We will kick off the Workshop with a fun activity to get the day started.

Join Shauna Crosscup as she explores the often-overlooked challenges that Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) poses to college students. Drawing on her 17 years of experience in financial aid and her ongoing doctoral research focused on enhancing financial literacy, she will discuss how SAP can become a hidden villain, impeding students' educational journeys. This session will provide insights into the intricacies of SAP, its impact on student success, and strategies to help students navigate these challenges effectively. Don't miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of SAP and how to support your students in overcoming its obstacles.

In this world of computers and automation, many financial aid officers have lost track of the underlying principles of need analysis. Do you know why the formula does not penalize people who save for college (in the parent’s accounts)? Can you estimate how large a change to the Student Aid Index may be after a change in family income? You can learn these answers, and more, by working though the Student Aid Index step-by-step. We’ll do a hand calculation using the 2024-2025 SAI formula, led by Robert Weinerman with all his color commentary and observations.

The basic financial aid application and use of a base year income work for many students. And professional judgment is the tool financial aid administrators (FAAs) use when special circumstances facing a student or their family impact their financial profile as depicted in the FAFSA. But the PJ landscape has changed recently, both because of the FAFSA Simplification Act and the Inspector General’s report on the use of Professional Judgment by the University of Southern California. In this webinar, we will look at how PJ has changed and what institutions should be doing to comply with the new expectations for documentation of PJs and making sure PJ are done on a case-by-case, and not aggregate, basis.

Don't miss the opportunity that net price calculators provide to help your students understand the aid process, build trust among students, families, and peers, and contribute to enrollment management. In this session we will explore the benefits of private net price calculator providers and their contribution to cost transparency. We will discuss why cost transparency is so important in today's climate and best practices for the deployment of effective calculators. Enrollment management professionals continue to face headwinds and financial aid administrators find themselves uniquely positioned to provide solutions for these challenges that can contribute to positive outcomes for their institutions. This session is designed to be interactive, so come with your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions so we all can learn from each other.

Join us for an engaging and hands-on session designed specifically for college financial aid office staff. In this workshop, you'll discover how to leverage Canva, a powerful but user-friendly graphic design tool, to enhance your office's communications and outreach efforts.

This presentation, Bridging the Gap: Managing VA Educational Benefits and Financial Aid for Student Success, provides an in-depth exploration of effective strategies for supporting military-affiliated students in navigating financial aid and veteran benefits. The session will highlight key policies, compliance awareness, and innovative approaches to streamlining services for veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.

Key topics covered will include:

• Understanding VA Educational Benefits – A breakdown of the GI Bill®, and other military-affiliated educational benefits.

• Understanding Financial Aid and VA Benefits – Best practices for understanding federal student aid with VA educational benefits to maximize financial resources for students.

• Compliance and Regulatory Updates – A review of current VA and Department of Education policies to ensure institutional compliance and efficiency.

• Streamlining Administrative Processes – Strategies for improving certification procedures, reducing processing times, and enhancing communication between VA offices and financial aid departments.

• Student Support and Retention Initiatives – Holistic approaches to academic advising, career counseling, and mental health resources tailored for veteran students.

By implementing these best practices, institutions can enhance their support systems, improve student outcomes, and ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. This session will provide actionable insights for financial aid officers, school certifying officials, and higher education administrators dedicated to serving military-connected students effectively.

One of the most cumbersome tasks a financial aid administrator must undertake is figuring out the correct FAFSA tax information when you only need information from an individual contributor who filed a joint tax return with a non-contributor. In this session, we will review all the steps necessary to split an individual’s income and taxes out of a joint tax return. It’s not just AGI and Income Tax Paid that matter – each FAFSA data element must be considered, the asset exemption option can be reviewed, and conflicting information related to the parent who provided the most support can be found.

