Washington Insights & Highlights April 12th

Department of Education Release New Resources on GE and FVT Regulations After Reporting Delay

On Friday, March 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education announced that institutions will have until October 1, 2024, to report the institutional student data required by the Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations. Institutions may begin reporting GE/FVT data through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) starting on July 1, 2024. The Department of Education also released guidance on the implementation of the GE/FVT regulations and the FVT/GE Topics page on the Federal Student Aid’s Knowledge Center. The topics page also includes Frequently Asked Questions on these regulations.

CGS members can learn more about the timeline of implementation and access helpful resources here. The webpage will be updated as more information about the implementation of these regulations becomes available to the public.

Department of Education Announcement on State Licensure Regulation

On October 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education issued final regulations that amends the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 provisions on financial responsibility, administrative capabilities, certification procedures, and ability-to-benefit. These regulations will go into effect on July 1, 2024.

On April 9, the Department issued an announcement on the new Certification Procedures Requirements. The announcement provides clarification on regulations concerning gainful employment programs and the requirements that educational programs must meet for licensure and certification in all states where the institution has enrolled students through distance education and correspondence courses. Since these regulations were finalized, institutions have expressed concerns about the ability to determine the specific requirements for licensure in the states in which they operate. Despite these concerns, the Department believes that the challenges institutions may experience can be sufficiently addressed and resolved. According to the announcement, between July 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025, the Department will exercise discretion before taking enforcement action on the gainful employment and licensure regulations. Also, institutions can raise as a defense to enforcement action that they faced challenges in meeting compliance with these regulations due to reasons that are unique, time-specific, and outside of the control of the institution. The Department will seriously consider these challenges prior to January 1, 2025.

Biden Administration Announces New Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

On April 8, the Biden Administration announced a new set of plans to provide debt relief to student loan borrowers. According to the Department of Education press release, the plan would waive up to $20,000 of accrued and capitalized interest for nearly 25 million borrowers, regardless of their income. Borrowers are eligible for this waiver if their balances have grown due to unpaid interest on their loans after entering repayment. The plan would also waive the remaining student loan debt for undergraduate borrowers that have been repaying their loans for 20 years and graduate borrowers that have been repaying their loans for 25 years.

The Department of Education also announced state-by-state data on the forgiveness in four major programs including the Income-Driven Repayment Plan, SAVE early forgiveness, disability discharge, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PLSF). As of April 11, there has been a total of $62.8 billion forgiven for 876,000 borrowers under the PSLF program.

Changes Coming to NIH Applications and Peer Review

The National Institutes of Health is implementing a series of changes that will impact the preparation and peer review of most grant applications submitted on or after January 25, 2025. These initiatives, each tailored to specific goals, are meant to simplify, clarify, or ensure greater fairness. A comprehensive guide notice has been released to provide an overview of each change. In addition, a video has been developed to provide an overview of the changes, including streamlined review criteria for most research project grants, revisions to the fellowship application and review process, updates to reference letter guidance, revisions to NRSA training grant applications, updated application forms, and common forms for biographical sketch and current and pending support.

NSF Seeks Comments on INTERN Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking written comments on the Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Program from students who participated. Specifically, NSF would like to receive comments from graduate students on their internship experience, internship logistics, post-graduation career plans, and the skills they developed during the internship, in order to assess the program’s effectiveness and ensure it meets its goals of fostering a competitive and diverse STEM workforce. Currently, there are six INTERN funding opportunities for graduate students to obtain direct access to exploring career pathways across various federal agencies and/or government laboratories.

All written comments must be submitted by June 3, 2024. For more information about the request, please refer to the Federal Register Notice.

NSF Requests Recommendations for Membership on Directorate and Office Advisory Committees

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is requesting recommendations for membership on its 14 scientific and technical federal advisory committees. Each NSF Directorate and Office has an external advisory committee that meets biannually to provide advice on program management and current issues. NSF also has committees covering specific topics such as astronomy, environmental research, cyberinfrastructure, and equal opportunities in science and engineering. Committee membership is based on expertise, with consideration given to diversity among institutions, regions, and underrepresented groups.

For more information on the NSF request for recommendation, please refer to the Federal Register Notice.