(Originally Posted August 20, 2025 and Updated September 15, 2025) Over the past few months, the Department of Education has significantly increased its fraud prevention measures in the federal student aid process. As a result, schools are seeing a noticeably higher number of ISIRs flagged for verification—particularly V4 and V5—sometimes even...
While much of the higher education sector’s attention is understandably focused on the sweeping changes of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” it’s important not to lose sight of other regulatory updates and approaching deadlines that also demand attention. The Department of Education’s (ED) Federal Update session on June 26,...
As the dust begins to settle around the Reconciliation Bill (“Big Beautiful Bill”), institutions are working diligently to translate sweeping legislative language into practical, operational plans. Part 1 of our article outlined the major changes that institutions must plan for by July 2026 (See our initial analysis in Part 1). In...
If you’ve followed the news lately, you may have noticed the same legislative package referred to by multiple names—the Reconciliation Bill, House Bill, Senate Bill, and even “The Big Beautiful Bill." This terminology confusion has made it challenging to determine what’s proposed, what’s final, and most importantly, what applies to...
On Friday, July 4th, President Trump signed the Reconciliation Bill (“Big Beautiful Bill”) into law. With changes taking effect as early as July 2026, financial aid leaders face their most significant operational overhaul in decades. It’s important to note that no provisions will take effect during the current 2025–26 award...
Federal Student Aid (FSA) has announced significant changes to identity verification requirements that are already affecting institutions nationwide. Because fraud prevention is one of the current administration’s top priorities, schools will see a sharp increase in V4 verifications—particularly for first-time Title IV applicants this summer. Alongside this increase, FSA has...
As more institutions begin submitting compliance reports, we’ve noticed a growing trend in feedback from the Department of Education (ED) and Office of Inspector General (OIG) around deficiencies in two key documents: Corrective Action Plan (CAP) Summary Schedule of Prior Findings Most notably, ED has flagged CAPs that omit contact information (such as...
As of May 5, 2025, the Department of Education resumed automated NSLDS post-screening updates via ISIR transactions, as outlined in Electronic Announcement APP-25-14. This development has significant implications for institutions participating in Title IV programs. What to Expect • ISIR Updates via FPS: Institutions will receive updated 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 ISIRs containing...