The college journey isn’t a race, it’s a marathon. From the search for the right schools, the stress of applications, the emotions of acceptance, the discovery of future careers, and the challenge of figuring out how to pay – just to get to the start. Navigating the path to graduation is equally, if not more, important. With 62% of undergraduate students walking the stage at a commencement ceremony, it’s clear that there are many challenges on the road to college completion. Join us as we discuss our latest study - Sallie Mae’s How America Completes College 2024 - and examine the college experience through the lens of completion to uncover what separates students who are on track from those who are at-risk and discuss what opportunities exist to help more students complete their programs.

• Explore how financial insecurity impacts student mental health and retention

• Share strategies financial aid offices and partners like Inceptia can use to support students holistically

• Highlight counseling tools, campus collaborations, and empathetic communication tips

Financial literacy is serious business—but that doesn’t mean teaching it can’t come with a few laughs (and lessons). In this session, we’ll share the unexpected, hilarious, and enlightening moments we've encountered while presenting financial education to college students. You’ll hear real stories highlighting the challenges and surprising insights of reaching students where they are. We'll explore what worked, what flopped, and how these moments helped shape more effective, relatable financial literacy programming. Whether you think you've heard it before or love an amusing anecdote, come ready to laugh, learn, and leave with practical tips for your own presentations.

Private Loans have grown in competitiveness and may offer savings and better features than PLUS and Grad PLUS loans. This session will offer a primer on comparing Private Loan solutions for your borrowers who seek unique features and cost savings over Federal loans.  

Coming soon!

With the return to repayment that started in October 2023, over 30 million Americans have been impacted in a variety of ways as they find their loans are no longer in the COVID-Forbearance status and most borrowers were not engaged for the past 42 months. Add to this the extension of IDR income certifications and impact of legal actions that have suspended certain repayment plans where millions of borrowers have yet to make payments.

Borrowers reentering repayment again or those who recently graduated and are entering repayment for the first time, find themselves surrounded with new terms and conditions, confusing processes, constantly changing rules and difficulty in accessing support services. In addition to the current direct loan program, many borrowers are still paying on the older Federal Family Education Loan Program loans and Private loans.

This session will give participants the opportunity to hear how things are progressing and to share with each other ideas and best practices that will help us all in moving forward in this new post-pandemic era. We will also learn why schools need to start now to talk more about loans with students and borrowers and other offices on campus. 

FAFSA Simplification made it simple to know which income items are reportable on the FAFSA and which are not. But exactly which assets must be reported is more complicated than ever. Let’s look at the asset questions on the FAFSA and related instructions and guidance to help us understand what should, and shouldn’t be reported there. We will discuss, among other things, 529 Savings and Prepaid Tuition Plans, rented property attached to the family home or rented to family members, business valuations, and farm valuations, including the guidance related to separating out of the reported farm value those parts of the residential farm that are attributable to the family home.

Get ready to dive into the latest in federal regulations with a session that’s equal parts informative and entertaining. We’ll unravel the complexities of Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency, breaking down what you need to know to keep your programs on the straight and narrow. With a dash of humor and a sprinkle of practical tips, this session will equip you to tackle the new requirements head on—because who said compliance couldn’t be fun? Whether you’re feeling gainfully employed or just gainfully annoyed, we’ve got you covered!

Given the well-documented staffing challenges in student financial aid, the need for effective and efficient succession planning has never been more critical. Prudent use of innovation through AI can help ensure organizational stability and continuity by identifying, developing, and preparing employees to fill essential leadership and other crucial staff roles.

This session will cover how AI can significantly improve succession planning by offering data-driven insights, streamlining processes, and enhancing decision-making to ensure the right people are prepared for key roles. Our panel will compare and contrast the traditional framework of staff management to available AI tools that have the potential to make success planning more proactive, data-driven, and equitable. 

Despite changes from the FAFSA Simplification Act, unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) still face many challenges completing the FAFSA. This presentation will define who is considered an UHY on the FAFSA, key policies from FAFSA Simplification, including determination processes, and best practices for helping UHY complete the FAFSA. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and learn from other attendees.  

