NASFAA's Off the Cuff Podcast

Latest Episodes:

OTC From the Field: Under Secretary James Kvaal Discusses ED's Priorities During the Biden-Era Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal. With just a little under a week until a new administration takes over, James discusses ED's priorities over the past four years, including FAFSA simplification and student loan debt relief. The group also digs into the upcoming gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) institutional reporting deadline. Finally, James wraps things up by discussing what is next for ED as his tenure comes to an end.

OTC From the Field: A Conversation with ED's 2025-26 FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Jeremy Singer, the president of College Board, who earlier this year was hired by the Department of Education (ED) to serve as FAFSA executive advisor for the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA. During the episode, Jeremy reflects on his tenure at ED, which ended earlier this month, and answers questions from Beth and Karen on the rollout of the 2025-26 form, including beta testing of the new FAFSA. The team also discusses communication from the department to stakeholders on the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA, and how ED rebuilds trust with the financial aid community. The episode ends with the team looking forward to the 2026-27 FAFSA.

OTC AskRegs Experts: Recapping the FSA Virtual Training Conference and Potential Paths of Biden-Era Regulations Under a Trump Administration Dec 12, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah recap last week's Federal Student Aid (FSA) Virtual Training Conference and detail what could happen with Biden administration regulations under the incoming Trump administration. Sarah kicks off the conversation by highlighting important information folks may have missed at the FSA conference, including FAFSA updates, batch corrections functionally, FA-DDX availability, and more. Jill then outlines possible paths the Trump administration may take with Biden-era regulations, including gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT), student debt relief, Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4), distance education, TRIO programs, and more.

OTC AskRegs Experts: Diving into Common Questions Found on NASFAA U Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh and David are joined by Tonya Hsiung, NASFAA U Program Manager, to discuss and answer some common questions, misconceptions and topics that catch some members by surprise in various NASFAA U courses. Topics discussed include loan fees, cost of attendance (COA), professional judgement (PJ), the Pell Grant recalculation date and more. David and Tonya provide a variety of examples and scenarios throughout the conversation and remind listeners that they can sign up for specific courses that spend weeks diving into a given topic through our NASFAA U course schedule.

OTC AskRegs Experts: Updates on GE & FVT Reporting Nov 07, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss the latest news on Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT). Sarah kicks things off with a recap of recent updates to the reporting requirements and new announcements concerning draft completers lists and NSLDS reports. Sarah and Jill then walk through some common questions on these recent updates and provide more details on where listeners can find information for the upcoming January 15 reporting deadline.

OTC Inside The Beltway: 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA Updates and the 2024 Election Oct 31, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth, Jill, Rachel, and Nalia discuss FAFSA updates and how the 2024 election may shape financial aid policy for the next administration. Jill kicks things off by debriefing listeners on several fixes the Department of Education (ED) has made to issues in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA cycles. Then, Nalia and Rachel lead a discussion on what a Harris or Trump presidency could mean for financial aid policy. The team also briefly discusses how NASFAA develops its advocacy positions as a nonpartisan organization and how NASFAA advocates on the Hill. The team ends the episode discussing what we're keeping an eye out for in the upcoming 119th Congress.

OTC AskRegs Experts: Updates on 2024-25 Paper FAFSA Processing, Conflicting Information, and Known Issues Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss multiple updates with the 2024-25 FAFSA, starting off with the latest processing timelines for the 2024-25 paper FAFSA. David then debriefs listeners on how to handle conflicting information related to Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). The team also talks about resources from the Department of Education (ED) listing known issues with the 2024-25 FAFSA. David ends the episode by reminding listeners that the new deadline for gainful employment and financial value transparency reporting is January 15, 2025.

OTC AskRegs Experts: Jay Treaty Updates and Resources for Institutions Impacted by Natural Disasters Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off the Cuff," Sarah and Hugh discuss 2024-25 changes in documentation requirements related to Jay Treaty students and dig into the background of this guidance within the FSA Handbook. From there, Sarah debriefs listeners on several resources both NASFAA and the Department of Education (ED) have for institutions that were impacted by recent natural disasters. Sarah then explains some timely electronic announcements and Dear Colleague Letters that can help students and schools affected by these recent disasters.

OTC Inside The Beltway: Beta Testing Begins for the 2025-26 FAFSA Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss new updates with the FAFSA and the appropriations process. Karen begins by debriefing listeners on the latest news surrounding the 2025-26 FAFSA, which began its beta testing this week. She also provides listeners with an update on the reprocessing of 2024-25 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and the availability of the correction functionality for 2024-25 paper FAFSAs. From there, Jon catches listeners up on the enactment of a short-term spending resolution which now funds the government through mid-December. Beth concludes the episode by giving some updates on the College Cost Transparency Initiative, which recently celebrated its one year anniversary.

OTC AskRegs Experts: What Makes Professional Judgement So Special? Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, David, and Sarah discuss all things concerning professional judgment (PJ). David provides some key background information on PJ, including details on terminology and policy considerations for institutions. Sarah then catches listeners up on what is new for PJ in 2024-25, along with updates made due to FAFSA changes. The team then goes through different scenarios and whether or not they involve the use of professional judgment.

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