NASFAA

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen discuss three new House bills focused on preventing fraud in the student aid programs, all of which were advanced by the House Education and Workforce Committee this week: ow.ly/UlkK50YwXkL

#NASFAAinTheNews: "Melanie Storey, president of [NASFAA], said having Treasury manage defaulted borrowers is nothing new, for the most part... 'The devil is really in the details' as we ask 'what will happen next,' Storey added, 'and that’s not clear.'"

#NASFAAinTheNews: "Melanie Storey, president and CEO of [NASFAA], said that it’s important to remember that policy is often iterative and administrators can expect to see more right-sizing of the Pell Grant expansion efforts..."

NASFAA members have reported receiving an increase in the number of borrower defense to repayment (BDR) claims over the past several weeks. NASFAA's Policy Team have the answers to our members FAQs about this sudden uptick in BDR claims: ow.ly/mvcE50YwQO7

NASFAA President and CEO Melanie Storey responded to Thursday’s announcement with serious concerns for borrowers, and urged the Department of Education to establish and communicate clear timelines for execution with stakeholders, including financial aid professionals.

The Department of Education announced it is shifting its student loan portfolio responsibilities to the Treasury Department through a new interagency agreement, with the subsequent goal of phasing out other Federal Student Aid functions to the agency: ow.ly/ORs250YwNwM

The legislative session is underway in dozens of states, and higher education is very much on the agenda. Here's the latest. chroni.cl/4uQr4Vc

"We call on Congress to continue its bipartisan support of federal student aid programs—which combine grants, work-study, and loan programs—to enable low- and middle-income students to succeed." Learn more: ow.ly/ob5r50Ywiqn

The @USGAO published a report examining the extent to which the @usedgov's reduction in force has affected how FSA carries out its responsibilities to oversee loan servicers and warning that a lack of oversight could be harmful to both borrowers and ED: ow.ly/BrXU50YvS3Z

House Education & Workforce Committee advanced 3 bills about preventing fraud in FSA programs. The markup follows an executive order that President Trump signed earlier this week, establishing a task force to “eliminate fraud” in the federal government: ow.ly/RHmj50YvTAg

Each year, billions in college financial aid goes unclaimed not because students don’t qualify, but because the FAFSA never gets completed. Our new research shows how universal FAFSA policies can open doors for thousands of students. edtru.st/4usMuHP

A federal judge has delayed enforcement of the ACTS reporting deadline to March 25 after a group of Democratic states attorneys general filed a lawsuit arguing that ACTS reporting requirement was rushed and created a “considerable” burden for institutions: ow.ly/K5Xh50Yvscj

Calbright College, the state’s free online community college, is growing rapidly, despite concerns about its effectiveness. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes tripling its annual budget. bit.ly/3NvJolo 📸 iStock

A new legal filing from the Department of Education shows an uptick in the backlog of Public Service Loan Forgiveness buyback applications, along with progress in processing income-driven repayment applications. Learn more: ow.ly/8z0350YvlJ8

ED Creates E-App User Reference Guide The guide provides detailed instructions for completing the Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App) and offers details on how to resolve Partner Connect access issues: ow.ly/4OGV50YuQwl

Career Advice | 5 Ways Presidents Can Better Support Financial Aid Officers With workload increasing and burnout high across the financial aid profession, university leaders can offer meaningful support. bit.ly/4btiylY

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah share some takeaways from last week’s FSA training conference, where officials from the Department of Education provided policy updates geared towards financial aid professionals: ow.ly/YvRg50Ytugw

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Foreign Influence in Higher Education The Senate HELP Committee touched on many issues, such as the U.S.-China relationship, research, academic integrity, foreign gift reporting, and more. Read our recap: ow.ly/E2uG50Ytu8W

States sue the Trump administration to challenge policy requiring colleges to collect race data ocregister.com/2026/03/11/tru…

National immigration enforcement crackdowns and the loss of a Colorado data tool has caused some students not to fill out the form. chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/…