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For over 20 years, ELM Resources has provided open and lender-neutral choice. Our new web interface, ELMOne, converges your interaction with the complete suite of ELM Products (ELMNet, ELM NDN, and ELMSelect). Built with the latest and most secure technologies, ELMOne will become your go-to resource to manage private student loan services.  www.elmone.com.

In a letter responding to a NASFAA-led coalition’s request for relief of verification burden for non tax filers, ED states that it has begun working with the IRS to find ways to make the process of obtaining a verification of non-filing letter easier for families.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced in a blog post last week that it is proposing and seeking comment on a potential new transparency initiative that would collect and track new data on student debt and repayment. The CFPB would conduct a quarterly data collection of information from the largest student loan servicers, including more information about private student loan borrowers and the student loan market as a whole. Comments must be received on or before April 17, 2017.

NASFAA U has created Test Previews for individuals considering or preparing for credential testing. Test Previews are available via the NASFAA U Testing Center main page and can be utilized prior to test purchase. In addition, it is recommended that anyone contemplating pursuit of a credential first review all relevant legislation, as well as the most recent regulatory guidance available from the U.S. Department of Education. NASFAA U Self-Study Guides also are available for preparation.

Learn the answer to this question and learn how to instantly find credible and reliable solutions to your most pressing regulatory and compliance questions with NASFAA's AskRegs Knowledgebase. The Knowledgebase guide and video tutorials highlight the many features of this tool.

Compliance Officers: NASFAA offers several easy-to-use compliance tools and services to its members to increase efficiency, streamline processes, and promote collaboration. Register now for a webinar on March 8 at 2:00 pm ET to learn more about the tools available, including our new online P&P builder.

On March 24, 2017, the street address for sending paper Master Promissory Notes (MPNs) and Endorser Addenda to the Department of Education (the Department) via express or overnight delivery will change. There will also be a change to the P.O. Box address used for regular postal delivery.

The COD Processing Update provides information related to COD System processing and includes the following sections: COD News and Updates, Current Issues (with a subsection for All Programs, Direct Loans, and Grants), and Reminders.

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2017. The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program is one of the eight programs known as the Federal TRIO Programs, which provides postsecondary educational support for qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"Since Election Day, for-profit college companies have been on a hot streak. DeVry Education Group's stock has leapt more than 40 percent. Strayer's jumped 35 percent and Grand Canyon Education's more than 28 percent," The New York Times reports. "You do not need an M.B.A. to figure out why. Top officials in Washington who spearheaded a relentless crackdown on the multibillion-dollar industry have been replaced by others who have profited from it."

"An investigation by the Hechinger Report has found that most colleges enroll 'many' students who aren't prepared for higher education," Campus Technology reports.

"New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed free college tuition for resident students in families that earn $125,000 or less a year -- but only at the state’s public colleges and universities. Private colleges worry about their enrollment and finances if the plan passes. It wouldn’t be an even playing field, the private colleges say," PolitiFact reports.

"A legislative panel is recommending a $23 million cut in Montana's higher education budget over the next two years," The Associated Press reports.

"In the last few weeks I attended several higher education conferences where the talk among campus officials in the hallways and in sessions was usually centered around the same topic: President Trump," Jeffrey J. Selingo writes in an opinion piece for The Washington Post.

"Philip Trostel argued recently that universities are extraordinarily good investments, both for students and for society ('Beyond the College Earnings Premium. Way Beyond,' The Chronicle, January 29.) He asserts that over a lifetime college graduates average $1,383,000 more in earnings than high-school diploma holders," Richard Vedder and Justin Strehle of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity and Ohio University write in a letter to the editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. "There are several problems with this observation."

"If you want to refinance your student loans but are not sure if you will get approved, here are the inside tips that you need to know," Zack Friedman writes in an opinion piece for Forbes.

"How come a college degree is the one thing that never gets any cheaper?" Richard Vedder, director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, asks in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal.

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