Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

Yesterday, the Department of Education released the final regulations from the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) negotiated rulemaking, which was tasked with implementing the student loan and repayment provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3).

NAICU’s preliminary review of the regulations determined that the final rule is largely unchanged from what was published by the Department earlier this year and that no meaningful changes were made to broaden the categories of professional programs eligible for higher borrowing limits. For additional background on the regulations see:

• NAICU’s January Washington Update reporting on the draft regulations
• Our public comments, which provide a more thorough analysis on the loan changes, submitted in response to the draft rules
• The webinar NAICU recently hosted on the topic
• The bill summary NAICU prepared last year

We are actively analyzing the final rule and its impact on students and institutions, and will provide timely updates and guidance as new information becomes available.

Next up will be the final rules from the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven (AHEAD) Committee concerning the new Workforce Pell program. We will keep you updated on those developments as well.

As a reminder, NAICU is hosting a series of webinars to help navigate the current legislative and policy landscape. Recordings of our first three sessions—on federal lending changes, President Trump’s FY 2027 budget, and Workforce Pell—are available on our website. There, and below, you can also register for our upcoming government relations webinar on the new program-level accountability metrics (Monday, May 4), as well as future sessions on pending accreditation changes and preparing for the July 1 implementation of OB3.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

Regards,

Barbara

Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.
President, NAICU