Author name: Marlene Seeklander

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

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

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

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

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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Colleges implementing new rules for federal student loan programs

By Marlene Seeklander 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. On Friday, May 1, the Department of Education published the final regulations in the Federal Register for

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EDExpress for Windows 2026-27, Release 2.0 now available

By Marlene Seeklander Several resources are now available for EDExpress users with Release 2.0 of the 2026-27 EDExpress for Windows software. Federal Student Aid recently announced the availability of EDExpress for Windows 2026-27, Release 2.0, which is available in the Software and Other Tools area of the Knowledge Center website. This release includes full Pell Grant, Direct

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Updated 2026-27 Federal School Code List released

By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education recently released an updated 2026-27 Federal School Code List, which plays a key role in the FAFSA. The Department announced the availability of the updated 2026–27 Federal School Code (FSC) List of Participating Schools.  Although it’s usually not necessary, students can enter these codes on the FAFSA in order

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Early Awareness E-News – May 2026

Early Awareness E-News May 2026Vol. 18 – Issue 5 Continuing the financial literacy month celebration Financial literacy is a year-long concern. Combating Federal Student Aid fraud across the country Students and families should benefit from federal financial aid instead of criminals. Real-time fraud detection announced for FAFSA With fraud prevention becoming an increasingly critical issue,

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May checklist for high school seniors

By Marlene Seeklander As your senior year winds down, you may find yourself distracted with plans for prom, your graduation celebration, and summer. Don’t forget to stay focused on school so you can finish your high school career strong. Below is a checklist of things you should complete during the month of May:

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