Updates & Announcements
A running log of FSA announcements, OBBBA policy milestones, and site content changes — newest first. All external entries link directly to the official source.
New guide: California financial aid for 2027–28
California's priority deadline for state aid in 2027–28 is March 2, 2027 (September 2, 2027 for community college students). A new guide covers Cal Grant types and award cycles, GPA verification, and when to file the CA Dream Act Application instead of the FAFSA. It also has the 2027–28 income and asset limits the California Student Aid Commission posted on June 24, 2026. The Middle Class Scholarship income limit for dependent students rises to $262,000, from $250,000. CSAC says the limits can change until the state budget passes.
↗ California Student Aid Commission Read: California financial aid guide →New guide: dependency override letters, with a template for counselors and caseworkers
A student who can't contact a parent, or would be at risk doing so, can ask a college for a dependency override and file the FAFSA without parent information. A new guide covers who federal law says can confirm the situation, including child welfare and tribal agencies, foster youth caseworkers, abuse and domestic violence programs, attorneys and court-appointed advocates, and TRIO and GEAR UP staff. It also covers what the letter must say and what doesn't qualify on its own: 4 situations, including parents who simply refuse to help. It explains what happens after the student submits and includes a template for the letter writer.
↗ Higher Education Act sections 479A and 480(d)(9); FSA Handbook 2026–27, Application and Verification Guide, Ch. 5 Read: Dependency override letters →New guide: how to ask your school to adjust your aid, with a letter template
The 2026–27 FAFSA uses 2024 income, so a later job loss, pay cut, or large medical or child care bill doesn't show up. A new guide explains the special circumstances review (professional judgment) that lets a school adjust your cost of attendance or the data behind your SAI and Pell Grant, case by case and with documentation. Under the law, no school may have a policy of denying every request or charge a fee to review one, and each must tell students they can ask. A school's decision is final and can't be appealed to the Department of Education. The guide includes a letter template and a list of documents to attach.
↗ Higher Education Act section 479A and FSA Handbook 2026–27, Application and Verification Guide, Ch. 5 Read: Special circumstances appeal letter template →New: a tracker of approved Workforce Pell programs, state by state
The Department of Education doesn't publish one list of the programs approved for Workforce Pell, so we built one. As of September 26, 2026, ED has approved 18 programs in 5 states (Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas), each linked to its source. The tracker also links each state's official Workforce Pell page and shows which states post an approved-program list. A program needs both the governor's certification and ED's approval; state approval alone doesn't make it eligible.
↗ U.S. Department of Education press releases and official state Workforce Pell pages Open the Workforce Pell tracker →New guide: when your school sets a lower federal loan limit
Since July 1, 2026, a college can cap Direct Loans, including Parent PLUS, below the federal maximum for a whole program. A new guide explains the rules schools must follow. The limit has to apply to everyone in the program, and the school must publish it in its catalog, on its website, and in award notices, and tell students before it takes effect. Part-time students get the limit reduced further, and professional judgment can't restore the full amount. The guide also covers how a program limit differs from a school's case-by-case authority to reduce one student's loan.
↗ FSA Dear Colleague Letter GEN-26-02 (June 26, 2026) Read: When your school sets a lower loan limit →New guide: nursing, PA, and PT programs on the professional-degree list
A new guide covers the court order that changed which graduate programs get the higher professional loan limit: $50,000 a year instead of $20,500. Since June 24, 2026, ED has treated 29 programs as professional, including MSN, DNP, and nurse anesthesia programs, physician assistant, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The Ph.D. in Nursing, public health, and marriage and family therapy are still left out, and those gaps are now part of the lawsuit. Schools can still set lower limits for a program. As of September 26, 2026, the docket shows no appeal, and summary judgment briefing runs through December 4, 2026.
↗ FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-42 (updated July 10, 2026) Read: Nursing, PA, and PT on the professional-degree list →Corrections: the professional-degree program list on the graduate loans guide
The graduate loans guide lists the 29 programs ED treats as professional degrees while a court order is in effect. Our copy shortened several entries and left out degrees that ED's list accepts: PT for physical therapy, OT for occupational therapy, D.C.M. for chiropractic, and D.P. and Pod.D. for podiatry. Because a program has to award one of the listed degrees to qualify, a missing degree could make a qualifying program look excluded. The list now matches ED's wording and shows each program's CIP code. We also added ED's July 10 note that the MSN and DNP entries cover any program in the same 4-digit CIP code (51.38) that awards that credential.
