Cases & Developments

Comments from the American Council on Education (ACE) and five other higher education associations to the U.S. Department of Education on proposed changes to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The letter expresses concern “regarding the proposal to expand the collection of data on ‘applicants, admits, and enrolled counts’ of students at non-open admissions institutions and require these data be disaggregated by race/ethnicity,” particularly in light of changes in the admissions landscape after SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC. The letter encourages the Department to retain the Academic Libraries survey in the IPEDS framework, and to minimize the reporting burden on institutions in light of the large number of new regulations institutions will now need to implement.  

Summary from the National Association of College & University Business Officers on legislative and regulatory actions that occurred from April 16-22, 2024. This summary highlights the U.S. Department of Education’s NPRM on student loan forgiveness for targeted groups of borrowers; the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) expected vote to restore net neutrality rules; an updated report from the Knight Foundation on the diversity of managers at the public and private universities with the largest endowments that did not reach any conclusions due to low response rates to the Foundation’s surveys; and the Charitable Giving Coalition’s new one-pager in support of the Charitable Act.  

Summary from the National Association of College & University Business Officers on legislative and regulatory actions that occurred from April 9-15, 2024. This summary highlights the Biden Administration’s recently announced plans to provide financial relief to student loan borrowers by eliminating accrued interest, cancelling student debt for some borrowers, and providing at least $5,000 in debt relief to others; the U.S. Department of Education’s recently released data showing that, as of March 29, FAFSA completions among high school seniors were down 40% and that only 27% of the class of 2024 has completed a FAFSA; the finalization of Uniform Grants Guidance by the Office of Management and Budget; the nationwide injunction recently issued by the Fifth Circuit against the Biden Administration’s 2022 borrower defense rule; the elimination by the Financial Accounting Standards Board of reference to Concept Statements in its Accounting Standards Codification; and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently issued policy permitting only athletes whose “biological sex is female” and who have not “begun masculinizing hormone therapy” to participate fully in NAIA-sponsored female sports.  

Summary from the National Association of College & University Business Officers on legislative and regulatory actions that occurred from March 26-April 8, 2024. This summary highlights the completion of the FY 24 appropriations process for the federal government, including funding for the U.S. Department of Education; ED’s announcement of additional issues with the FAFSA implementation process; ED’s postponement from July 31 to October 1 of the reporting deadline under the new Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment regulations; ED’s reporting on how the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds supported student retention during the COVID-19 pandemic; NACUBO’s feedback to ED with 15 other higher education associations regarding processing of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and updates to the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) mailboxes with the new FAFSA implementation process; NACUBO’s letter to ED seeking clarification on new Financial Responsibility Regulations, including new disclosure requirements for related party transactions; and NACUBO’s discussions of federal affairs and their recent advocacy.