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Edamerica. As a division of Edfinancial, we are solely dedicated to advancing student success. With services that include Contact Center Solutions, Student Engagement, Financial Aid Support, Default Prevention and Consulting, we support students from point of application through loan repayment. Visit www.edamerica.net to learn how we can make a difference for your students. 

A student borrower advocacy group filed a lawsuit Monday against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Department of Education (ED), arguing that both agencies continue to fail to protect federal student loan borrowers through actions that “allow and exacerbate student loan and servicer problems.”

2019 was an exciting year for financial aid policy. From ringing in the year with a government shutdown to seeing some significant strides in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the past year has kept us busy as we shared the most important news affecting the higher education community with our members. Take a look at the the top 10 articles that NASFAA readers digested in 2019. 

Yes. NASFAA has confirmed with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that previous coursework which was not paid for with Title IV aid is not counted when determining a student’s Title IV enrollment status under the repeated coursework provision. Read on for different student scenarios. View the full answer to this question to learn more and search for answers to your other pressing regulatory and compliance questions in NASFAA's AskRegs Knowledgebase.

Congress mandates that the Department of Education (ED) take a closer look at schools that have fluctuations in Federal Pell Grant and/or Direct Loan volume without corresponding changes to those programs at the federal level. Schools with an influx of students or new programs may see such changes, and be at an increased risk for ED program reviews. NASFAA's Standards of Excellence Review Program is a confidential peer review service that looks holistically at your federal student aid operations, and identifies potential issues before ED comes knocking at your door. Have you seen a significant increase in your Pell Grant or Direct Loan volume that might put you at risk for a program review? Complete our information request form to learn more about NASFAA's peer review services.

Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education has expanded the definition of standard terms. Because of this simplification, we have changed the topic of the January 2020 webinar and will now be presenting the Verification 2020-21: Follow-Up webinar at 2:00 p.m. ET, Jan. 22, 2020. We'll be addressing many of the questions that were submitted during the November 2019 Verification: 2020-21 Expanded Edition webinar (now available on demand). If you have already registered for the January webinar, your original registration has been transferred to the new topic, so no action is required on your part. If you haven't registered, don't miss this opportunity to get answers to many of your verification questions. Register now.

As explained in an Electronic Announcement posted on Dec. 13, 2018, the Department of Education (ED) has implemented certain provisions of the 2016 borrower defense regulations related to automatic closed school discharge. Specifically, new regulations at 34 CFR 685.214(c) (Direct Loan Program), 34 CFR 682.402(d)(8)(ii) (FFEL Program), and 34 CFR 674.33(g)(ii) (Perkins Loan Program) provide for an automatic discharge of some or all of the Direct Loan, FFEL, or Perkins Loan program loans an eligible borrower (or, if applicable, the dependent child on whose behalf a parent took out a PLUS loan) obtained to attend a school that closed on or after Nov. 1, 2013.

On Nov. 1, 2016, the Department of Education (ED) published final regulations (the 2016 final regulations) governing the standard and process for evaluating borrower defense to repayment discharge claims. 81 FR 75926. Those regulations, among other things, established processes for the consideration of borrower defense discharge applications. In particular, 34 CFR 685.222(e)(3)(i) and (f)(2)(iv), provide that ED will notify the school associated with the borrower defense application of the claim filing, and give the school the opportunity to submit records or a response to the allegations contained within the application. These regulations govern borrower defense applications associated with loans that are first disbursed before July 1, 2020.

The Department of Education (ED) announced the availability of the updated National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Enrollment Reporting Guide, a comprehensive document containing step-by-step instructions for reporting enrollment information to NSLDS. The November 2019 update provides information on new functionality in NSLDS and reflects guidance on enrollment reporting that ED posted to the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) website since the guide’s last publication (November 2018). 

The Department of Education issues these interim final regulations to amend and update the regulations for total and permanent disability student loan discharge for veterans by removing administrative burdens that may have prevented at least 20,000 totally and permanently disabled veterans from obtaining discharges of their student loans, as the law provides.

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