↗ FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-42 (updated July 10, 2026) See the corrected list →New guide: transferring or taking a semester off under the old loan limits
A new guide covers what ends the interim exception and what doesn't. Under ED's final rule, a community college student who transfers to a four-year school starts a new program of study, even under an articulation agreement. From then on, the parent's new Parent PLUS loans fall under the $20,000-a-year cap. Sitting out a required term ends the exception too. Changing majors, skipping an optional summer term, and an approved leave of absence of up to 180 days in a 12-month period don't end it.
↗ Federal Register — ED final rule, 91 FR 23768 (May 1, 2026) Read: Transferring or taking a semester off →New name and a homepage organized by reader
This site is now called FAFSA Updates, which matches its address (fafsaupdates.com) and doesn't go out of date each school year. The homepage now starts with three entry points, for parents, students, and borrowers, each linking the guides and calculators that answer that reader's most common questions. A new "What changed" list shows the latest entries from this log. The URLs and guide content are unchanged.
See the new homepage →New tool: which repayment plans are open to you after July 2026
A new repayment plan chooser works out which federal plans you can use: RAP, IBR, the Tiered Standard Plan, and the older 10-year Standard plan. Your answers about loan dates and loan types decide the result. One Direct Loan first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, including a consolidation loan, limits all of a borrower's Direct Loans to RAP and Tiered Standard, and Parent PLUS loans can never use RAP. The chooser estimates a first-year payment for each open plan and marks which ones count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Tiered Standard, the plan borrowers can be placed in by default, doesn't count.
↗ studentaid.gov — One Big Beautiful Bill Act definitions Open the repayment plan chooser →Corrections: source lists and three errors on the deadline and checklist guides
A check of the source lists on four guides found citations that didn't support anything on the page, and the check turned up three errors. The missed-deadline, state deadlines, filing checklist, and OBBBA timeline guides each cited a NASFAA page that none of them relies on, and two of them described it as something it isn't ("verification guidance," "state grant program database"). Those citations were removed, along with FSA documents that cover other topics; the checklist and state deadlines guides now cite the studentaid.gov, FSA Handbook, and New York HESC pages they actually rely on. The errors: (1) The state deadlines guide said New York's June 30 FAFSA date shouldn't be treated as the TAP deadline. HESC lists the same date for TAP, and what TAP adds is its own application every year. (2) The same guide called Workforce Pell a change to how the SAI is calculated. It isn't; it makes Pell available for approved short-term programs. An unsourced claim about Pell receipt unlocking state grants was also removed. (3) The filing checklist described legacy borrowers' Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS as "uncapped." Under the interim exception, the limit is the cost of attendance minus other aid.
↗ studentaid.gov — FAFSA Application Deadlines Read: State FAFSA Deadlines →Each calculator now has its own page
The five calculators on the homepage now each have a page that explains how to use the tool, walks through a worked example, describes the method step by step, lists what the tool can't tell you, and names the official sources behind it: the Pell Grant calculator, the Parent PLUS gap calculator, the legacy borrower status checker, the Workforce Pell screener, and the RAP vs. IBR, PAYE, and ICR calculator.
See all calculators →Correction: IBR and PAYE payments in the repayment calculator
The RAP vs. legacy IDR calculator figured IBR and PAYE payments as 10% of discretionary income with no ceiling. Under the Department of Education's rules, those payments are the lesser of that amount or what you would pay on the 10-year Standard plan for the balance you had when you entered the plan. For borrowers with higher incomes and smaller balances, the calculator overstated IBR and PAYE payments and could name the wrong lowest-cost plan. It now applies that ceiling, plus the rules that round very small IBR, PAYE, and ICR payments. It also notes that ICR has a second formula, based on a 12-year schedule and an income factor ED publishes each year, which the calculator doesn't model and which can make ICR payments lower.
