The Department of Education is drafting presentations and documents in advance of the publication of the final rules from the amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) through the Budget Reconciliation Bill.
In a February 20, 2026 update to an earlier Electronic Announcement, the Department noted that they are drafting presentations and documents to ensure that vendors, servicers, partners and stakeholders have sufficient time to prepare for the implementation of these changes, even though the information is subject to change through the rulemaking process.
The Department and its vendors and servicers will not launch any new systems or make final system changes until a final rule is published.
The update also noted that Volume 4A and the Excel version of the ISIR record layout in the 2026-27 FAFSA Specifications Guide have been updated.
