Nasfaa's Off The Cuff Podcast

This week on "Off the Cuff," Tim is joined by David Tolman, David Futrell, and Norma Robinson to discuss some frequent and common questions that come up at the tail end of the year and the transition from the fall to the spring term. The team specifically works through student withdrawal scenarios, mid-term processing, and highlights guidance the Department of Education (ED) has most recently provided.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen give a preview of what's to come for the  Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee, which is set to meet for its first negotiated rulemaking session next week. Melanie begins the conversation by acknowledging that the FSA Training Conference would normally be held this week and addresses member concerns. From there, Karen gives an update on verification guidance from the Department of Education (ED). The team ends the conversation by debriefing listeners on what the AHEAD Committee's agenda, which includes a new Workforce Pell Program and other initiatives enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Tim is joined by Jill and Sarah to recap some of the latest negotiated rulemaking (neg reg) developments and NASFAA public comments. Jill kicks things off with details from how the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee worked to define a "professional student" and explained how the Department of Education (ED) approached defining the term, outlined in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Sarah then highlights some of NASFAA's recent comments on ED's proposed revisions to the FSA Feedback System, and their changes to the Application for Approval to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (E-App). 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen explain how the end of the government shutdown will impact the Department of Education (ED) and outline what comes next in the federal spending process. The team then highlights the Higher Education Act's (HEA) recent 60th anniversary and discusses how Congress can work to reauthorize the law. Hugh joins in to provide a brief update on a recent Senate hearing that sought to address affordability concerns and provide clarity on college pricing. The team is then joined by Ben Montecillo, MPA, FAAC®, executive director of scholarships & financial aid at the University of Houston, to discuss some key takeaways from the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee negotiated rulemaking session, where ED was able to reach consensus on provisions enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

This week on "Off the Cuff," Tim and David do a deep dive into the cost of attendance (COA). David begins the conversation by discussing the purpose of COA, and its different categories. From there, Tim and David discuss multiple aspects of COA, including how institutions build their COA and additional fees – such as health insurance and student loan fees. The team also details resources and provides examples to help members better understand COA, including AskRegs answers and an upcoming NASFAA U course dedicated to the topic. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Tim and Jill do a deep dive into the Department of Education's (ED) recently held negotiated rulemaking (neg reg) session for the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee. Jill explains the committee's goal to implement multiple provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). From there, the team discusses what happened during the committee’s first week-long meeting in September, including debate over what classifies a "professional student." Jill concludes by discussing what’s ahead for the committee in November, though it’s unclear if the committee will meet under the current government shutdown and what the timeline for implementing these final rules could look like.   

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Nalia provide an update on where things stand with funding for federal student aid programs due to the ongoing government shutdown. Nalia begins by debriefing listeners on what has happened with the government shutdown so far, which began on October 1. Melanie then discusses how the shutdown – now entering its third week – is impacting federal student aid, including concerns NASFAA has heard from members, and shares several resources to answer member questions. The team also highlights how the White House's most recent reduction in force (RIF) at the Department of Education (ED), where roughly 20% of staff were laid off, could impact higher education. Nalia also provides an overview of the current appropriations process, where Congress must work together to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2026. 

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Hugh is joined by David to discuss how the lapse in appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2026 is impacting Department of Education (ED) services and programs. David shares some guidance from the department, which outlined how over 80% of ED and Federal Student Aid (FSA) staff are being furloughed during the shutdown. Hugh provides some insight into how ED’s negotiated rulemaking session has managed to continue meeting in-person this week and discusses how long it could take for the government to reopen. David then reminds listeners of some summer guidance regarding the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program and activities it cannot support.

This week on “Off The Cuff” Tim is joined by Jill to dive into the latest developments concerning the Department of Education’s (ED) proposed regulations for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. To kick things off, Jill provides a brief recap on the recent negotiated rulemaking (Neg Reg) committee that considered regulations concerning PSLF, as well as where things stand with that committee’s timeline. Jill then details what implications these proposed regulatory changes could have on the program and explains recent comments that NASFAA submitted in response to ED’s proposed rules.  

