Department of Education announced a nationwide effort to eliminate identity theft and fraud in the federal student aid programs by requiring that schools verify the identity of additional first-time applicants who complete FAFSA. This is done through V4 and V5 verification. Schools have some flexibility in how they verify student
Acceptable identity verification methods Read More »
Tip of the Week Change of plans “Life is short, see as much art as you can!” That’s what my sister said to me, trying to convince me to come to St. Louis this weekend so I could see the Anselm Kiefer exhibit “Becoming the Sea” at the St. Louis Art Museum. When I read
Tip of the Week – January 21, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander In response to a legal challenge, the Department of Education revised the requirements for an authorized representative of an institution to sign the agreement to participate in federal financial aid programs. In a January 16 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education addressed the situations in which an owner-entity of an eligible higher education
Department issues updated signature requirements for the Program Participation Agreement Read More »
