Department of Education

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Department of Education releases guidance on the use of federal student aid data

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By Marlene Seeklander Schools, state agencies, and contractors all have a role in safeguarding student and parent data received as a part of the federal student aid process. In a comprehensive Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) published on September 30, 2025, the Department of Education addresses guidance on the permitted access, disclosure, and use of Federal Tax […]

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Department to distribute 2025-26 Supplemental funds for work-study and grants to specific colleges

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By Marlene Seeklander Students should benefit when some colleges will receive 2025-26 supplemental Campus-Based funds in the near future. In a September 30 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education (ED) outlined how 2025-26 supplemental Campus-Based award funds will be distributed and how schools will be notified. Information collected on the Campus-Based Reallocation Form that was due

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EDExpress for Windows 2026-27, Release 1.0 now available

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By Marlene Seeklander EDExpress users now have access to the EDExpress for Windows 2026-27, Release 1.0 software, which includes legislative updates and changes implemented during the 2026-27 FAFSA beta testing. In a recent Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid announced the availability of EDExpress for Windows 2025-26, Release 2.0, which is available in the Software and Other

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Department of Education releases 2026-27 College Financing Plan

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By Marlene Seeklander Those financial aid professionals who opt to use the Department of Education’s College Financial Plan template now have a new version for the 2026-27 award year. The Department of Education announced the release of the 2026-27 College Financing Plan (CFP), a consumer tool that colleges can use to notify students about their financial

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Federal Need Analysis Methodology updated for the 2026-27 Award Year

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By Marlene Seeklander To keep pace with the cost of living, the Department of Education recently updated the numbers used in determining whether a student qualifies for need-based federal financial aid. In a September 24 Dear Colleague Letter, the Secretary of Education announced the annual updates to the tables used in the Federal Needs Analysis

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FY 2022 national default rate briefing released

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By Marlene Seeklander The national student loan default rate remains at 0% for the third year in a row. The Department of Education (ED) released their FY 2022 national default briefing and, as expected, the FY 2022 cohort default rates were affected by the pause on federal student loan payments that began in March 2020.

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Launch of the 2026-27 FAFSA is the earliest in the program’s history

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By Marlene Seeklander The 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available for all students to complete. The availability of the FAFSA – a week ahead of the official release date of October 1 – is what the Department of Education (ED) said is the earliest launch of the FAFSA in the program’s

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2024-25 award year deadline dates published by Department of Education

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals who are facing several reporting deadlines with the end of the federal fiscal year may not want to hear any more about upcoming deadlines. However, in a September 18 Federal Register Notice, the Department of Education announced the 2024-25 Award Year deadline dates for reports and other information from

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2024-25 TEACH Grant Closeout additional information

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By Marlene Seeklander Schools participating in the TEACH Grant program will want to check out the additional information available for the 2024-25 TEACH Grant Closeout. In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education provided some reminders and additional information for colleges that need to complete the 2024-25 TEACH Grant Closeout by the September 30, 2025

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ED makes correction to Federal Register Notice on FAFSA information to be verified

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By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education (ED) recently made a correction to an earlier Federal Register Notice. On September 12, ED posted a correction to a July 22, 2025 Federal Register about the FAFSA information that an institution and an applicant may be required to verify, as well as the acceptable documentation for verifying FAFSA

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