The US Department of Education (ED) recently announced a revised timeline for the implementation of the new Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment regulations (FVT/GE Rule). Despite two prior extensions, the...more
Welcome to summer and the fifth issue of The Academic Advisor for 2024 - In this issue, we examine the following topics of import for schools, institutions of higher education, and other education-focused organizations: ...more
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ban on race-based affirmative action, many colleges and universities have shifted their admissions practices to more heavily focus on socioeconomic diversity. Early admissions numbers from...more
In the last several days, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) finally published three important updates on ED expectations under its extensive October 2023 Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment regulations...more
GENERAL - Public Act 101-0654 - Education Omnibus Bill - Effective: March 8, 2021 Enacts multiple changes in Illinois public schools, workforce, and higher education. Among these changes include the following:...more
While 2020 offered extraordinary challenges for higher education institutions (“IHEs”), many are hoping to see a return to a much more typical fall term experience for students in 2021. In an effort to encourage safer fall...more
In March 2020, the CARES Act created the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to provide funds to higher education institutions and their students for support related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act provided...more
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 includes nearly $23 billion in funding to institutions of higher education. Appropriates approximately $81.9 billion for education, including nearly $23 billion to institutions of...more
After weeks of confusion over the US Department of Education’s guidance following its quick rollout of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), ED released an interim final rule (IFR) affirming that only students...more
The U.S. Department of Education recently issued guidance on the use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds under the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act....more
A recent Illinois Appellate Court decision raises interesting questions about how provisions protecting “private information” in open records laws should be interpreted in a world in which a vast wealth of information about...more
In the divorce business, there are few alleys as dark as of the college financial aid. We are commonly asked how separation and divorce may affect eligibility for student aid and loans. The October 21, 2019 Wall Street...more
A recent Department of Education inquiry regarding transfers of guardianship of college-aged students in Illinois is making news across the country. The Department’s Office of the Inspector General is looking into the...more
Federal Updates - The House brought its first FY20 appropriations bills to the floor in a “minibus” that included the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Defense, State-Foreign Operations, Energy-Water, and...more
Like the cherry blossoms now emerging in Washington, D.C., there are signs that after recent years rife with partisan congressional gridlock, 2019 may bring changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), the sweeping law...more
Legislative Priorities - It is expected that both the House and Senate will begin the 116th Congress with a focus on higher education. Both the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee as well as the...more
On Thursday, Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Commissioner John Koskinen testified that the personal data of up to a 100,000 taxpayers could have been compromised as a result of criminal use of the Free Application for...more
Last week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) on fafsa.gov and StudentLoans.gov will be unavailable until extra security protections could be added....more
This is the second installment in a series examining five bipartisan bills advanced by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on June 22, 2016. The original post summarizing all five bills was posted in Education...more
This summary is the first installment in a series examining the five bipartisan bills in greater detail. As much of the attention in Washington this week was concentrated on the sit-in by House Democrats over gun control...more
The CFPB has announced a proposed settlement with Student Financial Aid Services, Inc. (SFAS) to resolve charges that the company engaged in unlawful sales and billing practices in connection with offering fee-based financial...more
Out of all of the stress-inducing steps in the college application process, the financial aid application may be the most confusing and stressful of all, especially when an applicant can't afford to attend college without...more
Since 1992, the Higher Education Act has required colleges and universities to determine applicants’ eligibility for federal aid programs only through use of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). On February...more