By Catherine Mueller Students should apply for as many scholarships as possible. That’s good advice, but with that advice in mind, students should prioritize some scholarships and maybe avoid some scholarships altogether. In general, you should apply for those scholarships that are a good fit and not apply to any scholarships that seem questionable. To determine
Questions to ask yourself before applying for scholarships Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is among the federal offices closed in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Inauguration Day on Monday, January 20. A recent Electronic Announcement states that the Federal Student Aid (FSA) processors and contact centers will be closed on January 20. All FSA websites will be
Federal Student Aid closures for Monday, January 20, 2025 Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 17 – Issue 1 Federal government closures on Thursday, January 9, 2025 You will want to make note that the federal government offices will be closed on January 9 for a National Day of Mourning and some processing may be impacted. Partial version of 2025-2026 COD Technical Reference available Another tool
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – January 9, 2025 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals can kick off their 2025-26 planning and processing with some training offered by the Department of Education. The Federal Student Aid Training Center recently announced that they have updated the FAFSA simplification Trending Topic Series with the 2025-26 changes. Topics include: To sign up for the training: Training related questions
2025-26 changes incorporated into FAFSA Simplification Training Topics Series Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals may want to make note of two Wednesdays in January and February 2025 to tune into some upcoming webinars. In a recent Dear Colleague Letter, Federal Student Aid announced a series of live webinars that will cover topics related to the Title IV programs and will include the most recent
Federal Student Aid Wednesday Webinar Series announced Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander While new regulations are meant to provide important guidance to schools, the actual implementation of those regulations can create a lot of questions. In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education stated that to address the policy questions received from the higher education community regarding policy final regulations, the Office of Postsecondary
Tip of the Week What are your New Year’s intentions? There’s something about getting out a new calendar that often prompts us to think about resolutions or intentions for the new year. Many times, our resolutions or intentions are focused on our health, our financial habits, or our family and friends. Have you set some
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By Marlene Seeklander You will want to make note that the federal government offices will be closed on January 9 for a National Day of Mourning and some processing may be impacted. In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that their federal offices will be closed to observe the day of mourning in
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By Marlene Seeklander Schools facing a reduction in their campus-based funding due to underuse have until later this month to request the penalty be waived. The Department of Education recently released an Electronic Announcement outlining that, when a school returns more than 10% of its Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) or Federal Work Study (FWS)
Deadline approaching for 2025-26 Underuse Penalty Waiver for the Campus-Based Programs Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander All good things must come to an end, including the Fresh Start initiative. The Fresh Start initiative, which was announced in a Dear College Letter dated August 17, 2022, allowed schools to award Title IV aid to a student who would have otherwise been ineligible due to a prior defaulted loan. This applied
Important reminders about the Fresh Start initiative Read More »