↗ 34 CFR 685.209(f)–(g) (eCFR) Try the calculator →Correction: what happens when you miss a state grant deadline
The missed-deadline guide called a missed state grant deadline "the most consequential" one for most students and said most state agencies won't make exceptions for any reason. Neither claim had a source, and they were removed. The guide now says what the official deadline list supports: many state grant programs close months before the federal deadline, and whether a late filer can get an exception depends on the state.
↗ studentaid.gov — FAFSA Application Deadlines Read: What Happens If You Miss the FAFSA Deadline? →Corrections: OBBBA timeline and Workforce Pell guide
The same errors corrected elsewhere this week also appeared on two more pages, and they're now fixed there too. On the OBBBA timeline: its summary of FSA's July 18, 2025 Dear Colleague Letter said the letter set the legacy borrower criteria and covered Workforce Pell and the new asset exclusions; the letter actually covered the changes that took effect right away (Income-Based Repayment, Parent PLUS repayment, part-time loan limits, PSLF, and two discharge rules). Its July 1 entries also said Grad PLUS and older repayment plans end only for borrowers whose first loan comes after July 1, 2026, said the $257,500 lifetime maximum applies only to new borrowers, and described legacy Parent PLUS as the full cost of attendance. On the Workforce Pell guide: the small-business asset exclusion does not require owning more than 50%, and an unsourced claim that employer tuition aid "can stack" with a Workforce Pell award was removed.
↗ FSA Dear Colleague Letter GEN-25-04 (July 18, 2025) Read: OBBBA Timeline →Corrections: About page and source list
The About page listed "updated FAFSA verification rules" among OBBBA's provisions. OBBBA didn't change verification; that line was replaced with the provisions the site actually covers, including the lifetime loan maximum. The page also described the Legacy Borrower Status Checker as determining whether a borrower qualifies; it gives an estimate, and the school decides. The source list now names the primary documents the articles rely on after this week's review, including the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule and the relevant FSA Handbook chapters, and no longer lists two secondary sites that no article depends on. The articles index had also described the site's content as sourced from NASFAA guidance; it now names the primary sources the articles are checked against.
Read: How the Numbers Are Checked →Corrections: what happens to aid during a leave of absence
A sentence-by-sentence check of the new guide to withdrawing or taking medical leave against Volume 5 of the FSA Handbook found these errors, now fixed. (1) It said neither loans nor Pell Grants can be paid out during a leave of absence. Direct Loans, including Parent PLUS, can't be, but the handbook allows Pell Grant disbursements; what's barred in a term-based program is new aid until the student finishes the coursework they started. (2) It said the withdrawal date is always backdated to the start of the leave when a student doesn't return. That's true at schools not required to take attendance; at schools that take attendance it's the last day attended. (3) It described the earned percentage as plain calendar days. Scheduled breaks of five or more days are left out, and clock-hour programs count hours. The guide now also notes that term-based schools can approve a leave only "in a very limited number of cases," and that once a family's legacy loan limits end, the $65,000 Parent PLUS total counts PLUS already borrowed for that student.
↗ FSA Handbook 2026–27, Vol. 5 Ch. 1 — Approved Leave of Absence Read: Withdrawing or Taking Medical Leave →Corrections: "OBBBA Is Now in Effect" — who counts as a new borrower
A sentence-by-sentence check of the "OBBBA Is Now in Effect" guide against studentaid.gov, the FSA Handbook, FSA announcement APP-26-02, and the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule found these errors, now fixed. (1) The guide built its advice on one date: whether your first federal loan was disbursed before July 1, 2026. Two different tests actually apply. For loan limits, it's whether the student was already enrolled in the program with a Direct Loan for it; for repayment, it's whether you have any loan disbursed on or after that date. So a graduate student with earlier loans who starts a new program still loses Grad PLUS, and a borrower with older loans who takes out a new one loses IBR. (2) Its quick-reference table said legacy students keep IBR and that parents' PLUS limits depend on whether it's the parent's first PLUS loan; both were wrong. (3) It said undergraduates' borrowing "looks the same as last year." Part-time students' annual limits are now prorated. (4) It listed the farm and small-business asset exclusions as starting July 1; they began with the 2026–27 FAFSA. (5) It said bachelor's degree holders can get Pell "for the first time"; they could already get it for certain teacher-certification programs. (6) It said the new rules don't reach loans you already have. Existing loans count toward the new lifetime and Parent PLUS totals, and taking out a new loan changes how all of them can be repaid.
