Dear Colleagues

With Congress observing the traditional post-Easter recess, we get to finally begin with some good news. Namely, the Administration has announced that the July 31 deadline for the Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment reports has been pushed back to October 1. 

While this two-month reporting delay is a welcome breather, it is shorter than the one-year delay we asked for and does not affect the entire regulatory package, only the reporting deadlines. With the public comment period open until April 22 on many aspects of the reporting requirements, it is unclear when institutions will know what information they need to report. In short, while we are reassessing our advocacy strategy on the regulatory delay to get feedback from campuses on the new collection date, we are already hearing from many of you that it is unlikely reports will be able to be completed by October 1.

The primary focus in Washington and with our members continues to be the FAFSA delays. As has been the case throughout the winter, this week brought more troubling news with application processing. Apparently, the Department has found errors in the system that automatically connects applicants’ tax files with their FAFSA application. While several errors were found, the most pervasive was with filers who had claimed education tax credits. In total, 20 percent of processed FAFSAs were affected, and the Department is in the process of setting up a system to address the problems, which you can read about in the story below.

As the enrollment cycle continues its tumultuous course, I want you to know that we are painfully aware of the toll this process is taking on your institutions, your financial aid and enrollment management staffs, and your students and families. We can only promise to continue to press the Department and Congress to continue to extend flexibilities to campuses to help ease the burden, but at the end of the day we know the only thing that can really help are accurate, timely ISIRs that campuses can trust.

Soundbites

• NAICU is among the 168 organizations that signed on to the Basic Needs Coalition letter to the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture asking Congress to address student hunger and food insecurity on campus when it considers the Farm Bill reauthorization. There is growing consensus among institutions, advocates, students, and many other groups about the need to reform the overly complex and outdated student rules in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and to eliminate the administrative barriers that prevent eligible college students from participating. Congress is expected to consider the Farm Bill before the end of the year. 

• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that the pandemic-era Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which has helped bring lower-cost, high speed Internet service to nearly 23 million households—including many Pell Grant recipients—is winding down. The program, which started on December 31, 2021, has provided low-income households with monthly subsidies to help offset the cost of high-speed internet service as well as one-time discounts toward the purchase of a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer. The ACP stopped accepting new applications in early February; April will be the last fully funded month for beneficiaries enrolled in the program, while some households will receive partial subsidies in May.

Thank you for your continued advocacy on behalf of independent higher education during this very hectic period of regulatory and legislative change.

Regards,

Barbara

Barbara K. Mistick
President, NAICU