Department of Education

By Marlene Seeklander Documentation requirements for American Indians born in Canada trying to establish Title IV eligibility may have become somewhat easier. The Department of Education announced that they have updated the procedures and acceptable documentation in the 2024-25 FSA Handbook. To implement this guidance, formerly known as the Jay Treaty, schools need to look at […]

By Marlene Seeklander Severe weather and resulting closures are unpredictable, but the Department of Education does have contingency plans. In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department provided some information on temporary closures of their Federal Loan Servicing Centers due to hazardous weather conditions. The Federal Loan Servicing Centers will implement contingency plans and remain open as

By Marlene Seeklander Federal Student Aid is offering more training to help financial aid professionals prepare for and manage the 2025-26 processing cycle. Several new learning tracks are now available in the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Training Center. These include: To enroll in the training: Questions about these learning tracks or other training needs, send an

By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is among the federal offices closed in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Inauguration Day on Monday, January 20. A recent Electronic Announcement states that the Federal Student Aid (FSA) processors and contact centers will be closed on January 20. All FSA websites will be

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals may want to make note of two Wednesdays in January and February 2025 to tune into some upcoming webinars. In a recent Dear Colleague Letter, Federal Student Aid announced a series of live webinars that will cover topics related to the Title IV programs and will include the most recent

By Marlene Seeklander While new regulations are meant to provide important guidance to schools, the actual implementation of those regulations can create a lot of questions. In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education stated that to address the policy questions received from the higher education community regarding policy final regulations, the Office of Postsecondary

By Marlene Seeklander You will want to make note that the federal government offices will be closed on January 9 for a National Day of Mourning and some processing may be impacted. In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that their federal offices will be closed to observe the day of mourning in

By Marlene Seeklander Schools facing a reduction in their campus-based funding due to underuse have until later this month to request the penalty be waived. The Department of Education recently released an Electronic Announcement outlining that, when a school returns more than 10% of its Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) or Federal Work Study (FWS)