↗ studentaid.gov — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Important Definitions Read: OBBBA Is Now in Effect →Corrections: RAP forgiveness and the RAP vs. IBR example
A sentence-by-sentence check of the RAP vs. IBR guide against studentaid.gov and the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule found these errors, now fixed. (1) The guide said RAP forgives balances of $50,000 or less after 20 years. RAP forgives any balance after 360 qualifying payments over at least 30 years. (2) It said IBR has the lower payment at $40,000 of income. Its own figures showed RAP lower ($100 vs. about $134 a month); the sentence is now computed from the numbers. (3) It said switching to RAP resets your forgiveness clock. Earlier income-driven payments count toward RAP's discharge, though RAP's period is 30 years, and RAP payments don't count if you return to IBR. (4) It said RAP payments are "substantially higher" at middle incomes; in its own table RAP is lower at middle incomes and higher only at the top. (5) It said borrowers with older loans keep IBR without mentioning that any new loan ends that, and said all PAYE and ICR holdouts move to RAP in 2028 (loans RAP doesn't cover go to IBR). (6) It said forgiven RAP balances might be taxable "depending on future IRS guidance"; studentaid.gov says discharged amounts other than PSLF may be taxable now.
↗ studentaid.gov — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Important Definitions (Repayment Assistance Plan) Read: RAP vs. IBR →Corrections: who keeps IBR, and the SAVE notice dates
A sentence-by-sentence check of the SAVE and RAP guide against studentaid.gov, the Department of Education's SAVE announcement, and the May 2026 final rule found these errors, now fixed. (1) The guide said IBR, PAYE, and ICR close only to people whose first federal loan comes after July 1, 2026. They close to anyone who takes out any new loan after that date, including a consolidation loan, for all of their loans. (2) Its plan comparison table labeled IBR "eliminated," said IBR and PAYE had no interest subsidy (both cover unpaid interest for the first three years), and left out that IBR is 15% of discretionary income with 25-year forgiveness for borrowers who first borrowed before July 2014. (3) It said SAVE borrowers had notices sent through August 15, 2026, with deadlines running to mid-November. The Department's announcement says only that notices began July 1, with 90 days from each notice. We couldn't find an ED source for the August 15 date, so it was removed here, in the FAQ, on the timeline, and from an earlier entry on this page. (4) It cited the law's repayment section as §4101; RAP comes from section 82001. (5) It said anyone can use RAP; Parent PLUS loans can't. The settlement that ended SAVE was with the State of Missouri, not several states.
↗ studentaid.gov — IDR Plan Court Actions: Impact on Borrowers Read: The SAVE Plan Has Ended →Corrections: what the Student Aid Index is and what a negative SAI does
A sentence-by-sentence check of the SAI guide against the FSA Handbook and studentaid.gov found these errors, now fixed. (1) It said the SAI is the same formula as the old EFC with a clearer name. The formula changed; for example, having other family members in college no longer lowers it, though a school can consider that in a professional judgment review. (2) It said a negative SAI tells schools to give a student priority for need-based grants. For federal need-based aid other than Pell, schools must count a negative SAI as zero. (3) It described who gets the automatic maximum or minimum Pell Grant as families "below poverty-line thresholds"; the tests use set percentages of the poverty guideline. Unsourced claims about "billions of dollars" in merit aid and about aid offices running out of discretionary funds were removed, and the small-business asset exclusion now includes the requirement that the family own and control the business.
