Federal Updates

President signs H.R. 2669; updated integrated HEA available on TG Online
Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). As a result, the NCHELP Program Regulations Committee has released integrated Higher Education Act (HEA) documents that incorporate changes from the CCRAA.

Congress makes HEROES Act permanent
Last week, Congress approved legislation (H.R. 3625) that makes permanent the provisions of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 (HEROES Act). Under the HEROES Act, ED may extend a waiver or modification with respect to certain requirements of student financial assistance during a war or other military operation, or national emergency.

ED issues final rules for 9/11 discharge
On September 28, 2007, ED issued final rules for the new loan discharge for survivors of victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

TG Updates

TG offers free webinar on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act
President Bush's signing last Thursday of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) will result in many significant changes for the financial aid industry. Join TG and your financial aid colleagues for a timely, informative webinar that will provide a discussion of the major provisions of the CCRAA that impact students, borrowers, schools, and lenders.

Training watch: TG's regional workshops offer industry insight and regulatory help
Participants at TG’s regional trainings gain perspective on the latest regulatory changes, sharpen their office management skills, and learn something from colleagues and experts in the field. TG has set a regional training schedule through the end of the year. Each event promises an opportunity for asking the questions you want to ask on issues important to you as well as gaining insight on regulatory changes.

Ensure you connect with all your students through TG's financial aid collateral in Spanish and English
According to some studies, Spanish-speaking students are less likely than other groups to go onto college. One reason why: the lack of awareness about the financial resources available to help pay for college. To address this issue, TG offers a number of different resources, including a suite of brochures and pamphlets on financial aid topics, printed in both Spanish and English.

Tech Report

TG adds flexibility in accepting new Consolidation loans
TG updated its electronic system for accepting Federal Consolidation Loan notifications. Until recently, TG required a CAM transaction record 20 — or demographic record — for each CAM 17 — or loan record — which it received. To accommodate the service requirements for some customers, TG modified its systems to accept multiple loan records with single demographic records.

Trends and Issues

Question of the week
If a student withdraws before the school's census date, does the school have to perform the return of Title IV funds (R2T4) calculation?

This, That, and the Other...

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released an upgrade and redesign of the college search engine formerly known as College Opportunities Online (COOL). Renamed "College Navigator," the site features information such as academic majors, tuition, and average financial aid for nearly 7,000 schools.

College Navigator uses data collected by Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE). New features include a favorites menu with side-by-side comparison, the ability to save your search, an export of your search results, an interactive map, and the ability to see your search criteria at all times and to modify your search without starting over.

According to the Department of Education, the more user-friendly site will better serve key audiences, including low-income students, their parents, and families in which students would be the first to plan for college.

The site draws primarily from information that institutions must report to the National Center for Education Statistics as a condition of receiving federal aid. Institutions include two- and four-year public and private nonprofit schools and for-profit institutions; credentials range from certificates to bachelor's degrees or higher.

College Navigator can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/.