Show notes
The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) higher education provisions are effective July 1, and financial aid offices are on the front lines of putting them into practice.
Melanie Storey, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, joins hosts Mushtaq Gunja and Jon Fansmith to talk about the implementation challenges, from new program-level accountability requirements to the practical questions about student aid that campuses are working through.
Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:
"Uniform Guidance" Grantmaking Rule
Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance Federal Register | May 28, 2026 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-10817/regulation-for-federal-financial-assistance
Summary: Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Regulations for Federal Financial Assistance ACE | June 16, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Summary-OMB-Federal-Financial-Assistance-Regs-060226.pdf
Sen. Collins Asks OMB to Withdraw Parts of Grant Rule, Extend Comment Period U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations | July 6, 2026 https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/sen-collins-asks-omb-to-withdraw-parts-of-grant-rule-extend-comment-period
Comments Flood OMB Proposal to Cement Political Control of Grants Inside Higher Ed | July 7, 2026 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2026/07/07/comments-flood-omb-proposal-political-control
"Professional" Degree & Graduate Loan Limits Rule
Nursing Gains 'Professional' Label for Student Loans After Judge's Ruling, But Theology Now Dropped The Associated Press | June 29, 2026 https://apnews.com/article/nursing-student-loans-professional-caps-theology-061ef7c1a98688e5338ff5128821a7b9
Professional Degree Definition Remains Contested as Student Loan Changes Take Effect July 1 ACE | June 29, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/New-ED-Rules-in-Effect-July-1.aspx
Accountability Rule (Earnings Test)
U.S. Department of Education Issues Final Rule to Hold All Colleges and Universities Accountable for Low-Earning Programs Department of Education | June 29, 2026 https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-issues-final-rule-hold-all-colleges-and-universities-accountable-low-earning-programs
Financial Aid Shift to Hit Low-Wage Fields Like Religion, Cosmetology and Arts The Washington Post | June 30, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/06/30/bible-beauty-performing-arts-schools-face-cuts-financial-aid/
Comments on Education Department's Proposed Rule on Accountability ACE | May 20, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Comments-AHEAD-Accountability-NPRM-052026.pdf
OBBB Student Loan Changes
July 1 Brings Big Student Loan Changes. Here's What You Need to Know NPR | June 30, 2026 https://www.npr.org/2026/06/10/nx-s1-5835633/student-loans-guide-education-changes-repayment-plan
Comments on the Education Department's Implementation of OBBB Financial Aid Provisions ACE | March 2, 2026 Public Service Loan Forgiveness https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Comments-ED-RISE-030226.pdf
Judges Strike Down Trump's Restrictions on Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants The Washington Post | June 30, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/06/30/court-strikes-down-trumps-limits-loan-forgiveness-public-servants/
Dear Colleague Letter on Housing
Dear Colleague Letter HUD | June 23, 2026 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28317431-06232026-as-trainors-dcl-on-racially-segregated-school-housing87/
Dear Colleague Letter Asks Colleges to End Affinity Housing Inside Higher Ed | June 26, 2026 Supreme Court Ruling on Transgender Athletes https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2026/06/26/dear-colleague-letter-asks-colleges-end-affinity-housing
Supreme Court Decision on Transgender Athletes
Supreme Court Allows States to Bar Transgender Athletes From Girls' Sports The New York Times | June 30, 2026n https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/us/politics/supreme-court-transgender-athletes.html
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