↗ FSA Handbook 2026–27, Vol. 3 Ch. 3 — Treatment of Negative SAIs Read: Student Aid Index (SAI) Ranges →Corrections: FAFSA dependency status and dependency overrides
A sentence-by-sentence check of the dependency status guide against the FSA Handbook's 2026–27 Application and Verification Guide found these errors, now fixed. (1) It said being separated from a spouse counts as married. For independence, you must be married and not separated (or remarried). (2) It said a dependency override has to be requested again every year. Once a school grants one, it must presume you're independent in later years at that school unless your circumstances change or it has conflicting information. (3) It said parents refusing to help can support an override. It can't, though the aid office may allow a dependent-level Direct Unsubsidized Loan with no parent information. (4) It said the override authority was "reaffirmed by OBBBA." It comes from the Higher Education Act; OBBBA didn't address it. (5) It said becoming independent doesn't change your Direct Loan limits. Independent undergraduates can borrow more (up to $12,500 a year from the third year on). (6) It said Parent PLUS was capped "for the first time." The guide also now explains how to request an override on the FAFSA itself and which parent reports when parents are divorced or never married.
↗ FSA Handbook 2026–27, Application and Verification Guide, Ch. 5 — Special Cases Read: FAFSA Dependency Status →Corrections: homepage FAQ, dashboard, and two calculators
A sentence-by-sentence check of the homepage FAQ, the policy dashboard, and the calculators' explanations against the FSA Handbook, studentaid.gov, and the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule found these errors, now fixed. (1) The FAQ and dashboard said the $257,500 lifetime maximum applies only to new borrowers. It counts all federal student loans, including older loans and Grad PLUS. (2) The FAQ said a more negative Student Aid Index means more financial need and often brings extra college grants. For federal aid, schools must treat a negative SAI as zero. (3) The FAQ said the small-business asset exclusion requires the family to own more than 50%. FSA's guidance says only that the business must be owned and controlled by the family. (4) Several answers said borrowers with older loans keep IBR without noting that any new loan after July 1, 2026 ends that, and that the $65,000 Parent PLUS total counts loans made before that date. (5) The Legacy Status Checker's loading screen said it was cross-referencing a federal loan database. It only checks the answers you give, in your browser. (6) The Parent PLUS Gap Calculator asked only for loans borrowed under the new caps, but the $65,000 total counts every Parent PLUS loan for that student. It also showed the full $20,000 being subtracted when less could be borrowed.
↗ FSA Handbook 2026–27, Vol. 3 Ch. 3 — Packaging Aid (Treatment of Negative SAIs) See the FAQ on the homepage →Corrections: graduate loans, the lifetime maximum, and repayment plans
A sentence-by-sentence check of the graduate loans guide against studentaid.gov, the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule, and IRS Publication 15-B found these errors, now fixed. (1) The guide said Grad PLUS ends only for students with no earlier federal loans. It ends for anyone who starts a new graduate program on or after July 1, 2026, whatever their loan history. (2) It said graduate students with the legacy exception keep IBR, PAYE, and ICR until 2028, and that everyone moves to RAP or a fixed plan after that. Any new loan first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, including one under the exception, limits all of your Direct Loans to RAP or the Tiered Standard Plan, and borrowers with no new loans keep IBR after 2028. (3) It said the $257,500 lifetime maximum applies only to new borrowers. It counts all federal student loans, including older loans, Grad PLUS, and repaid amounts. (4) A pre-OBBBA example gave a law student $50,000 in Unsubsidized Loans; the old limit was $20,500. (5) It said a graduate student could borrow for about 11 years before hitting a limit; the $100,000 graduate total is reached in under 5. (6) The comparison table said there was no pre-OBBBA aggregate cap and that only SAVE had an interest subsidy. (7) It said the $5,250 employer tax exclusion covers only job-related education, and called fellowship stipends tax-advantaged with no effect on loan limits. Fellowships count as other aid and reduce what you can borrow.
