Best National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Podcasts (2025)

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Continuing Resolution Reopens ED, 60th Anniversary for the HEA, and NegReg Reaches Consensus 39:08

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2h ago39:08

39:08

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen explain how the end of the government shutdown will impact the Department of Education (ED) and outline what comes next in the federal spending process. The team then highlights the Higher Education Act's (HEA) recent 60th anniversary and discusses how Congress can work to reauthorize the law. Hugh joi…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Unpacking Cost of Attendance 34:09

7d ago34:09

34:09

This week on "Off the Cuff," Tim and David do a deep dive into the cost of attendance (COA). David begins the conversation by discussing the purpose of COA, and its different categories. From there, Tim and David discuss multiple aspects of COA, including how institutions build their COA and additional fees – such as health insurance and student lo…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Unpacking the RISE Neg Reg Committee 36:48

14d ago36:48

36:48

This week on "Off The Cuff," Tim and Jill do a deep dive into the Department of Education's (ED) recently held negotiated rulemaking (neg reg) session for the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee. Jill explains the committee's goal to implement multiple provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). From there, the te…

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OTC Inside The Beltway: Updates from the Government Shutdown 19:49

22d ago19:49

19:49

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Nalia provide an update on where things stand with funding for federal student aid programs due to the ongoing government shutdown. Nalia begins by debriefing listeners on what has happened with the government shutdown so far, which began on October 1. Melanie then discusses how the shutdown – now entering i…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Shutdown Interruptions and an Update on FWS Guidance 26:01

1M ago26:01

26:01

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh is joined by David to discuss how the lapse in appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2026 is impacting Department of Education (ED) services and programs. David shares some guidance from the department, which outlined how over 80% of ED and Federal Student Aid (FSA) staff are being furloughed during the shutdown. Hug…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: ED's Proposed Regs for PSLF 15:29

2M ago15:29

15:29

This week on "Off The Cuff" Tim is joined by Jill to dive into the latest developments concerning the Department of Education's (ED) proposed regulations for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. To kick things off, Jill provides a brief recap on the recent negotiated rulemaking (Neg Reg) committee that considered regulations concerni…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: September Deadlines Are Piling Up 23:52

2M ago23:52

23:52

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie, Karen, and Hugh discuss several pertinent September deadlines impacting higher education. First, Hugh catches listeners up on where things stand with the annual appropriations cycle and how Congress is faring with the September 30 funding deadline. Then Karen explains how the upcoming negotiated rulemaking (Neg…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Verification, Countdown to FAFSA Launch, and a NegReg Roadmap 29:18

2M ago29:18

29:18

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Karen to catch listeners up on identity verification news, FAFSA beta updates, and a roadmap to the upcoming Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) sessions. The team kicks things off with a discussion on the Department of Education's (ED) new initiative concerning identity verification, and highlights some…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Catching Up on August's NegReg and Appropriations Headlines 15:41

3M ago15:41

15:41

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh provides a brief catch-up of some summer headlines from Congress and the Department of Education (ED). First, Hugh highlights the latest developments in the annual appropriations process with the Senate releasing its spending plan for ED for fiscal year 2026, which mostly flat-funds programs for the upcoming year, …

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OTC Inside the Beltway: SCOTUS Weighs in on ED's RIF, Reconciliation Becomes Law and PSLF Goes to NegReg 47:33

4M ago47:33

47:33

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh is joined by Karen, Megan and Sarah to catch listeners up on some of the biggest news impacting student financial aid policy. Hugh kicks things off with a quick update on the Department of Education's (ED) reduction in force (RIF) and how a recent order from the U.S. Supreme Court could impact the department's staf…

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OTC Inside The Beltway: Unpacking the Senate's Reconciliation Bill 36:27

5M ago36:27

36:27

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Megan, Sarah, and Nalia to discuss the latest updates around the reconciliation process after the Senate HELP Committee released its own portion of the bill this week that could make significant changes to higher education policy. Nalia begins by explaining how the reconciliation process works and w…

