By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals wanting to access training in the FSA Training Center may have to wait a while. In an October 21 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that the FSA Training Center website is currently unavailable while emergency security updates are completed to address a critical vulnerability affecting web servers worldwide.
FSA Training Center currently unavailable Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Some students are being asked to show their government-issued identification when completing the 2027-28 FAFSA. The request is a part of the Department of Education’s real-time fraud detection system, which is estimated to impact less than 4 percent of FAFSA filers. Before processing the FAFSA, the fraud detection system, implemented in April 2026,
Government-issued identification may now be needed when completing the FAFSA Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Schools wanting to reduce student loan delinquency and default have several training opportunities to enhance their default prevention programs. As part of their ongoing efforts to provide default prevention resources to schools, the Department of Education recently hosted two webinars, covering the following topics: The recordings, transcripts, and handouts for these webinars
By Marlene Seeklander Colleges participating in a Prison Education Program (PEP) now have a tool available that provides guidance to assist in required reporting. In an October 20 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced the availability of the 2025–26 Prison Education Program (PEP) Reporting Tool Workbook on the Prison Education Programs Topics page of the
2025-26 Prison Education Program (PEP) Reporting Tool Workbook now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Students interested in taking the December ACT test should register soon to avoid late fees. The regular registration deadline is Friday, November 6 for the December 12 ACT test. After November 6, students can register for the December test up until November 29 but will have to pay a late fee with their
Early registration deadline approaching for December ACT test Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander EDExpress users should find it a little easier to process, package and manage financial aid with the latest fixes and updates to the software. In an October 19 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that EDExpress for Windows 2026–27, Release 2.0 is now available, resolving, it said, several software issues reported to
Tip of the Week Happy Financial Aid Day 2026 Happenstance. It’s how many of us ended up working in financial aid. As high school students, most of us did not list working in financial aid as a future career goal. It may have been a work study position in college that became a full-time opportunity
Tip of the Week – October 21, 2026 Read More »
By Catherine Mueller The expansion of the Federal Pell grant program to cover short-term certificates and credential programs creates opportunities for both institutions and students. However, the expansion, known as Workforce Pell, has also created a lot of questions. To answer some of those questions, the Department of Education on October 15 announced the release of
Department answers Workforce Pell questions in new FAQ document Read More »
Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 21 Federal report provides insight on 2025 college costs; recent tuition rate hikes and trends Students, families, and taxpayers now have easier access to information about college costs thanks to a new report released this week by the Department of Education. Borrower Defense to Repayment system functionality restored
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – October 15, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Students, families, and taxpayers now have easier access to information about college costs thanks to a new report released this week by the Department of Education. In an October 14 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education (the Department) announced the release of the 2025 College Affordability and Transparency Report (CATR), which is based
