Webinar: Wednesday, December 10 at 10AM 

In our second webinar, we will look at the 2026-2027 FAFSA data to be verified and documentation requirements for verification. This will include what to do when a contributor has successfully matched their FAFSA and IRS records, and the IRS has populated their ISIR with Federal Tax Information, and what to do when there is no FTI in the contributor’s record. 

We will discuss amended tax returns, identity theft, rollovers, foreign non-filers, and other unusual situations that might come up. Requirements for both 1040 filers, foreign and territory tax return filers, domestic non-filers, and foreign non-filers will be covered.

Webinar: Wednesday, January 21 at 10AM 

As student borrowing patterns continue to evolve, private and alternative loans remain a critical — yet complex — part of institutional aid administration. This session will demystify the private lending process and outline the institutional responsibilities that come with it. Attendees will explore how to balance compliance, transparency, and student advocacy when working with private lenders. Participants will gain clarity on required disclosures, lender list management, and counseling practices that support ethical decision-making and informed borrowing. Whether you’re new to overseeing private loans or looking to refine your current processes, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to confidently manage private lending while keeping students’ best interests at the forefront.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

•     Identify key regulatory and ethical responsibilities related to private and alternative loan processing.

•     Develop strategies to ensure transparency in lender relationships and communication with students.

•     Implement best practices for creating and maintaining institutional lender lists.

•     Counsel students effectively on comparing private loans to federal options

Webinar: Monday, July 28 at 10AM

Join us for a timely and insightful webinar unpacking the key provisions, economic implications, and political dynamics of the 2025 Budget Reconciliation process.

President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on July 4, major changes are on the horizon for student financial aid and higher education funding. 

Webinar: Wednesday, September 17 at 10:00AM

Hit the road to health and wellness with tips and information on employee benefits that can help us thrive in four key areas: medical, physical, emotional, financial, and occupational. Think of it as a routine tune-up that can help us discover ways to boost well-being and steer towards better health and greater happiness! Buckle up and join Cynthia Duncan, CommonHealth Wellness Consultant as we take charge of our health and wellness journeys together! 

Webinar: Tuesday, September 30 at 2:00PM

Our first webinar will cover three very different topics. First, we’ll look at tax and need analysis related changes to the 2026-2027 financial aid cycle and the 2024 tax return. This will include a look at the changes to Pell Grant eligibility and asset reporting enacted in the July 4th Budget Reconciliation Act, and changes to verification.

Next, we will go back to basics and look at each FAFSA question that is derived from the tax return, finding it on the 2024 tax return, and looking at how each tax item impacts a student’s eligibility for Title IV aid.

Finally, we will look ahead to how changes in the 2025 tax code may impact the general aid and Pell Grant eligibility in 2027-2028, but more importantly, we will consider how these changes may impact income adjustment professional judgments in both 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. 

Webinar: Wednesday, October 22 at 10:00AM

In the third and final webinar of the series, we will look at any updates the Department of Education (ED) has provided since the earlier two webinars. 

We will also discuss the two tax concepts that financial aid administrators are required to understand: who is required to file a tax return, and what is the correct filing status for a person.

The content of this final webinar in the series may change if ED makes significant changes to 2026-2027 aid processing that were not covered in the earlier webinars. 

Webinar: Monday, November 17 at 9AM 

Fraud in higher education is evolving—and fast. A growing number of institutions are reporting coordinated attempts to infiltrate admissions and financial aid systems using increasingly sophisticated digital tactics. In a recent SASFAA update, one school identified over 1,700 fraudulent admissions applications paired with nearly 400 valid ISIRs, exposing major vulnerabilities in the current verification process.

In this session, we’ll unpack how fraudsters are exploiting legitimate tools like Parchment, high school transcript exchanges, and the FAFSA system—often by claiming independent status to bypass data requirements. Attendees will gain insight into the technology, patterns, and red flags driving this wave of fraudulent activity, and why institutional adoption of emerging fraud-detection tools remains slow despite rapid advances in the private sector.

We’ll also discuss practical steps campuses can take now to protect their admissions and aid pipelines, from enhanced data matching to interdepartmental collaboration and vendor partnerships.