By Marlene Seeklander A good education and no debt – two factors that ensure young adults start their future off on the right foot financially. Because the FAFSA is a critical first step to pursuing postsecondary education, students and parents should know it is not too late to complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA. Now is a good
Two factors for a successful financial future Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial literacy is a year-long concern. Although April and the celebration of financial literacy month is over, raising awareness of the importance of financial education all year long is important, not only for young people but for all of us. Financial aid professionals play a critical role in helping students and parents plan
Continuing the financial literacy month celebration Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals know that awarding Pell Grants and Federal Work-Study may seem easy on the surface but gets complicated in the details. To provide training or a refresher for financial aid professionals, Federal Student Aid (FSA) will offer a series of Wednesday Webinars on Pell Grants and Work-Study. FSA announced four live webinars covering
Pell Grant and Work-Study awards subject of upcoming Wednesday Webinar Series Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals can now better prepare for the 2026-27 financial aid award year with updates to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). The Department of Education (the Department) recently shared news of the updates along with a caveat that more updates may be needed if new regulations result from the federal
By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education took another step forward in the 2026-27 award year processing cycle with the implementation of changes this past weekend – some of which were required due to the changes under budget reconciliation. In an April 23 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that it would implement changes to
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals will notice some updates to their institutional student information records (ISIRs) layout that are a result of the Budget Reconciliation Bill provisions. In an April 23 update to an earlier Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education outlined details about the transition to the updated ISIR layout that happened on
FSA implements system updates on April 26 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Students and families should benefit from federal financial aid instead of criminals. Safeguarding the American taxpayer investment in programs such as Pell Grants and federal student loans has been a top priority for the Department of Education. In an April 16 press release, the Department of Education said the launch of a nationwide
Combating Federal Student Aid fraud across the country Read More »
Rough going in the implementation of new financial aid rules The ripples spreading through the waters are quickly becoming waves threatening to overwhelm both professionals and students alike. It may seem dramatic to characterize the changes under OB3 in such terms. However, what makes sense on the surface gets more complicated with implementation. The combination
Tip of the Week – April 22, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Applying for scholarships is a smart way to pay for a college education. Scholarships enable students to pay for an education and avoid student loan debt. In addition, scholarships are recognition of a student’s accomplishments – something that can be included on a resume or lead to other opportunities. Students may want to
Scholarship opportunities for students pursuing specific career fields Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals may have questions about the legacy loan limit provisions going into effect this summer following the passage last year of the federal budget reconciliation law. Federal Student Aid offered a live webinar on April 17 that addressed the provisions for those borrowers who had loans disbursed prior to July 1,
Webinar recording on legacy loan limit provisions now available Read More »
