Editor’s note: This weekly update from the government relations office at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) provides the latest on what’s happening in Washington and how AACC is advancing policies to support community colleges and students. Send questions, feedback and more to: kgimborys@aacc.nche.edu.
- Office of Federal Student Aid announces more details, timeline for the processing of financial aid information
- Department of Education wraps up final negotiated rulemaking session on program quality and integrity
Office of Federal Student Aid announces more details, timeline for the processing of financial aid information
This week, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) at the Department of Education (ED) issued an electronic announcement (EA) providing additional information on the delivery of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) – the financial aid information colleges need to package financial aid offers. Under normal circumstances, ISIRs are processed and sent to colleges within a week of a student filing an electronic Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). However, due to the implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act and associated delays, the processing of all ISIRs has been delayed till mid-March, and there is a backlog of ISIRs that must be cleared.
In the new EA, the Department announced that the agency will begin transmitting very small batches of ISIRs (1-2) to a few dozen schools. These schools will be contacted ahead of time and will partner with the Department to give feedback and identify any technical issues. After the testing phase, schools will start to receive very small batches of ISIRs, with batch size increasing day-to-day. At the peak of clearing the backlog, most institutions will receive 1,500 ISIRs or less per day. The Department anticipates that it will take an additional two weeks to process submitted applications after delivery has been fully ramped up. Once the backlog is cleared, processing times will return to the normal three to five days for an online form. The Department is urging colleges to ensure that they are ready to receive ISIRs in their new Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) inbox. If an inbox was set up correctly, a college would have received a test file from FSA on February 28.
Department of Education wraps up final negotiated rulemaking session on program quality and integrity
This week, the Department of Education (ED) wrapped up the third and final negotiated rulemaking sessions on Title IV program integrity and quality issues, including accreditation, state authorization, distance education, return of Title IV funds, cash management, and TRIO eligibility.
The third rulemaking table saw negotiators considering updated language and voting on whether the proposed changes are acceptable. For review, if negotiators reach consensus, the Department is compelled to implement the language that was agreed to. If negotiators fail to reach consensus, the Department can draft their own language based on the discussion and concerns raised during the rulemaking process. As a next step, the Department will issue proposed regulations, during which stakeholders can submit comments.
Negotiators nearly reached consensus on the proposal to simplify processes around return of Title IV funds, but disagreements remained over requiring attendance-taking for entirely online courses in order to capture withdrawal dates for students enrolled online. Negotiators also failed to reach consensus on the cash management proposal to require colleges to move to an “opt-in” model for including textbooks in tuition and fees (a key component of “inclusive access” programs utilized by many community colleges), the regulation of distance education programs, and state authorization issues around reciprocity agreements.
AACC is highly engaged in this rulemaking and will be offering public comments on issues impacting community colleges once the Department issues these regulations as proposed rules.