Blog
Breakdown of the FAFSA Real-Time Detection Measures
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced a significant operational update to the 2026–27 FAFSA process with the rollout of new real-time identity fraud detection capabilities, ...
Coming This Summer to a Financial Aid Office Near You: Changes to R2T4 Requirements and Proration
There are two sets of regulatory changes coming this summer, Return to Title IV (R2T4) and Proration. If you haven’t considered how the changes will impact ...
With So Many Repayment Options Why Are Federal Student Loan Borrowers Still Defaulting?
The numbers around student loan repayment are grim and getting worse. As of the beginning of this year, about 25% of student loan borrowers were delinquent ...
Borrower Defense to Repayment Rules and You
The Borrower Defense to Repayment (BD) rules have been in the news a lot lately. The legal decisions and regulatory rollbacks have created a lot of ...
Advice for Managers in April: Create a Financial Aid Dream Team
If your institution has a May 1 deposit deadline, you likely dread April and the high volume of calls and high emotion it brings. Of course, ...
From Silos to Seamless Support – How Holistic Reviews Can Strengthen Financial Aid Services in the OB3 Era
As financial aid offices prepare for the operational changes associated with the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3), much of the national conversation is understandably focused on ...
Preparing for the Inevitable – Leadership Strategies for a July 1st One Big Beautiful Bill Implementation
With the formal implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) scheduled to take effect on July 1 of 2026, financial aid offices across the country ...
Rethinking Compensation and Staffing in Financial Aid- From Data to Action
Across higher education, compensation and decision-making authority often follow a familiar logic: roles most closely tied to revenue generation and institutional sustainability tend to be ...
Everything Just Changed: How Financial Aid Offices Should Respond to Stay Compliant Amid the ED and Treasury Shift
There are seasons in financial aid when the work feels manageable. You know the handbook. You know the regs. Your team has found its rhythm. And ...
NSLDS Reporting Resources: Manage Your CDR Throughout the Year
If it has not already been received, your institution will soon receive the 2023 Draft Cohort Default Rate (CDR) report. The report contains repayment status information ...