You may have seen or heard about Spotify Wrapped — the year-end recap that highlights your top songs, biggest moments, and fun stats from the past year. We decided to make our own version. M&A Wrapped is a look back at the year we just shared: the milestones reached, the work...
As Congress reaches the September 30 fiscal deadline, uncertainty remains over the fate of Title IV federal student aid programs, including Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and Direct Loans. With competing proposals from the House, Senate, and White House, higher education institutions and financial...
The Department of Education has posted an unpublished proposed rule to the Federal Register, launching a new round of Negotiated Rulemaking (Neg Reg) for Title IV student aid programs. This will implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), addressing student loan reform, Pell Grant eligibility, and institutional accountability. U.S. Department...
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...
As financial aid leaders track the federal financial aid changes moving through Congress, the emergence of different House and Senate proposals might seem to complicate planning. But there’s a strategic silver lining: by focusing on the common ground between both versions, you can prepare efficiently for the changes most likely...
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...
Following the House of Representatives’ passage of the wide-ranging reconciliation bill—dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—on May 22, 2025, attention now turns to the Senate. The legislation includes proposed changes to federal tax structures, healthcare, and higher education policy and was advanced through the budget reconciliation process, allowing it to...
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new negotiated rulemaking process to revise Title IV regulations, aiming to simplify federal student aid programs and strengthen institutional accountability. Colleges and universities should be aware of the proposed changes and prepare for their potential impact. What it means for your institution and...
In October 2023, the Department announced an amendment to § 668.23(a) to require that audit reports are timely submitted, by the earlier of 30 days after the completion of the report or six months after the end of the institution’s fiscal year. Furthermore, when the regulations go into effect on July...
In case you missed it, the Department of Education’s recent announcement on February 13, 2024 introduced additional measures aimed at improving the efficiency of student record processing for colleges. This is a significant stride towards facilitating access to financial aid for millions of students across the nation. These steps include a...
Recently, we have been receiving questions from institutions whether electronic signatures are acceptable for the Statement of Educational Purpose (SEP). Under normal circumstances, students sign this document at an institution’s financial aid office or in front of a notary public, making a “wet,” or physical, signature. However, with pandemic measures meaning...