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2027-28 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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. […]

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Federal Student Aid closures due to Juneteenth federal holiday

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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

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2026-27 Award Year additional COD System implementation coming soon

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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

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Schools directed to ignore flag associated with loan limits on student FAFSA records

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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

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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – June 11, 2026

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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

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Dark blue folder with FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid on the front.

FAFSA Real-Time Fraud Detection screenshots now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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

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Updated NSLDS Reports for Schools Guide now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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

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Interest rates on federal student loans to increase

Newsroom, Department of Education, Paying for College, Student Loans / By

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

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Effective dates for Pell provisions clarified

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals don’t always get what they ask for, but the Department of Education has responded to a request for clarification on Pell provisions. In a June 4 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education stated that some institutions have asked for further clarification of the provisions for the Workforce Pell and Federal

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