By Catherine Mueller When it comes to paying for college, many students and parents face uncertainty. Will there be enough money and is this college the right decision? Along with those questions, throw in some future changes with the budget reconciliation bill and it could be enough to cause some students and parents to question any
Summary of Budget Reconciliation Changes for Students and Parents Read More »
Tip of the Week Happy Financial Aid Day Over time, I realized I had “been bitten by the financial aid bug.” This was a career field I wanted to continue in and advance myself. I’ve always said that people either like working in financial aid or they don’t. If they don’t, they move on to
Tip of the Week – October 15, 2025 Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Scholarships are the best kind of financial aid, but students should be careful to avoid scams. Because so many students are looking for scholarships, there are, unfortunately, a lot of bad actors that want to take advantage of these students. Therefore, it’s important to be careful and make sure the scholarship offer is
Tips for avoiding scholarship scams Read More »
Tip of the Week Resources to make completing the 2026-27 FAFSA even easier Completing the FAFSA usually isn’t difficult, especially if students and families are prepared. There are two important steps when preparing to complete the 2026-27 FAFSA: Setting up StudentAid.gov account (also known as creating an FSA ID) is the first step when completing
Tip of the Week – October 8, 2025 Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 17 – Issue 20 Department of Education issues reminder: Federal grant funds may not be used on lobbying activity Higher education officials may already know that federal grant funds cannot be used for lobbying efforts but just in case anyone didn’t know, the Department of Education sent out a reminder earlier
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – October 2, 2025 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Higher education officials may already know that federal grant funds cannot be used for lobbying efforts but just in case anyone didn’t know, the Department of Education sent out a reminder earlier this week. In a September 30 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the Department of Education (Department) provided clarifying guidance that the use
By Marlene Seeklander The temporary government shutdown is impacting webinar opportunities for financial aid professionals. Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that the webinar scheduled for Wednesday, October 8, on “Charges and Credit Balances” has been cancelled. Once the shutdown is over, FSA will announce a rescheduled date for the webinar.
Federal Student Aid October 8 webinar on Charges and Credit Balances has been cancelled Read More »
Early Awareness E-News October 2025Vol. 17 – Issue 10 Launch of the 2026-27 FAFSA is the earliest in the program’s history The 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available for all students to complete. Five reasons you should complete the FAFSA Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can
Early Awareness E-News – October 2025 Read More »
Tip of the Week Government “shutdown” has limited impact on students, schools, borrowers, and other entities involved in the Title IV programs The government shutdown – or lapse in appropriations to fund the federal government – will have a limited impact on students and schools, in particular, which is good news. In an October 1
Tip of the Week – October 1, 2025 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Schools, state agencies, and contractors all have a role in safeguarding student and parent data received as a part of the federal student aid process. In a comprehensive Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) published on September 30, 2025, the Department of Education addresses guidance on the permitted access, disclosure, and use of Federal Tax
Department of Education releases guidance on the use of federal student aid data Read More »
