NASFAA

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) works to shape the future by promoting student access and success in higher education.

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

Student Success | Expanding College Success for Low-Income Students

A $42 million gift from MacKenzie Scott aims to help the nonprofit 10,000 Degrees scale its student support model and expand college completion efforts by 2031. https://t.co/hsvftEw5c7

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

Join NASFAA as a presenter at the 2027 National Conference! We welcome proposals from financial aid professionals, higher education leaders, equity and inclusion practitioners, and policy advocates.

Learn more about submitting a session proposal: https://t.co/IRa2PCc982

[The Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle]

At some colleges, modified admissions standards and crackdowns on unpaid fees hope to improve retention and graduation rates. But these changes also mean grappling with longstanding tensions around colleges’ missions and their bottom lines. https://t.co/G9OIAZKA6x

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

Last week, the Department of Education announced an extension on the 2026 FVT/GE reporting deadline for institutions, with a new deadline of January 15, 2027, after more than 1,000 institutions failed to meet the initial October 1 reporting deadline: https://t.co/H1JS139SCr

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Families applying for financial aid this fall are facing a new student-loan landscape. Here’s a look at some of the changes and what to consider as you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa. https://t.co/jO5Qdul7G6

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

Jill explains what the new cohort default rate (CDR) means in context to borrowers returning to repayment after the Covid-19 payment pause.

Listen to the new episode of "Off The Cuff" to learn more about the CDR: https://t.co/AZLGR9KHfO

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

The NASFAA website will be unavailable today, October 8, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET for scheduled maintenance. The outage is expected to last a few hours, and the site will be fully restored when complete. Thank you for your patience while we work to maintain our online resources.

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

The Trump administration put forward a “rescission package” that partially targets funds for the Department of Education allocated to Title VI international education domestic programs and competitive grants within Special Programs for Migrant Students: https://t.co/Um8DsxPSxE

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

As National Default Rate Stays Low, Other Data Offers Warning

For the first time in four years, the national default rate ticked up slightly. One expert warns other data on nonrepayment is a “canary in the coal mine of what could be to come.” https://t.co/t93OyiDYkm

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

Congressional Democrats reintroduced legislation that aims to make the first two years of community college tuition-free for eligible students through a federal-state partnership. Learn more: https://t.co/ZRHNASfseC

[Committee on Education & Workforce Democrats @EdWorkforceDems]

Chronic underfunding of community colleges is jeopardizing their ability to support their students and communities.

America's College Promise Act would waive tuition for eligible students at community colleges and two-year Tribal Colleges and Universities.

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

A working paper examining Tennessee Promise, a community college scholarship program, found strong evidence that the program increased college enrollment among new high school graduates and raised associate’s degree attainment at minimal cost to the state: https://t.co/afnVvk0Wun

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

The PSLF Buyback program gives borrowers a chance to recover lost time in their pursuit of Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

There is a backlog of roughly 82,000 applications for the program from public servants, according to the Education Department. https://t.co/nFhJbeW7XA

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

NASFAA joined @ACEducation in raising concerns about the proposed revisions to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations, which make “harmful changes” to how ED operates, competes, and funds its competitive and formula grants. Learn more: https://t.co/xGLmbSEqVY

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

College Leaders Prepare to Administer Workforce Pell as ED Approves Programs

Institutions have to ensure that their financial aid officers and software systems are ready to administer aid for short-term programs and that students know of the opportunity. https://t.co/BjBQhKI9Vu

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

The Department of Education announced that it is extending the sign-up deadline to December 31, 2026, for its temporary initiative in which borrowers enrolled in autopay receive a 1% interest rate reduction on their federal student loans.

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Treasury Department, announced a new online portal to support borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans and aims to return them to repayment.

Learn more: https://t.co/B8ZyLLtGpG

[The College Investor @CollegeInvestin]

The FY 2019 student loan cohort was supposed to be measured for default through Sept. 2021.

The payment pause hit in March 2020 and froze the delinquency clock. Borrowers 200 days late stayed at 200 days for 3.5 years.

That's why the rate fell from 7.3% to 2.3% in one year.
https://t.co/DbKdHQJenC

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

Picture This: San Diego. June 2027. You are presenting to your financial aid colleagues

Share your expertise, and help shape the NASFAA 2027 National Conference by submitting a session proposal by October 23: https://t.co/LtzJbs70Um

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

Vast Majority of Institutions Found ACTS Data Collection Burdensome

About 2/3 of institutions needed at least the 200 hours that the Education Department anticipated they would require to compile ACTS data. Unclear definitions made the process harder. https://t.co/n1ZHoqjP2H

[NASFAA @nasfaa]

The FY 2023 national cohort default rate (CDR) is 0.4%, up from 0% for FY 2022, as expected with pandemic-era borrower protections ending during the cohort’s default measurement window.

NASFAA is pleased to announce the launch of a new CDR Web Center: https://t.co/pT9mIY5u15.