In this interactive session, Caleb McKay from SchoolHouse Connection will take a deeper dive on key policies relating to unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) on the FAFSA. Attendees will have the opportunity to work through examples and case studies in real time with fellow colleagues, examine their own UHY institutional policies, and learn strategies to build cross-partner collaborations to better help UHY complete the FAFSA. 

Discover how artificial intelligence can revolutionize the way financial aid offices operate. This interactive session will demonstrate practical AI tools and techniques that can streamline processes, enhance decision-making, and improving overall efficiency. Perfect for professionals looking to leverage technology for better outcomes. 

Looking to boost turnout and impact with your financial aid events? Whether you're planning FAFSA nights, scholarship sessions, or creative outreach campaigns, this session will help you go beyond the basics. Learn how to create events that not only attract students and families—but also leave them informed, empowered, and excited about their next steps. We'll cover strategies for planning, marketing, partnerships, and follow-up, with real examples of what works (and what doesn’t). Bring your questions, be ready to share your experiences, and leave with fresh ideas to take your events to the next level!

This workshop will explore how financial aid administrators can identify, mentor, and empower future leaders to take up the mantle to ensure when you pass the torch your office will continue to thrive.   In the ever-evolving world of financial aid, ensuring a smooth leadership transition is crucial for maintaining compliance, efficiency, and student support.    “True Superheroes don’t just save the day-they build a lasting legacy.”

As a member of VASFAA, you have access through email to Robert Weinerman’s “email helpdesk”. Robert received dozens of questions a month and tried to answer all of them. So he knows those tax, professional judgment, and need analysis issues that financial aid administrators are most confused by. 

Robert will share some of his most frequently asked questions, and invite the participants to attempt to come to a consensus around what the correct answer would be. This session will be interactive! Please come ready to jump in with your thoughts and contribute to the consensus. Remember, Robert has been asked these questions a lot, so you are not the only one who may be uncertain about the answer!

Join us for an informative session on the Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) Application, which is the alternative application available to students, including undocumented and DACA recipients, who are ineligible to file a FAFSA. This session will cover what the VASA application is, who can benefit from it, and how to file it as well as provide a walkthrough of the application.

For most schools, the pandemic magnified an already existing struggle to spend FWS allocations each year.  Exemptions and waivers provided relief, but those have all since expired.  Once again, schools are scrambling to meet the spending requirements during a time when the future of FWS funding seems uncertain.  Join in for a discussion about FWS best practices to keep students and the campus community engaged and aware of these important regulatory requirements.

Any length of time in this field, and you already know that as Financial Aid Professionals we are tasked with having to deliver news that isn't always the most palatable.  Whether it's delivering the SAP decision that says "DENIED" versus "APPROVED", or whether it's telling a student that they DON'T actually qualify for the amount that they had hoped to - we want to aid you in delivering bad news in a way that still ensures you'll get a good review.  

A fun interactive way to test your financial aid knowledge and learn something new!  Great refresher questions for long timers and great training for newbies! Categories include: FAFSA, Potpourri, Verification, Student Loans, and more.  Join us in a game of Financial Aid Jeopardy where you will be split up in teams to see who takes home the win.

This presentation will describe a new and innovative approach to increasing Pell-eligible student enrollment and attainment in Virginia’s public colleges. Named the Pell Initiative for Virginia (PIV), this program is authorized and funded by the Virginia Legislature to “…enhance efforts to recruit and retain students eligible for Pell grant assistance at public institutions.”

As of April 15,2025, SCHEV has awarded approximately $75 million (soon to be $112 million) to institutions through a competitive proposal process. While the program is only in its third year, a number of participating institutions are realizing positive change in enrollment and retention of Pell-eligible students. Individual PIV grants to institutions range from approximately $163,000 to $6.9 million to 17 institutions spanning one to four years.

Session Goals and Learning Objectives

Participants will be exposed to information assisting the understanding of

• The PIV, its scope and legislative history

• The student life cycle in higher education

• The features of an Institution-wide Barrier Review

• Actual PIV activities and “Lessons Learned”

• First year program statistics

• The future of PIV

Mr. Andes will provide a state update on higher education with a particular focus on student financial assistance programs.