↗ Federal Register — Reimagining and Improving Student Education final rule (May 1, 2026) Read: Graduate Student Loans After OBBBA →Corrections: Parent PLUS repayment and the funding-gap table
A sentence-by-sentence check of the Parent PLUS strategy guide against studentaid.gov and the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule found these errors, now fixed. (1) The guide said parents could consolidate Parent PLUS loans to reach Income-Contingent Repayment. That route closed to new consolidations: a Parent PLUS loan taken out or consolidated after July 1, 2026 can be repaid only under the Tiered Standard Plan, and a parent who takes out any new Direct Loan after that date is limited to Tiered Standard for all of their Parent PLUS loans. (2) It said Parent PLUS repayment starts after the student graduates. Payments start once the loan is fully disbursed unless the parent requests a deferment. (3) The funding-gap table showed a year-4 gap at the lowest-cost school when there was none, because it assumed only $5,000 was left for year 4 even when less had been borrowed. It now uses each year's actual student loan limit. (4) A worked example gave a student more subsidized loan money than the limit allows. (5) It said schools costing up to $30,000–$35,000 a year could be covered by student loans plus Parent PLUS. Over four years with no grants, the $65,000 total covers much less. (6) It said private loans carry variable rates; they can be fixed or variable.
↗ studentaid.gov — Parent PLUS Loans Read: Your Parent PLUS Loan Strategy After OBBBA →Corrections: how the legacy loan-limit exception works
A sentence-by-sentence check of the legacy borrower guide against the Department of Education's May 2026 final rule and studentaid.gov found four errors, now fixed. (1) The guide said legacy status is checked through the FAFSA and NSLDS and can be contested through a "FAFSA appeals process." The FAFSA doesn't ask about it. Your school applies the exception. (2) It said undergraduates could borrow up to the full cost of attendance. Undergraduates' own loan limits didn't change; the exception protects Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS borrowing, up to the cost of attendance minus other aid. (3) It didn't mention that any new loan first disbursed on or after July 1, 2026, including one borrowed under the exception, limits all of your Direct Loans to RAP or the Tiered Standard Plan. (4) Its window examples counted the years a student needs instead of the program's published length, which is what the rule uses. The guide now also covers points the final rule settled: skipping an optional summer term doesn't break enrollment, transferring under an articulation agreement ends the exception, graduate students can change concentration within the same 4-digit CIP code, and once a parent's exception ends, the $65,000 limit counts Parent PLUS borrowed before July 1, 2026. Two FSA documents that don't cover this rule were removed from the guide's sources.
↗ Federal Register — Reimagining and Improving Student Education final rule (May 1, 2026) Read: FAFSA Legacy Borrower Status Guide →The 2027–28 FAFSA is open to everyone
The 2027–28 FAFSA opened to all applicants on September 23, 2026, after limited beta testing that began in August. That's one day earlier than last year's form. It covers school from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028, uses 2025 tax information, and must be submitted by June 30, 2028, with corrections accepted until September 12, 2028. Most online forms are now processed in real time. State deadlines come much sooner: Texas's priority date is January 15, 2027, and California's deadline is March 2, 2027.
↗ FSA Electronic Announcement — 2027–28 FAFSA Beta Testing Plan (updated Sept. 23, 2026)Updated for 2027–28: filing checklist, missed-deadline guide, and state deadlines (with corrections)
Three guides now cover the 2027–28 cycle. The filing checklist describes how the current FAFSA works: StudentAid.gov accounts for each contributor, the required IRS consent step, and the FAFSA Submission Summary. It no longer mentions the retired IRS Data Retrieval Tool or a driver's license question. The missed-deadline guide explains that both the 2026–27 and 2027–28 forms are open, and it now states the verification deadline correctly: the earlier of 120 days after your last day of enrollment or a fixed date (September 18, 2027 for 2026–27), not 120 days after you enroll. The state deadlines guide uses the official 2027–28 dates and fixes several errors. Pennsylvania's later August 1 deadline applies to first-time community college and trade school students; the guide had described an earlier deadline for freshmen. GEAR UP is a federal program, not a state grant. Unsourced claims about Illinois MAP funds running out within days and about TEXAS Grant eligibility were removed. The OBBBA timeline's summary of FSA's March 9 processing announcement was also corrected to match what the announcement actually covered.
