A Deep Dive into the Debate Over Federal Student Loan Forgiveness
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the “Act”), which recently became law, makes significant changes to federal financial aid programs administered under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (“HEA”). These changes...more
INCLUDING ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, STUDENT LOANS AND FINANCIAL AID, REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, ENDOWMENTS, AND ON-LINE LEARNING - Join us for an essential deep dive into the sweeping changes introduced by the “One Big Beautiful...more
In a move aimed at delivering on one of his most ambitious campaign promises, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and shift authority over education...more
Higher education clients who accept federal student loans may have recently received emails from the Department of Education (“Department”) notifying them of borrower defense claims seeking to avoid loan repayment obligations...more
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) recently surprised the higher education community with a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL GEN-23-03) that sets forth new guidance on third-party servicers with whom institutions of...more
On Thursday, the Department of Education announced that, in certain circumstances, it will require leaders of institutions to assume personal liability as a condition of Title IV Federal Student Aid participation....more
On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the Proposed Rule) to revise its regulations governing student loan discharge standards...more
On March 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) for the first time asserted regulatory authority over income share agreements (ISAs) as private education loans. FSA issued an...more
Our Education Team examines how the Borrower Defense Rule is again expanding under the Biden Administration, beginning with a huge decision involving, for the first time, for-profit schools that are still operating. Nearly...more
On October 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) commenced the first of five negotiated rulemaking sessions. The five sessions are focused on the federal student financial aid programs authorized under Title IV of...more
In Washington - The bipartisan 50-member House Problem Solvers Caucus has drafted a US$1.5 trillion plan, the “March To Common Ground”, to provide coronavirus relief in an attempt to reignite negotiations on a deal before...more
On March 5, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education issued an announcement, “Guidance for interruptions of study related to Coronavirus (COVID-19),” to address concerns arising with respect...more
Last week, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) requesting information about how OCR “plans to address alarming racial...more
The Higher Education Act (HEA) governs federal higher education programs, authorizing federal student-aid programs for postsecondary education and setting regulations for higher education institutions. First passed in 1965,...more
On September 23, 2019, the U.S. Department of Education (ED or the Department) published in the Federal Register final regulations on Institutional Accountability, which revise its current regulations on borrower defenses to...more
A recent Department of Education inquiry regarding transfers of guardianship of college-aged students in Illinois is making news across the country. The Department’s Office of the Inspector General is looking into the...more
The White House last week issued an executive order entitled “Executive Order on Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities.” ...more
Under U.S. federal law, known as the Higher Education Act (HEA), eligible U.S. students may receive federal student aid to help pay for education expenses incurred to attend approved higher education institutions, including...more
As we reported, the Department of Education announced earlier this month that it would begin implementing its “borrower defense” final rule which was issued in November 2016 by providing discharges of federal student loans...more
In a December 13 posting, the Department of Education announced that on December 14, it would begin sending emails to borrowers “to inform them that the company that handles billing and other services related to their federal...more
Earlier this week, Judge Randolph D. Moss of the D.C. federal district court heard oral argument on the renewed motion for a preliminary injunction filed by the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS)...more
On August 14, 2018, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to rescind the Obama-era Gainful Employment (GE) regulations applicable to for-profit educational...more
Instructor. Regular. Substantive. Those three words, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education (“ED”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), resulted in OIG’s recent recommendation that Western Governors University (“WGU”)...more
The California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) has filed a complaint in D.C. federal district court against the Dept. of Education and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to overturn the “borrower defense”...more
In this, the first in a series of client alerts that will explain the workings of the new Borrower Defense to Repayment Rule (BDTR), we explore what promises to be a series of rules, procedures and interpretations to be...more