By Marlene Seeklander Of all the tasks on your to-do list, registering for the annual virtual Federal Student Aid (FSA) Training Conference is an easy one to check off. FSA announced that the registration for their free annual training conference on December 3-6 is now open. Registration can be completed at the FSA Training Conference Home on […]
2024 Virtual FSA Training Conference registration now open Read More »
By Catherine Mueller The U.S. Department of Education invites school districts to join the Student Attendance and Engagement Solutions Network. According to an announcement from the Department of Education, the network (also known as the Attendance Solutions Network) has been created to support districts to reduce chronic absence, increase student engagement, and build on prevention
National network formed to support student attendance and engagement strategies Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Colleges that cross the line from communicating the value of their programs into misrepresentation could face fines or be limited in their participation of federal financial aid programs. The Department of Education released a bulletin informing Title IV-eligible schools and third-party servicers of the examples of conduct that creates a risk of
Colleges reminded about what constitutes misrepresentation to students Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander In an effort to improve communication with schools and colleges, the Department of Education recently sent an update to key leadership at postsecondary institutions, outlining their work to improve the FAFSA. On September 23, the Department announced that Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona sent a letter to presidents and chancellors to provide an
Secretary of Education letter on improving the FAFSA experience Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander When it comes to the administration of federal financial aid programs, deadlines are part of the job. In a September 18 Federal Register Notice, the Department of Education announced the 2024-24 Award Year deadline dates for documents and other information from applicants and schools participating in the Federal student aid programs. Programs
2024-25 award year deadline dates announced Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Impacted by the pandemic pause on student loan repayments, the national student loan default rate remains at 0% for the second year in a row. The Department of Education (ED) released their FY 2021 national default briefing and, as expected, the FY 2021 cohort default rates were affected by the pause on
FY 2021 national default rate briefing released Read More »
By Catherine Mueller Students seeking financial aid for the 2025-26 academic year should plan to complete the FAFSA after December 1, 2024. Normally, the FAFSA is released on October 1, but the U.S. Department of Education is delaying the release of the FAFSA to have time for more testing. The testing is aimed at avoiding some
Students can complete the 2025-26 FAFSA in December Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals can remove one deadline from an already busy fall calendar. The Department of Education announced that schools will have until January 15, 2025, to report required information and review the Completers Lists under the Financial Value Transparency (FVT) and Gainful Employment (GE) rules. The Department recognized that the additional
Updated deadline for Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment reporting Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Schools, colleges, and organizations can now apply to be a part of the next couple of rounds of testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA. The Department of Education announced that community-based organizations, high schools, school districts representing multiple schools, county and state organizations, and higher education institutions can submit an interest form to participate
Another opportunity to test the 2025-26 FAFSA now available Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander The clock is ticking for a critical deadline for financial aid administrators. The Department of ED reminded schools that the deadline for submitting the Fiscal Operations Report for 2023-24 and the Application to Participate for 2025-26, also known as the FISAP, is October 1. Schools requesting Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) or
Reminder: FISAP deadline October 1, 2024 Read More »
