Author name: Marlene Seeklander

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Updated PC and system requirements for EDExpress users for 2027-28

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By Marlene Seeklander EDExpress users will want to take note of possible PC and system requirements planned for EDExpress 2027-28 for Windows. In a June 24 Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid provided advance notice of enhancements planned for EDExpress 2027-28 for Windows that may require schools to update PC workstations and/or their overall system.  The EDExpress

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Independence Day holiday closings for federal offices

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By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is among the federal offices that will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of the Independence Day federal holiday. A recent Electronic Announcement states that the Federal Student Aid (FSA) processors and contact centers will be closed on July 3. All FSA websites will be operational on the

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Four things rising seniors can do this summer to prepare for the future

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By Catherine Mueller Although rising high school seniors shouldn’t complete the FAFSA until fall, there’s still plenty of things they can be doing right now to prepare for education after high school. Completing the 2027-28 FAFSA when it is available in October, will be important for high school seniors who want to seek financial aid to

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Managing Workforce Pell Programs training offered by Department of Education

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals interested in applying for Federal Pell Grant program eligibility for certain workforce programs can attend training on how to use the E-App to complete the process. The Department of Education stated In a June 25 Electronic Announcement that starting July 1, 2026, schools can use the E-App in FSA Partner

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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – June 25, 2026

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Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 13 Millions of student loan borrowers in default, totaling billions of dollars More than 9 million borrowers with $220 billion in outstanding federal student loans are in default, according to the latest data available. Department of Education offers guidance on which programs to add to federal report In

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US Department of Education building

Millions of student loan borrowers in default, totaling billions of dollars

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander More than 9 million borrowers with $220 billion in outstanding federal student loans are in default, according to the latest data available. The amount of student loans in default represents more than 13 percent of the total $1.64 trillion federal portfolio. In a recent announcement, the Department of Education (the Department) said it

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2026-27 FSA Handbook Volumes 4 and 5 now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals now have two essential volumes of the 2026-27 FSA Handbook available to them. The Department of Education announced that the following volumes of the 2026-27 FSA Handbook are now available: The digital Federal Student Aid Handbook is available on FSA’s Knowledge Center. Any questions or suggestions about the FSA Handbook

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Updated guide for helping students who have exceeded student loan limitations

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By Marlene Seeklander As new federal student loan limitations are implemented, financial aid professionals may see more students who have exceeded Federal Direct Loan annual or aggregate loan limits. The Department of Education recently announced the availability of the updated NSLDS Reaffirmation User Guide (June 2026) for working with students who have exceeded loan limits. The

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Outage alert for StudentAid.gov on June 27-28

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander The StudentAid.gov website will be unavailable June 27-28, 2026. Federal Student Aid announced that they will be performing extended maintenance to the StudentAid.gov site on June 27-28. Beginning on Saturday, June 27 at 4 p.m. (Eastern) until approximately 1 p.m. (Eastern) on Sunday, June 28, the site will be unavailable. During the outage, users will be unable

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Reporting Federal Work-Study Earnings to COD System for 2025 calendar year

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals now have instructions for the reporting of student-level earnings for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program for the 2025 calendar year. In a June 23 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education outlines the operational guidance for schools as they begin reporting Federal Work-Study earnings for the 2025 calendar year. The implementation

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