Author name: Marlene Seeklander

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FAFSA processing updates resulting from the Budget Reconciliation Bill

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By Marlene Seeklander Schools, state agencies, and vendors need to be aware of updates coming in April 2026 to various Department of Education systems resulting from the Budget Reconciliation Bill. In a March 9 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education outlined updates that will be implemented to several Federal Student Aid (FSA) systems and the

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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – March 5, 2026

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Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 5 Three factors for measuring an education’s return on investment The amount of money we make in our lifetime is just one way, albeit an important one to many people, to measure how well we’ve done in our careers. Keys to a successful scholarship strategy topic of upcoming webinar When

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2026-27 Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) Technical Reference partially updated

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid industry professionals now have some of the information they need to plan development of products and services for 2026-27 award year. The Department of Education announced that they have posted a partial version of the 2026-2027 Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) Technical Reference which contains development information of interest to vendors, servicers, partners,

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EDExpress 2025-26 Service Release now available – resolves two recent issues  

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By Marlene Seeklander EDExpress for Windows users have a new service release available that resolves two recent issues. In a February 27 Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid announced a new service release for EDExpress for Windows 2025–26, Release 2.0 that resolved the following issues: Users must have EDExpress 2025–26, Release 2.0 installed before running the service

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Project Yellow Light Scholarships

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By Marlene Seeklander For those individuals who like to bring about change, particularly as it relates to distracted driving, the Project Yellow Light Scholarship may be an opportunity to consider.    The Project Yellow Light/Hunter Garner Scholarship is a scholarship competition founded by the family of Hunter Garner, who was killed in a car crash in

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Reminders on the reporting of 2025 student loan interest payments on tax returns

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By Marlene Seeklander Tax preparation time is here, and, although financial aid professionals aren’t required to be tax experts, you may receive questions about the reporting of student loan interest payments. In a recent Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid (FSA) outlined general information about the reporting of 2025 student loan interest payments. Borrowers who made federal

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2024-25 Campus-Based Awards Closeout

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By Marlene Seeklander The 2024-25 Campus-Based program awards will soon be “in the books” for schools. An Electronic Announcement from the Department of Education stated that the 2024-25 Campus-Based program awards closeout will be completed by March 16. The Department uses data from a school’s Fiscal Operations Report for 2024-25 and Application to Participate for 2026-27

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Early Awareness E-News – March 2026

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Early Awareness E-News March 2026Vol. 18 – Issue 3 Keys to a successful scholarship strategy topic of upcoming webinar When it comes to getting money for college, scholarships can be critical.  Draft 2027-28 FAFSA application materials available for comment and news of upcoming enhancements While many students, parents, and schools are currently focused on the

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