TG Updates

Recharge yourself at NASFAA!
Each year, the NASFAA Conference helps thousands of financial aid professionals capture new ideas to help their offices reach their potential. In that spirit, TG and several partners will be offering fresh insight, inspiration, and proven strategies on issues facing financial aid offices at this year's conference, which runs from July 18 to July 21 in Minneapolis.

Federal Updates

Current special allowance rates: quarter ending June 30, 2004
Special allowance rates for the quarter ending June 30, 2004, are now available.

Interest rate for HEAL portion of Consolidation loans announced
ED recently announced the new interest rate for the HEAL portion of Federal Consolidation loans. As mentioned in Shoptalk Online Edition 261, the rate is based on the average of the bond equivalent rates of the 91-day T-bills auctioned for the quarter ending June 30, which means that the rate is announced later than the many other interest rates that become effective July 1, 2004.

Closed school corner
The Department of Education announces six new closures.

Common Manual

2004 Common Manual hits the "street"
The 2004 electronic version of the Common Manual (ECM) has hit the street — that is, the information superhighway. The 2004 ECM, now available for download at www.tgslc.org/resources/integrated_online_manual.cfm, contains all of the new policies approved since July 2003. A summary of the new policies and other changes is included in the manual.

Legislative Update

The July 9 issue of TG's Legislative Report provides an update on FY 2005 federal appropriations, with a table listing the status of each of the various bills making their way through Congress. Keep up with the latest developments by reading the full report on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/lege_report/index.cfm.

This, That, and the Other...

Congratulations to FinAid.org on its ten years of service to students, parents, educators, and financial aid professionals! The site, one of the leading sources for financial aid information on the Web, celebrated its tenth anniversary in June. More than 25 million people have used the site since it was launched in June 1994, according to site founder and publisher Mark Kantrowitz.