Department of Education

Photo of the US Capitol with a blue sky and a few clouds in the background

Comments sought on proposed changes to Federal Pell Grant program regulations

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander The Secretary of Education is seeking comments on proposed regulatory changes impacting the Federal Pell Grant program. In a Federal Register Notice published on March 9, 2026, the Secretary proposes to amend the Federal Pell Grant program regulations in order to implement changes that were part of the Budget Reconciliation Bill that was […]

Comments sought on proposed changes to Federal Pell Grant program regulations Read More »

Woman working on calculator with papers and laptop in background.

FAFSA processing updates resulting from the Budget Reconciliation Bill

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Schools, state agencies, and vendors need to be aware of updates coming in April 2026 to various Department of Education systems resulting from the Budget Reconciliation Bill. In a March 9 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education outlined updates that will be implemented to several Federal Student Aid (FSA) systems and the

FAFSA processing updates resulting from the Budget Reconciliation Bill Read More »

Side view of crop serious Asian lady in casual wear sitting at table with cup of beverage and browsing netbook against big glass window on sunny day

2026-27 Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) Technical Reference partially updated

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid industry professionals now have some of the information they need to plan development of products and services for 2026-27 award year. The Department of Education announced that they have posted a partial version of the 2026-2027 Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) Technical Reference which contains development information of interest to vendors, servicers, partners,

2026-27 Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) Technical Reference partially updated Read More »

Man working on laptop computer at a desk.

EDExpress 2025-26 Service Release now available – resolves two recent issues  

Newsroom, Department of Education, Mapping Your Future features / By

By Marlene Seeklander EDExpress for Windows users have a new service release available that resolves two recent issues. In a February 27 Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid announced a new service release for EDExpress for Windows 2025–26, Release 2.0 that resolved the following issues: Users must have EDExpress 2025–26, Release 2.0 installed before running the service

EDExpress 2025-26 Service Release now available – resolves two recent issues   Read More »

Computer screen with homepage of Internal Revenue Service

Reminders on the reporting of 2025 student loan interest payments on tax returns

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Tax preparation time is here, and, although financial aid professionals aren’t required to be tax experts, you may receive questions about the reporting of student loan interest payments. In a recent Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid (FSA) outlined general information about the reporting of 2025 student loan interest payments. Borrowers who made federal

Reminders on the reporting of 2025 student loan interest payments on tax returns Read More »

Office setting with top of desk with notebooks, pencils, and coffee container.

2024-25 Campus-Based Awards Closeout

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander The 2024-25 Campus-Based program awards will soon be “in the books” for schools. An Electronic Announcement from the Department of Education stated that the 2024-25 Campus-Based program awards closeout will be completed by March 16. The Department uses data from a school’s Fiscal Operations Report for 2024-25 and Application to Participate for 2026-27

2024-25 Campus-Based Awards Closeout Read More »

US Department of Education building

Department of Education drafting materials to prepare for final rule changes

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is drafting presentations and documents in advance of the publication of the final rules from the amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) through the Budget Reconciliation Bill. In a February 20, 2026 update to an earlier Electronic Announcement, the Department noted that they are drafting

Department of Education drafting materials to prepare for final rule changes Read More »

Speaker at Business Conference and Presentation. Audience at the conference hall.

Additional information for 2026 FSA Training Conference participants now available

Newsroom, Department of Education, Latest / By

By Marlene Seeklander Participants in the upcoming FSA Training Conference now have additional information to access as they prepare for the conference. On February 25, the Department of Education announced that the following information is available on the FSA Training Conference website: A limited number of attendees were selected by lottery to attend the conference, scheduled for

Additional information for 2026 FSA Training Conference participants now available Read More »

Open laptop with several post-it note pads

Updated NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Guide (February 2026) now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals now have a new enrollment reporting guide, updated with references to the latest website for fulfilling the reporting requirements. On February 23, the Department of Education announced an updated version of the Enrollment Reporting Guide. The guide provides step-by-step instructions for NSLDS enrollment reporting. This update includes replacing references to

Updated NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Guide (February 2026) now available Read More »

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

Draft 2027-28 FAFSA application materials available for comment and news of upcoming enhancements

Newsroom, Department of Education, FAFSA resources / By

By Marlene Seeklander While many students, parents, and schools are currently focused on the 2026-27 FAFSA, the Department of Education is looking ahead to next year’s FAFSA to prepare for its launch on October 1, 2026. The Department of Education recently announced the availability of the 2027-28 FAFSA materials for public comment, a process that occurs

Draft 2027-28 FAFSA application materials available for comment and news of upcoming enhancements Read More »

Scroll to Top