↗ studentaid.gov — FAFSA Application Deadlines (2027–28) Read: FAFSA 2027–28 Filing Checklist →Correction: who can get a Workforce Pell Grant
This site described Workforce Pell as a grant for bachelor's degree holders, and the Workforce Pell Screener told anyone without a bachelor's degree that they did not qualify. That was wrong. Workforce Pell is open to anyone who otherwise qualifies for Pell. A bachelor's degree does not disqualify you, but a graduate or professional degree (or enrollment in a graduate program) does. The screener now checks the graduate-credential rule, both length tests (weeks and clock or credit hours), and program approval. Also corrected: who approves programs. It is the state's governor with the state workforce board, then the Department of Education. The Department of Labor does not designate the fields, and the law names no specific ones. The article now also covers the one-year track record and value-added earnings rules.
↗ FSA Handbook 2026–27, Vol. 2 Ch. 2 — Eligible Workforce Programs Read: Who Qualifies for the New Workforce Pell Grant? →Corrections: SAVE plan status, legacy-status rules, Parent PLUS caps, and the Pell Grant calculator
A review against current Department of Education sources found several places where this site was out of date or wrong, and all of them have been corrected. (1) Several pages said SAVE borrowers could stay on SAVE until July 1, 2028; SAVE actually ended by court judgment on March 10, 2026, and borrowers have 90 days from their servicer notice to choose a new plan. (2) The legacy borrower guide said a break in enrollment of up to one academic year was allowed; under ED's definition, any break ends the interim exception, except an approved leave of absence. (3) Some pages described the $65,000 Parent PLUS cap as per parent; it is per dependent student, and the legacy exception follows the student. (4) The Pell Grant calculator and SAI guide used a straight-line estimate that overstated many awards; they now use the actual formula (maximum award minus SAI, with a $740 minimum). (5) The repayment calculator now uses 2026 poverty guidelines, the 6.52% 2026–27 rate, RAP's 30-year forgiveness term, and the $10 minimum payment, and no longer lists SAVE. We're sorry for the errors. If you spot anything that looks wrong, please tell us through the contact page.
Read: The SAVE Plan Has Ended — What to Do Before Your Deadline →New article: Withdrawing or Taking Medical Leave — What Happens to Your Federal Aid
Published a guide to what happens to Pell Grants, Direct Loans, and Parent PLUS loans when a student withdraws, drops below half-time, or takes a leave of absence, including the Return of Title IV Funds calculation and how a withdrawal can end OBBBA legacy loan limits. Prompted by a reader question.
Read: Withdrawing or Taking Medical Leave →Court order expands the professional degree list to 29 programs
After a federal court stayed part of the Department of Education's professional-degree definition on June 24, 2026, FSA published a temporary list of 29 programs that qualify for the higher professional loan limits ($50,000 a year, $200,000 total). The list now includes physician assistant, physical and occupational therapy, audiology, and MSN, DNP, and nurse anesthesia programs. It may change as the litigation continues.
↗ FSA Electronic Announcement — Update to List of Professional Degree Programs Due to Court OrderNew article: OBBBA Is Now in Effect — What Actually Changed on July 1, 2026
Published a full breakdown of the provisions that went live on July 1 — Parent PLUS caps, Grad PLUS elimination for new borrowers, the Repayment Assistance Plan, Workforce Pell, the $257,500 aggregate cap, and the SAI asset exclusions — plus what did NOT change, a per-situation first-month checklist, and how to confirm your legacy borrower status. Article count now 13.
Read: OBBBA Is Now in Effect →Servicers begin sending SAVE-ending notices
Starting July 1, 2026, loan servicers began notifying SAVE borrowers that they must choose a new repayment plan. Each borrower has 90 days from the date of their own notice, and the notice gives the exact deadline. Borrowers who do not choose are placed in the Standard or Tiered Standard plan. (An earlier version of this entry said the last notices went out August 15, 2026; we couldn't confirm that date in a Department of Education source, so it was removed.)
↗ U.S. Department of Education — Next Steps for Borrowers Enrolled in the SAVE PlanPrimary OBBBA provisions take effect
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's main student aid provisions became operative law. Loans disbursed on or after this date are subject to the new borrower rules: Parent PLUS annual and lifetime caps, no Graduate PLUS access, RAP as the sole income-driven repayment option, and the new lifetime aggregate limit. Workforce Pell eligibility for bachelor's degree holders and the family farm / small business SAI asset exclusions also took effect. Legacy borrowers — those with qualifying disbursements before July 1 — retain pre-OBBBA borrowing rules for up to 3 academic years.