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Melanie, Karen, and Hugh discuss several pertinent September deadlines impacting higher education. First, Hugh catches listeners up on where things stand with the annual appropriations cycle and how Congress is faring with the September 30 funding deadline. Then Karen explains how the upcoming negotiated rulemaking (NegReg) session could be impacted should there be a federal funding lapse, and goes on to talk about two institutional reporting deadlines for gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT). Melanie then wraps things up, highlighting a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report with key takeaways concerning the FAFSA system.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Karen to catch listeners up on identity verification news, FAFSA beta updates, and a roadmap to the upcoming Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) sessions. The team kicks things off with a discussion on the Department of Education’s (ED) new initiative concerning identity verification, and highlights some transition issues raised by NASFAA communities. Melanie and Karen then catch listeners up on the beta testing period for the 2026-27 FAFSA and discuss where things stand ahead of the now certified October 1 launch date of the form. The team then wraps things up with a discussion on the upcoming NegReg committees as well as the department’s unified agenda.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh provides a brief catch-up of some summer headlines from Congress and the Department of Education (ED). First, Hugh highlights the latest developments in the annual appropriations process with the Senate releasing its spending plan for ED for fiscal year 2026, which mostly flat-funds programs for the upcoming year, and explains what work lies ahead when Congress returns in September. Then, Hugh discusses ED’s negotiated rulemaking hearing, which focused on implementing several provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and highlights remarks made by NASFAA’s president and CEO, Melanie Storey.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh is joined by Karen, Megan and Sarah to catch listeners up on some of the biggest news impacting student financial aid policy. Hugh kicks things off with a quick update on the Department of Education’s (ED) reduction in force (RIF) and how a recent order from the U.S. Supreme Court could impact the department’s staffing levels, while Megan and Karen explain some concerns about processing backlogs. The team then turns to discussing how the reconciliation law will directly impact several programs housed within the Higher Education Act (HEA). Sarah walks listeners through the law and answers some questions members have had since its enactment. Karen then explains how reconciliation differs from the annual appropriations process. Finally, Megan catches listeners up on the department’s most recent negotiated rulemaking (NegReg) process and its potential impact on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Megan, Sarah, and Nalia to discuss the latest updates around the reconciliation process after the Senate HELP Committee released its own portion of the bill this week that could make significant changes to higher education policy. Nalia begins by explaining how the reconciliation process works and what’s ahead for Congress. Megan and Sarah then debrief on what changes the Senate seeks to make to the House’s bill, which was initially released in April. From there, Sarah walks listeners through the latest verification guidance from the Department of Education (ED), including the questions NASFAA has over the guidance. Lastly, Melanie explains why NASFAA signed onto an amicus brief in support of Harvard University. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen discuss the latest developments concerning the reconciliation process, which now moves over to the Senate. While the Senate continues to work through the text, Karen provides some background on the chamber’s dynamics, and Melanie provides context as to the timeline under which the chamber is operating and the impact a final bill could have on student financial aid. The team also digs into the administration’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year and recaps Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s visit to Capitol Hill, where she defended the administration’s request to decrease the maximum Pell Grant award for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Finally, Melanie and Karen explain some new guidance from ED concerning updated verification requirements.

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss summer aid processing, focusing on rules for crossover payment periods and school flexibilities. The conversation specifically walks through the flexibilities offered to schools when assigning a header or a trailer to the award year and provides examples of summer and crossover periods. David then explains some issues a school must be aware of for crossover payment periods and more.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss how the resumption of student loan repayments and the Department of Education’s (ED) planned resumption of collections will impact cohort default rates (CDR). Sarah and Jill provide some important background information on CDR and how the payment pause has impacted the accountability metric. Jill then walks listeners through a recent electronic announcement from ED urging schools to share repayment information with student borrowers.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Melanie is joined by Rachel, Hugh, Sarah, and Nalia to dive into how the congressional budgeting process could impact student financial aid. To kick things off, Melanie and Hugh discuss the latest developments in the reconciliation process, where a House committee recently advanced portions of the package that would make some drastic changes to programs housed within the Department of Education (ED). Sarah then provides members with a recap of three deep dive explainers that the policy has been working on to fully analyze the proposal. Rachel and Nalia then walk through more of the dynamics of the reconciliation process and outline how NASFAA members can make their voices heard by contacting their members of Congress. Nalia then catches listeners up on the president’s “skinny” budget request, and the team wraps things up with some additional news out of ED concerning staffing hours and the start of a new Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) session.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Beth is joined by NASFAA’s new president and CEO Melanie Storey to answer questions submitted from NASFAA members. Melanie answers several questions, ranging from challenges with FAFSA simplification, the state of federal student aid, the current political climate, the future of the financial aid profession, and much more. Join us in welcoming Melanie to the NASFAA team!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Maria is joined by Jill, Megan, and Nalia to discuss several issues impacting the world of higher education. First, Megan debriefs listeners on this week’s news that the Department of Education (ED) will resume the collections process for defaulted federal student loans. Then, Jill discusses the upcoming negotiated rulemaking (NegReg) public hearing on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and other topics. Megan also provides a brief update on two lawsuits against ED, including one on the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, and another from the American Federation of Teachers. From there, Megan highlights two new NASFAA FAQs for members to help navigate the resulting questions and concerns from President Donald Trump’s executive order to dissolve ED. Lastly, Nalia runs through the budget appropriations process and what members can expect to see in the next few weeks.