Department of Education

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State Workforce Pell Certification Form now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Schools seeking approval from the Department of Education to offer eligible workforce programs can now access the required certification form. In a July 1 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education (the Department) announced that the State Workforce Pell Certification Form is now available for eligible institutions seeking approval from the Department. As part

State Workforce Pell Certification Form now available Read More »

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National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) updates as a result of new provisions

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By Marlene Seeklander When it comes to NSLDS reporting, financial aid professionals can leave some of the optional fields blank in the next report. However, in doing so, they are indicating their school’s intent to early implement some of the provisions of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. In a July 1 Electronic Announcement, the Department

National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) updates as a result of new provisions Read More »

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Schools can set lower, program specific student loan limits

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By Marlene Seeklander As of July 1, schools can establish lower annual loan limits for specific programs, beginning with the 2026-27 award year. In a June 26 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (the Act) allows schools to set lower annual loan limits for specific programs, provided

Schools can set lower, program specific student loan limits Read More »

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Updated PC and system requirements for EDExpress users for 2027-28

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By Marlene Seeklander EDExpress users will want to take note of possible PC and system requirements planned for EDExpress 2027-28 for Windows. In a June 24 Electronic Announcement, Federal Student Aid provided advance notice of enhancements planned for EDExpress 2027-28 for Windows that may require schools to update PC workstations and/or their overall system.  The EDExpress

Updated PC and system requirements for EDExpress users for 2027-28 Read More »

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Independence Day holiday closings for federal offices

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

By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is among the federal offices that will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of the Independence Day federal holiday. A recent Electronic Announcement states that the Federal Student Aid (FSA) processors and contact centers will be closed on July 3. All FSA websites will be operational on the

Independence Day holiday closings for federal offices Read More »

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Managing Workforce Pell Programs training offered by Department of Education

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By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals interested in applying for Federal Pell Grant program eligibility for certain workforce programs can attend training on how to use the E-App to complete the process. The Department of Education stated In a June 25 Electronic Announcement that starting July 1, 2026, schools can use the E-App in FSA Partner

Managing Workforce Pell Programs training offered by Department of Education Read More »

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Millions of student loan borrowers in default, totaling billions of dollars

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By Marlene Seeklander More than 9 million borrowers with $220 billion in outstanding federal student loans are in default, according to the latest data available. The amount of student loans in default represents more than 13 percent of the total $1.64 trillion federal portfolio. In a recent announcement, the Department of Education (the Department) said it

Millions of student loan borrowers in default, totaling billions of dollars Read More »

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2026-27 FSA Handbook Volumes 4 and 5 now available

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals now have two essential volumes of the 2026-27 FSA Handbook available to them. The Department of Education announced that the following volumes of the 2026-27 FSA Handbook are now available: The digital Federal Student Aid Handbook is available on FSA’s Knowledge Center. Any questions or suggestions about the FSA Handbook

2026-27 FSA Handbook Volumes 4 and 5 now available Read More »

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Updated guide for helping students who have exceeded student loan limitations

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander As new federal student loan limitations are implemented, financial aid professionals may see more students who have exceeded Federal Direct Loan annual or aggregate loan limits. The Department of Education recently announced the availability of the updated NSLDS Reaffirmation User Guide (June 2026) for working with students who have exceeded loan limits. The

Updated guide for helping students who have exceeded student loan limitations Read More »

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Outage alert for StudentAid.gov on June 27-28

Newsroom, Department of Education / By

By Marlene Seeklander The StudentAid.gov website will be unavailable June 27-28, 2026. Federal Student Aid announced that they will be performing extended maintenance to the StudentAid.gov site on June 27-28. Beginning on Saturday, June 27 at 4 p.m. (Eastern) until approximately 1 p.m. (Eastern) on Sunday, June 28, the site will be unavailable. During the outage, users will be unable

Outage alert for StudentAid.gov on June 27-28 Read More »

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