By Marlene Seeklander Financial aid professionals looking for a little more guidance on reconciling federal financial aid programs have now received some from the Department of Education. On January 27, the Department released an Electronic Announcement that provides more specific information to assist schools in reconciling the Direct Loan, Pell Grant, and TEACH Grant programs. Reconciliation […]
Tip of the Week Weathering the storm Weather, particularly in the winter, can often be unpredictable. This past weekend the weather was a dominating force in the lives of many across the country. The Weather Channel dubbed the event Winter Storm Fern. If you were impacted by the weather this past weekend, you most likely
Tip of the Week – January 28, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander The Department of Education is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the upcoming Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. A January 27 Federal Register Notice outlined the intent to establish a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee that will prepare proposed regulations focusing on accrediting agencies and related institutional eligibility requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education
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By Marlene Seeklander Because the FAFSA Specifications Guides are such a useful tool, financial aid professionals will want to make note of several recent updates to both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 guides. The Department of Education recently announced updates to several important volumes of the guides, such as Volume 5 – Edits and Rejects and Volume 6
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Higher Ed News Vol. 18 – Issue 2 Registration for the 2026 FSA Training Conference requires action by January 23 Schools interested in attending the upcoming Federal Student Aid (FSA) Conference need to act by January 23 to express interest in attending. Department delays collections on student loans Borrowers, who have defaulted on the federal
Mapping Your Future Higher Ed News – January 22, 2026 Read More »
Tip of the Week Change of plans “Life is short, see as much art as you can!” That’s what my sister said to me, trying to convince me to come to St. Louis this weekend so I could see the Anselm Kiefer exhibit “Becoming the Sea” at the St. Louis Art Museum. When I read
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By Marlene Seeklander In response to a legal challenge, the Department of Education revised the requirements for an authorized representative of an institution to sign the agreement to participate in federal financial aid programs. In a January 16 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education addressed the situations in which an owner-entity of an eligible higher education
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By Catherine Mueller Borrowers, who have defaulted on the federal student loans, received a temporary reprieve recently with a decision to delay collections activities. On January 16, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) announced that it will delay the implementation of involuntary collections on federal student loans, including Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG) and the Treasury
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By Marlene Seeklander Schools interested in attending the upcoming Federal Student Aid (FSA) Conference need to act by January 23 to express interest in attending. On January 14, FSA announced that due to the limited number of seats at the conference site, they will hold a lottery if interest exceeds the number of seats available. The
Registration for the 2026 FSA Training Conference requires action by January 23 Read More »
Tip of the Week A pleasant journey for the new year I’ve made a lot of resolutions through the years. Some of them I accomplished; more than I care to admit, I did not. For example, just a few goals I have yet to accomplish (and maybe never will): Despite this lack of achievement, I
Tip of the Week – January 14, 2026 Read More »
