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2026 Federal Student Aid Training Conference registration details announced

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Catherine Mueller Financial aid professionals and others representing post-secondary institutions are the first who can register for the Federal Student Aid Training Conference, planned for mid-December outside of Washington. In an October 22, 2026, Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education said post-secondary institutions are prioritized in the first phase of registration for the conference. The

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FSA Training Center currently unavailable

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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.

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Government-issued identification may now be needed when completing the FAFSA

Newsroom, Department of Education, FAFSA resources / By

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,

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Department of Education offers training to assist schools in reducing student loan delinquency and default

Newsroom, Department of Education, Student Loans / By

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

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2025-26 Prison Education Program (PEP) Reporting Tool Workbook now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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

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Early registration deadline approaching for December ACT test

Newsroom, College preparation / By

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

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New release of EDExpress software for financial aid offices resolves reported problems; includes enhancements

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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

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Tip of the Week – October 21, 2026

Newsroom, Financial Literacy, Latest, Mapping Your Future features, Newsletters, Student Loans, Tip of the Week / By

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

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Department answers Workforce Pell questions in new FAQ document

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

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

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Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – October 15, 2026

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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

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