PSLF Processing Improvements: What Borrowers Can Expect

Update about federal student aid

Next week, FSA will begin the next phase in years long work to improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. These improvements have been in the making for years and are an exciting and necessary step in transitioning key aspects of the PSLF program, including customer service, to the Department of Education. This will ultimately reduce the time it takes for a borrower’s application to process and provide a better customer service experience for borrowers enrolled in PSLF.

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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Lead the Way on Healthy, Sustainable Infrastructure and Environmental Learning

U.S. Department of Education GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS Lead the Way on Healthy, Sustainable Infrastructure and Environmental Learning

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. Across the country 41 schools, 10 districts, one early learning center, and three postsecondary institutions were named. School systems across the U.S. are implementing environmental education standards, flipping the switch on solar and geothermal installations, cutting ribbons on electric buses, and collaborating with their communities to ensure healthy learning environments where students and educators can thrive.

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2024 RISE Awardee Announced

By: Frances W. Hopkins, Director of the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees Award and Director of President’s Education Awards Program.

A charge: Shine a Light on the staff that have been designed to have such impact within the school walls. These staff are often not highlighted nor recognized nearly enough. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is thrilled, along with the RISE Coalition, to honor one exemplary classified school employee who provide service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school. In addition, this person exhibits extraordinary support to the school.  The department along with the Governor of each state are honored to show our support and to generate appreciation for all classified employees under the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award. This is the fourth year of the award, with nominations from governors and state education agencies, often working together, due by November 1 annually.

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Made for Our Times: Mobility, Vibrancy, and the Next 123 Years of the Community College Movement

A dark blue gradient graphic with a white border and the ED cap logo in the bottom right corner. White, bold text reads; "Made for our times: Mobility, vibrancy, and the next 123 years of the community college movement"

By Pam Eddinger, President, Bunker Hill Community College

During my 11 years at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts, I have received many visits from global educators curious about the uniquely American phenomenon of the Community College. In our exchanges, we inevitably observe that we are a place that prepares individuals for the future of work, particularly those from communities traditionally marginalized by the higher education system. In the almost 123 years since our movement’s founding in Joliet, Illinois, community colleges have bridged the demand for educated workers as society advanced, from the agrarian to the industrial age and into the information age of today. We are ever-evolving, ever-adapting, and always made for our times.

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It’s FAFSA Week of Action: Time to Take a #FAFSAFastBreak!

It’s FAFSA Week of Action (April 15-19) and to kick off the effort the U.S. Department of Education is thrilled to announce the launch our #FAFSAFastBreak campaign, a national effort to drive FAFSA submissions among high school seniors and returning college students. Everyone has an important role to play!

We have already received nearly 200 #FAFSAFastBreak commitments from high school counselors, principals, superintendents, after-school programs, parent groups, non-profit organizations, and other local and state education organizations that have pledged to share information and host a variety of virtual and in-person events.

Hosting or attending a #FAFSAFastBreak submission event is a great way to encourage students and families to take advantage of the historic financial benefits afforded by the Better FAFSA.  For example, the new and improved Better FAFSA form can unlock up to $7,395 in federal aid that a student does not need to repay to help cover the cost of college. What’s more, the Better FAFSA ensures 665,000 more students will receive Federal Pell Grants to pay for college, and more than 1.7 million more students will receive the maximum Pell Grant!

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An Update on the First Months of the Return to Repayment

By: Dr. Jordan Matsudaira and U.S. Undersecretary of Education James Kvaal

Highlights

As the Department of Education works to smoothly transition borrowers back into repayment, we highlight the following:

  • More borrowers made payments on their loans in January and February of this year than in any previous month since these data started being collected in 2018
  • The share of the federal portfolio making payments returned to approximately the same level as in January prior to the pandemic
  • The average payment among borrowers making non-zero payments has nearly returned to its pre-pandemic level —an indication that similar types of borrowers (reflected in their monthly payment amounts) are making payments now relative to prior to the payment pause

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Community Colleges: Building Pathways to the Future

A purple gradient graphic with the ED logo in the bottom right corner. Bold white text reads, "Community Colleges: Building Pathways to the Future."

BY: Amy Loyd, ED.L.D., Assistant Secretary, OCTAE

The American postsecondary education system has seen many transformations, but none so democratic and revolutionary as the founding of the first community college in Joliet, Illinois in 1901. Then-president of the University of Chicago William Harper Rainey, and several other influential university presidents, were convinced that for America to grow and prosper, an accessible pathway was needed to open postsecondary education to all. As a result, community colleges were born.

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HEERF Spending Analysis Shows Critical Role of Emergency Funds for Postsecondary Success

By: Nasser Paydar, Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education

As part of the COVID-19 emergency funds that went to higher education institutions, funded through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), institutions are required to file annual reports about how the funds were utilized and their impact. Today, we released the data from the 2022 reporting. While the report makes clear the positive impact these funds – including the $40 billion from the American Rescue Plan – had to help schools during the pandemic, what it also shows us is how beneficial flexible, student-directed, emergency funds can be for postsecondary success, especially for underserved students.

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Raising the Bar for Multilingualism and English Learners Through a Re-Imagined National Professional Development Program (NPD)

The U.S. Department of Education Invites Applications for NPD Competitive Grant

A purple graphic with the ED logo and white text that reads: Raising the Bar for Multilingualism and English-Learners Through a Re-Imagined National Professional Development Program (NPD)

By: Beatriz Ceja, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and Loredana Valtierra, Policy Advisor, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (OPEPD)

The need for bilingual and multilingual teachers is critical more than ever, as over five million of our public-school enrolled students are English learners (ELs). “Raise the Bar (RTB): Lead the World” Initiative is the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) call to action to transform pre-kindergarten through postsecondary learning and unite around what truly works. The National Professional Development (NPD) program, administered by the Office of English Language Acquisition, is ready to respond to the call. Investments in programs that promote academic excellence to boldly improve teaching and learning will increase our global competitiveness.

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Modernizing Federal Student Loan Servicing

By: Richard Cordray, Chief Operating Office, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

This spring, Federal Student Aid (FSA) will begin improving how individual borrowers manage and repay their federal student loans. Through multiple phases, we will bring online an entirely new federal student loan servicing environment – a goal we have pursued for more than a decade. We are excited to reach this important milestone.

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