The U.S. Department of Education has been highly active in recent weeks. Additional steps are being taken on rulemaking to strengthen institutional quality and program integrity to help ensure students are well served by the institutions of higher education they attend and that Federal Student Aid programs work in their best interest. The Department on January 2, 2024 began the new year by releasing six issue papers across a range of categories to further these goals, which will be discussed during the first meeting of the Institutional Quality and Program Integrity Committee, meeting on January 8-11. The issue papers include proposals to ensure that accrediting agencies and state authorizing agencies are appropriately holding institutions accountable for providing high-quality educational opportunities. They also include proposals to create more consumer-friendly policies to ensure students have access to their aid to help cover college costs and receive fair treatment across aid programs.
Topics on the agenda for the first meeting of the Institutional Quality and Program Integrity Committee include:
· Cash Management rules which govern the procedures institutions must follow for issuing and managing Title IV aid.
· Return of Title IV Funds rules which outline the process institutions must conduct when a student ceases attendance during a payment period or period of enrollment.
· Accreditation rules which guide the process the Department uses to recognize accrediting agencies, the independent private non-profit and state entities responsible for overseeing the quality of education provided by institutions and programs.
· State Authorization rules which govern the requirements for an institution to be considered legally authorized by the state in which it operates, a requirement for Title IV eligibility.
· Distance Education rules to enable the Department to obtain better data and compare outcomes for students enrolled online and to better protect students in the event of college closures.
· TRIO rules which govern eligibility of the Federal TRIO programs that would expand participation to more students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The committee will be comprised of non-federal negotiators from 15 constituency groups. A subcommittee focused on TRIO programs will meet on January 12. The Department will obtain views from the non-federal negotiators and also hear from members of the public at the end of each day. The process is designed to continue to refine and develop proposals for consideration. The committee will meet again in February and March, while the subcommittee will meet again in February.
Student Loan Debt Relief
The Biden Administration announced on December 6 the approval of an additional $4.8 billion in student loan debt relief for 80,300 borrowers. These discharges stem from fixes made by the U.S. Department of Education to income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The announcement brings the total approved debt cancellation by the Administration to nearly $132 billion for more than 3.6 million Americans.
Education Grants For Students In Rural Communities
The Administration on December 22 announced $44.5 million in grants to 22 institutions of higher education to improve rates of postsecondary education enrollment, persistence, and completion among students in rural communities. The grant program promotes the development of high-quality career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region.