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This week on "Off the Cuff," the NASFAA policy team discusses error 399 codes and FAFSA filing numbers. Megan and Stephen discuss the new teacher preparation rules and how they might predict accountability metrics in a future Higher Education Act reauthorization. Plus, the team takes a look at public opinion about higher education—through the eyes of Jimmy Kimmel—and a young girl gets an unexpected college promise.

Earlier this week we reported hearing some concerns from the financial aid community about 399-flagged ISIRs that aid administrators believe should not have been flagged based on the conflicting information selection criteria the Department of Education (ED) made available in GEN-16-14. ED has released an Electronic Announcement announcing the reprocessing of some of the affected ISIRs. NASFAA has followed up with ED regarding other applications that may be flagged with the 399 code in error. Stay tuned to Today’s News for further announcements.

One of the tragedies of the recent for-profit school closures is the loss of limited aid spent by students on earning credits that will not gain them a credential. Although the Department of Education (ED) will discharge loans of these students under certain conditions and restore eligibility for subsidies, students are also subject to lifetime limits on Pell Grants. ED has said that it cannot restore Pell eligibility used at the closed school without legislative changes (FAQ #8). Now, at least two members of Congress are asking why.

The Department of Education (ED) and DeVry University on Thursday reached a settlement agreement regarding ED’s charge that the school used unsubstantiated job placement claims for recruitment and in advertising, further increasing ED’s oversight of the for-profit institution.

NASFAA is seeking volunteers from the EASFAA and WASFAA regions for the Annual Training Task Force. The purpose of this task force is to develop annual training materials for state and regional associations. These materials will be electronically disseminated by September 2017 and will include an Instructor’s Guide, Participant’s Guide, and PowerPoint presentation. This task force will convene November 2016 and conclude June 2017. All activity for this task force will be accomplished using conference calls and email. Review the task force charter for more details, and, if interested, complete the volunteer form.

Does the fear of audit or program review findings keep you from savoring your Pumpkin Spice Latte?  NASFAA’s Standards of Excellence (SOE) Review Program can put your mind at ease by identifying potential risks so you can protect and safeguard your school’s liability now and in the future.  Fill out a short request to receive more information about our confidential, comprehensive peer review of your office’s operations, and sit back to enjoy your PSL.

NASFAA's credentialing program was created to give financial aid administrators a means to prove their knowledge, show their expertise, and boost their professional development. As of this week, there have been 15,009 credentials earned by 5,195 people across 17 subjects. Fifty-nine individuals have earned all 17 credentials. Each person had to demonstrate substantial knowledge in the subject area and pass the respective test. Join us in congratulating all the individuals who have successfully earned one, or more, NASFAA professional credentials and take a look back at the first 10 NASFAA members to earn all 17 credentials. Inspired to pursue your own credential? Learn more about how to qualify to sit for a credential test.

The purpose of this Electronic Announcement is to inform the community of the upcoming distribution of the draft Gainful Employment (GE) Debt-to-Earnings (D/E) rates.

Federal Student Aid worked with comedian Adam Conover—who is known for countering misconceptions of everyday topics—to create a new video focused on dispelling financial aid myths in an entertaining way.

The Department is alerting all schools that the Central Processing System (CPS) will conduct a reprocessing on October 17, 2016 to fix 2017-2018 student records it has determined were assigned Student Aid Report (SAR) comment 399 incorrectly. The Department anticipates this reprocessing will affect fewer than 10,000 records of the more than one million 2017-2018 FAFSAs received.

"... MONEY has published dozens of stories about how and when to apply for financial aid. But try as we might, we can’t anticipate every question. That’s why we recently asked to hear from readers who are currently going through the process. Here are some of the questions they sent in via email and social media," MONEY reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted in the article.

"In an unexpected development in a most unusual presidential campaign, Donald Trump devoted about six minutes in a speech in Ohio Wednesday to higher education policy," Inside Higher Ed reports.

"Today, student debt is a staggering $1.3 trillion. But how bad is that for the economy and for the people holding all that debt? There’s a debate going on right now, and some experts argue, maybe it’s not as bad as we think.," according to a video from PBS Newshour.

"Cable news networks devote little airtime to issues of college affordability, and when they do, their guests are primarily white, male and middle-aged or older, not reflecting the realities of higher education, according to a study released Wednesday by Media Matters for America," The Washington Post reports.

"When student parents have access to childcare on campus, there is evidence that they are more likely to stay in school and to graduate. This is particularly important for colleges to take into account considering roughly a quarter of all undergraduates—including 30 percent of those in community college—have children. Yet undergraduates rarely have access to childcare," according to The Atlantic.

"South Mountain Community College hit the perilous mark in student loan cohort default rates, which could put the school in danger of losing Title IV federal student loan funding," Phoenix Business Journal reports. "Its sister school Phoenix College is getting close to the threshold that attracts the attention of the U.S. Department of Education."

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