↗ NASFAA — One Big Beautiful Bill Act Resource HubSchools can now set lower federal loan limits for specific programs
Dear Colleague Letter GEN-26-02 explains a new OBBBA authority that lets colleges set lower annual Direct Loan limits for particular programs than the federal maximums. If your school uses it, your loan offer could be lower than the federal limit for your program — ask your financial aid office whether any program-level limits apply to you.
↗ FSA Dear Colleague Letter GEN-26-02Policy Updates page launched; ongoing content improvements
Added this /updates page to provide a transparent log of FSA announcements and site content changes. Continued expansion of article cross-links and data tables across all 12 articles. LAST_UPDATED bumped to 2026-05-21 across all JSON-LD schemas.
Data comparison tables added to 6 articles
Structured comparison tables added to rap-vs-legacy-idr-comparison, rap-vs-save-obbba, parent-plus-loan-strategy, graduate-loans-after-obbba, workforce-pell-grant-eligibility, and understanding-your-sai. All table values are computed from K.* policy constants — no hardcoded numbers.
View articles →2 new articles published: OBBBA Timeline and FAFSA 2026–27 Filing Checklist
Published obbba-timeline (~2,000 words) covering the full July 2025–July 2028 OBBBA implementation schedule, and fafsa-2026-filing-checklist (~2,200 words) with a 12-step filing guide, document checklist, and common mistakes section. Article count now 12.
Read: OBBBA Timeline →Source citations hyperlinked; author credentials and schema updated
All 10 article footers updated to include live hyperlinks to official FSA sources. Article bylines now link directly to fsapartners.ed.gov. About page bio rewritten with verified credentials. AUTHOR_SCHEMA in schema.ts updated with jobTitle and description fields for E-E-A-T compliance.
Site launched with 10 articles, calculators, sitemap, and structured data
Initial public launch covering: Parent PLUS loan strategy, RAP vs. legacy IDR comparison, RAP vs. SAVE, Workforce Pell eligibility, legacy borrower status guide, graduate loans after OBBBA, understanding your SAI, FAFSA dependency status, state aid deadlines, and missed FAFSA deadline. Five interactive calculators live. robots.txt, sitemap.xml, and FAQPage JSON-LD configured.
View all articles →Court judgment ends the SAVE repayment plan
A federal court approved the settlement between the Department of Education and the State of Missouri and issued an order preventing the Department from implementing the SAVE plan, ending it for all borrowers. On March 27, the Department announced that servicers would begin notifying SAVE borrowers on July 1, 2026, with 90 days from each notice to choose a new plan.
↗ U.S. Department of Education — Next Steps for Borrowers Enrolled in the SAVE PlanFSA Electronic Announcement: OBBBA FAFSA Processing Updates
Federal Student Aid released guidance on how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act affects FAFSA processing for the 2026–27 award year, including updates to the SAI formula, verification rules, and the 45-day incomplete FAFSA deletion policy.
↗ FSA Electronic Announcement — Mar 9, 2026FSA Dear Colleague Letter: OBBBA provisions effective upon enactment
Federal Student Aid issued a Dear Colleague Letter detailing which OBBBA provisions took effect immediately upon enactment (July 4, 2025) vs. those deferred to July 1, 2026 — including Parent PLUS caps, Graduate PLUS elimination, and the new Repayment Assistance Plan.
↗ FSA Dear Colleague Letter — Jul 18, 2025One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law (P.L. 119-21)
President signed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, into law. The legislation introduced the most significant changes to federal student aid since the Higher Education Act reauthorization — including the Repayment Assistance Plan, Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS loan caps, the Workforce Pell Grant track for bachelor's degree holders, and new legacy borrower protections.
↗ NASFAA — One Big Beautiful Bill Act Resource HubPolicy data last updated: 2026-09-26. Site legislation reference: P.L. 119-21 (H.R. 1), signed July 4, 2025. For the latest FSA guidance visit fsapartners.ed.gov.