Author name: Marlene Seeklander

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Department of Education recommendations and response to Canvas security breach

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By Marlene Seeklander Following a widespread security breach involving the Canvas Learning Management System, the Department of Education detailed its response and provided recommendations for institutions. In a May 12 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education stated that they have been actively working with Instructure Holdings, Inc, the parent company of the Canvas Learning Management System

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Student eligibility for Pell Grants increased after FAFSA Simplification

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By Marlene Seeklander While FAFSA Simplification may have been a challenge for many schools, a recent GAO study confirms what many in the industry thought – that student eligibility increased for Pell Grants after changes were made to the FAFSA. A recent study published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicates that student eligibility for Pell Grants,

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Direct Loan fees and TEACH Grant award amounts set for 2026-27

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By Marlene Seeklander There’s good news for Direct Loan borrowers and students receiving TEACH Grant awards in the 2026-27 academic year as the Direct Loan fees and TEACH award amounts once again remain unchanged. A recent Electronic Announcement outlined the sequester-required increases to Direct Loan fees and sequester-required reductions in TEACH Grant award amounts. These apply

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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – May 14, 2026

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Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 10 Colleges implementing new rules for federal student loan programs Along with all of the tasks at the academic year end and the awarding of aid for the next year, financial aid professionals are also in the middle of implementing new federal student loan rules. “Awarding With Pell

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New learning opportunity designed to strengthen “big picture” knowledge of federal financial aid

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By Marlene Seeklander Good financial aid professionals know their job responsibilities. Great financial aid professionals understand how their job responsibilities fit into the big picture of federal financial aid. Financial aid professionals can strengthen their knowledge of Title IV administration through a new standalone course in the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Training Center – “Introduction to

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“Awarding With Pell Grant Formula 1” webinar materials now available

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By Marlene Seeklander Schools that use Pell Grant Formula 1 and attended the recent webinar on the topic, can now download the materials. Federal Student Aid (FSA) has the presentation slides available for the webinar which was held on May 6. Materials can be downloaded by logging into the FSA Training Center (fsatraining.ed.gov) then going to

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A new look for financial data in student loan data system

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals will now see loan amounts to the exact penny when viewing information on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). The Department of Education provided a May 7 update to an Electronic Announcement published on April 24 that addressed NSLDS processing. The Department stated that in order to align with

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Financial aid professionals can prepare now for fall reporting and application process

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By Marlene Seeklander For those financial aid professionals who want to get a head start on preparing for the 2027-28 Fiscal Operations Report for 2025-26 and Application to Participate for 2027-28 (FISAP), draft materials are now available. In a May 7 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education provided draft versions of the FISAP, including instructions and

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Schools reminded of renewal of annual registration with federal government

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By Marlene Seeklander As part of the process to participate in federal financial aid programs, all postsecondary institutions must regularly renew their registration with the federal government. In a May 5 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education said an institution’s Unique Entity ID (UEI) must be verified in the General Services Administration System for Award Management (SAM)

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