By Marlene Seeklander Students in some professional degree programs will find that they are – at least for now – eligible to borrow the higher federal student loan limits, while others will find that their program is no longer on the approved list. A recent June 24 court case preliminarily stayed part of the Department […]
List of professional degree programs updated due to recent Court Order Read More »
Tip of the Week Tax Transcript Matrix for 2026-27 Verification now available Although the number of FAFSAs selected for verification is down, financial aid professionals will, no doubt, appreciate any tool to assist with verification – particularly tax information. In a July 8 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education released the 2024 IRS Tax Return
Tip of the Week – July 8, 2026 Read More »
Tip of the Week It’s been a fireworks show For many of us, the highlight of July 4th is the fireworks show. It’s always been one of my favorite things, especially seeing the night sky light up with the vibrant colors and patterns produced by the fireworks and hearing the “oohs and aahs” of the
Tip of the Week – July 1, 2026 Read More »
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 »
Tip of the Week Achieving the dream; the greatness of financial aid A time to celebrate. Just in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary, the NASFAA conference will be in Washington, D.C., next week and celebrating its own 60th anniversary. The conference, of course, is an important time to get the latest information on the
Tip of the Week – June 24, 2026 Read More »
June 19, 2026 By Catherine Mueller Federal student loan borrowers could save some money on their student loans if they enroll in autopay. On June 18, The U.S. Department of Education announced that federal student loan borrowers enrolled in auto pay will be eligible for a 1 percent interest rate reduction beginning July 1. Borrowers who
Federal student loan borrowers to get rate reduction for enrollment in autopay Read More »
Tip of the Week Updated interest rate information available on Mapping Your Future website July is just around the corner and that means student loan borrowers will see slightly higher interest rates starting July 1. To help your students know the upcoming July 1 interest rates, Mapping Your Future staff recently updated several references to
Tip of the Week – June 17, 2026 Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Student loan borrowers will see an increase in interest rates starting July 1 for Direct Loans borrowed on or after July 1, 2026. The new interest rates were announced by the Department of Education in a June 4 Electronic Announcement. The interest rate is a fixed rate for the life of the loan. For
Interest rates on federal student loans to increase Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander Schools that have not yet closed out their 2024-25 Direct Loan Program year will need to make note of the upcoming closeout deadline. A May 20 Electronic Announcement reminds schools that Friday, July 31, 2026, is the closeout deadline and last processing day before the end of the program year. This means that
Closeout deadline nearing for 2024-25 Direct Loan Program year Read More »
By Marlene Seeklander There’s good news for Direct Loan borrowers and students receiving TEACH Grant awards in the 2026-27 academic year as the Direct Loan fees and TEACH award amounts once again remain unchanged. A recent Electronic Announcement outlined the sequester-required increases to Direct Loan fees and sequester-required reductions in TEACH Grant award amounts. These apply
Direct Loan fees and TEACH Grant award amounts set for 2026-27 Read More »
