Author name: Marlene Seeklander

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Important deadline coming up for October 26 ACT test date

By Catherine Mueller In addition to studying, students have some other important things to do to prepare for the ACT test. One of those things is to upload a photo for identification and test security purposes. If a student fails to upload a photo, they will be turned away from taking the test on their registered

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Five tips to complete this important FAFSA first step

By Catherine Mueller Although students and parents won’t be able to apply for financial aid until December, there are some things you can do in the meantime to prepare. The U.S. Department of Education announced several weeks ago that it would not release the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) until December 1. In

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Colleges reminded about what constitutes misrepresentation to students

By Marlene Seeklander Colleges that cross the line from communicating the value of their programs into misrepresentation could face fines or be limited in their participation of federal financial aid programs. The Department of Education released a bulletin informing Title IV-eligible schools and third-party servicers of the examples of conduct that creates a risk of

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Secretary of Education letter on improving the FAFSA experience

By Marlene Seeklander In an effort to improve communication with schools and colleges, the Department of Education recently sent an update to key leadership at postsecondary institutions, outlining their work to improve the FAFSA. On September 23, the Department announced that Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona sent a letter to presidents and chancellors to provide an

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2024-25 award year deadline dates announced

By Marlene Seeklander When it comes to the administration of federal financial aid programs, deadlines are part of the job. In a September 18 Federal Register Notice, the Department of Education announced the 2024-24 Award Year deadline dates for documents and other information from applicants and schools participating in the Federal student aid programs. Programs

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FY 2021 national default rate briefing released

By Marlene Seeklander Impacted by the pandemic pause on student loan repayments, the national student loan default rate remains at 0% for the second year in a row. The Department of Education (ED) released their FY 2021 national default briefing and, as expected, the FY 2021 cohort default rates were affected by the pause on

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Students can complete the 2025-26 FAFSA in December

By Catherine Mueller Students seeking financial aid for the 2025-26 academic year should plan to complete the FAFSA after December 1, 2024. Normally, the FAFSA is released on October 1, but the U.S. Department of Education is delaying the release of the FAFSA to have time for more testing. The testing is aimed at avoiding some

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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – September 19, 2024

Higher Ed News Vol. 16 – Issue 20 Another opportunity to test the 2025-26 FAFSA now available Schools, colleges, and organizations can now apply to be a part of the next couple of rounds of testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA. 2025-2026 FAFSA information to be verified and acceptable documentation More tools are available for your

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Tip of the Week – September 18, 2024

Tip of the Week Remember, you’re not superhuman Sometimes we may feel superhuman or others may expect us to be superhuman. As another academic year settles in, a long “To Do” list continues. For financial aid administrators, this list includes some important reporting deadlines, along with information that may be requested of you by your

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