This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss the latest details on the return to student loan repayment and highlight the nuances of a new FAFSA simplification term: "contributors." Allie and Jill kick things off by running through where things stand with the return to student loan repayment, the on-ramp to repayment, servicer wait times, and the administration's new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, the Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan. David then helps listeners make sense of a new FAFSA term — "contributor" — which refers to anyone who is asked to provide information on an applicant's FAFSA. David goes on to offer a number of scenarios in which an individual may or may not be considered as a part of that definition.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal to discuss the administration's Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, a new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan that the administration has been heavily promoting as student loan repayments resume. The conversation dives into the benefits of the plan, the enrollment process, the timeline associated with its implementation, an overview of ED's student loan portfolio, and more. Justin and Under Secretary Kvaal also go on to discuss some of the administration's upcoming priorities for higher education, new regulations, the federal budget, and much more.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to dig into the latest state of play surrounding the federal budgeting process. The team highlights how Congress' end of September deadline could impact a host of priorities for the Department of Education (ED), including its FAFSA simplification rollout, negotiated rulemaking, and general operations. The group also highlights ED's new repayment plan and discusses some summer news coverage concerning perceptions of investments, and risks associated with higher education.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin and Rachel are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to recap the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that struck down race-conscious admissions policies and the Biden administration's student loan debt cancellation program. The group dives into what impact these decisions will have on college campuses and also provides details as to how schools can make sense of both decisions. The team then highlights what comes next for the on-ramp to student loan repayment and interest accrual, which will begin this September. Rachel and Justin also update listeners on NASFAA's 2023 National Conference as well as some timely information from this week's virtual conference.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Dana Kelly, NASFAA's vice president of professional development and institutional compliance, and Kristi Jovell, director of student financial services operations and communications at Middlebury College and NASFAA's 2023 National Conference Program Task Force chair. The group discusses what attendees can expect of the 2023 National Conference in San Diego this month, including what sessions they're looking forward to and what attendees can do for fun in San Diego. Follow along with the conversation from the National Conference online using #NASFAA2023. Can't make it to San Diego this year? You can still register for the NASFAA Virtual Conference, which takes place July 10-14.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David cover the latest developments concerning the Department of Education's roll-out of its proposed gainful employment regulations and financial value transparency framework, as well as the removal of the housing status question from the 2024-25 FAFSA. Jill dives into how new GE metrics could impact a variety of schools, as well as what comes next for the negotiated rulemaking process. David shares the impact of the removal of the housing question from the 2024-25 FAFSA and how schools can work through the packaging process. Hugh then catches listeners up on some higher education news coming from the White House, including a debt ceiling resolution and the latest on student loan cancellation.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Rachel joins Justin and Karen to discuss some breaking news on the Hill concerning the debt ceiling and congressional efforts to overturn President Joe Biden's student loan debt cancellation plan. The team starts out with a discussion on the Senate passing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) seeking to rescind Biden's debt cancellation plan and the fallout from the bipartisan vote. Rachel then provides an update on the debt ceiling deal, and how the measure is expected to impact federal funding for the upcoming fiscal years. The team then digs into some updates concerning SNAP eligibility.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss recent developments related to the Federal Work-Study program and how financial aid professionals can navigate the wind-down of COVID flexibilities. Jill details a recent information collection request from the Department of Education and concerns related to the extent of the collection. David then highlights the murkiness of the end dates of the public health emergency and the general COVID-19 national emergency and in what ways those can impact schools. Hugh then catches listeners up on some news of the week, which included ED's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an overhaul of gainful employment as well as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona's remarks on the Hill this week concerning the department's budget and oversight requests from Congress.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss the implications of the ongoing negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling and how federal higher education programs could be impacted. The conversation dives into congressional negotiations and how the issue differs from the annual budgeting process. The group then turns to the student loan servicing landscape, the latest on the return to repayment timeline, and a discussion on NASFAA's latest task force providing schools with a toolkit to prepare. Hugh catches members up on some recent news concerning House Republicans' efforts to rescind the administration's debt cancellation program and ED updates on PSLF applications.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Policy Analyst Megan Walter and Scott Cline, senior vice president of enrollment management and auxiliary services at California College of the Arts. The group discusses the mission and goals of the cand its efforts to improve college financial aid offers. Megan then shares initial responses to the initiative's drafted principles and standards, glossary, and aid offer examples. NASFAA members can submit their own comments to these documents by June 1, 2023.