Higher Ed Policy Roundup: Vol. 7 - Issue 36

Late last week, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona expressing concerns over reports of servicing issues related to the resumption of federal student loan payments. Specifically, Rep. Gallego cited reports of inaccurate repayment amounts, incorrect monthly payment information, and borrower files with missing and/or incorrect information. The letter also requested that the Education Department (ED) provide him with the following information:

• The number of borrowers that have been affected by miscalculations;
• The number of applications that have not yet been processed;
• The steps that ED is taking to address miscalculations in the rollout of ED’s SAVE Plan;
• The technological tools that ED is leveraging to address data discrepancies; and
• How ED is partnering with servicers to ensure that they are meeting their obligations to borrowers.

A research brief by the Education Finance Council explores the factors contributing to misunderstandings of the total cost of college, such as diverse outcomes by programs of study and financial aid offer letters.

A report by the Council of Graduate Schools found that, in 2022, graduate enrollment decreased by 4.7 percent despite the increase in graduate applications.

There were no relevant student-aid related bills recently introduced for consideration by the 118th Congress (2023-2024).