By Marlene Seeklander The clock is ticking for financial aid professionals to complete award-year specific training courses on the FSA Training Center. On July 2, the FSA Training Center will remove training courses specific to the 2025-26 award year and replace them with the 2026-27 award year courses on July 3. The FSA Training Center includes […]
FSA Training Center to update award-year specific training courses Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals now have access to financial aid eligibility calculations for the 2027-28 award year with the release of a new guide from the Department of Education. In a recent Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid said that the 2027–28 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide is available for download.
2027-28 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is among the federal offices closed for the Juneteenth National Independence Day federal holiday on Friday, June 19. The June 11 announcement states that the Federal Student Aid (FSA) processors and contact centers will be closed on June 19. All FSA websites will be operational on the holiday. The following additional
Federal Student Aid closures due to Juneteenth federal holiday Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals will soon see additional Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) functionality for the 2026-27 award year. The Department of Education announced that on June 28, 2026 additional COD System functionality will be implemented. The additional functionality will support the Campus-Based programs, along with the processing of Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, and
2026-27 Award Year additional COD System implementation coming soon Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander It’s not often that a financial aid professional can ignore an FPS C Flag without having to resolve it. In preparation to alert schools if a borrower might be considered a Legacy borrower and not subject to the new changes under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, the Department of Education has published
Schools directed to ignore flag associated with loan limits on student FAFSA records Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 12 Best Practices for preventing FAFSA fraud and protecting Title IV funds Financial aid professionals and others on the campus can look to the proven practices of other institutions to help prevent FAFSA fraud and protect federal student aid funds. Federal Need Analysis Methodology for the 2027-28 award
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – June 11, 2026 Read More »
Schedule of Reductions/Loan Limits webinar today It’s probably safe to say that what sounded like a reasonable idea to some a year ago has left many financial aid professionals with questions. With the implementation of new loan proration and loan limitation regulations just a few weeks away, the industry is trying to determine how to
Tip of the Week – June 10, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals, counselors and others can now better advise students who are flagged for identity verification while completing the FAFSA. The Department of Education added an update on May 29 to a recent Electronic Announcement stating they have uploaded screenshots of what applicants see when they are completing the identity verification within
FAFSA Real-Time Fraud Detection screenshots now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals now have an updated guide to help them better understand the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) reports that are available. On June 4, the Department of Education announced that an updated NSLDS Reports for Schools Guide is now available. The June 2026 guide replaces the July 2024 version. Questions
Updated NSLDS Reports for Schools Guide now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Student loan borrowers will see an increase in interest rates starting July 1 for Direct Loans borrowed on or after July 1, 2026. The new interest rates were announced by the Department of Education in a June 4 Electronic Announcement. The interest rate is a fixed rate for the life of the loan. For
Interest rates on federal student loans to increase Read More »