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OTC Inside The Beltway: Reconciliation Hits the Senate, McMahon Visits Congress, and the White House Budget Drops 31:49

5M ago31:49

31:49

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen discuss the latest developments concerning the reconciliation process, which now moves over to the Senate. While the Senate continues to work through the text, Karen provides some background on the chamber's dynamics, and Melanie provides context as to the timeline under which the chamber is operating …

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Summer Aid Processing 26:49

6M ago26:49

26:49

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss summer aid processing, focusing on rules for crossover payment periods and school flexibilities. The conversation specifically walks through the flexibilities offered to schools when assigning a header or a trailer to the award year and provides examples of summer and crossover periods. David then…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Let's Talk About Cohort Default Rates 18:20

6M ago18:20

18:20

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss how the resumption of student loan repayments and the Department of Education's (ED) planned resumption of collections will impact cohort default rates (CDR). Sarah and Jill provide some important background information on CDR and how the payment pause has impacted the accountability metric…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Reconciliation Takes Shape in the House and the White House 'Skinny' Budget 44:46

6M ago44:46

44:46

This week on "Off the Cuff," Melanie is joined by Rachel, Hugh, Sarah, and Nalia to dive into how the congressional budgeting process could impact student financial aid. To kick things off, Melanie and Hugh discuss the latest developments in the reconciliation process, where a House committee recently advanced portions of the package that would mak…

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OTC From the Field: Getting to Know NASFAA's New President and CEO Melanie Storey 53:37

7M ago53:37

53:37

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Beth is joined by NASFAA's new president and CEO Melanie Storey to answer questions submitted from NASFAA members. Melanie answers several questions, ranging from challenges with FAFSA simplification, the state of federal student aid, the current political climate, the future of the financial aid pr…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Collections Set to Resume on Defaulted Federal Student Loans, A New NegReg, Lawsuits and More 21:45

7M ago21:45

21:45

This week on "Off The Cuff," Maria is joined by Jill, Megan, and Nalia to discuss several issues impacting the world of higher education. First, Megan debriefs listeners on this week's news that the Department of Education (ED) will resume the collections process for defaulted federal student loans. Then, Jill discusses the upcoming negotiated rule…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Unpacking Late Disbursements and Unofficial Withdrawals 19:46

7M ago19:46

19:46

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Maria discuss two topics associated with end-of-year issues, late disbursements and unofficial withdrawals. David kicks off the discussion on late disbursements by first going through some basic rules and then discussing different scenarios institutions may experience. From there, David and Maria discuss unoff…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: NASFAA's 2026-27 FAFSA Comments and Updated R2T4 Decision Trees 19:24

7M ago19:24

19:24

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah discuss NASFAA's submitted comments on the upcoming 2026-27 FAFSA and an updated resource, NASFAA's R2T4 decision trees. Jill highlights several key points NASFAA made in its submitted comments on the 2026–27 FAFSA, including the importance of the intended use of FAFSA data, FA-DDX working for contributor…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: All Things New - Executive Orders, Melanie Storey, PSLF and IDR Updates 22:10

8M ago22:10

22:10

This week on "Off the Cuff," Beth is joined by Jill and Hugh to discuss some of the latest headlines impacting student financial aid. Kicking things off on an exciting note, Beth provides some background on NASFAA's new President & CEO, Melanie Storey, who will be joining the team on May 1. Jill then shares some breaking news concerning ED's planne…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Diving Into Consumer Information 22:58

8M ago22:58

22:58

This week on "Off The Cuff," David and Hugh are joined by Tonya to discuss consumer information. The team works through a number of checklists that institutions should be aware of and dives into some potential blind spots or commonly misunderstood compliance requirements. David and Tonya then walk listeners through administrative capability require…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Mass Layoffs at ED, Chances of a Shutdown, and the PSLF Executive Order 43:27

8M ago43:27

43:27

This week on "Off the Cuff," Beth is joined by Karen, Allie, and Hugh to dig into the Department of Education's (ED) plan to lay off nearly 50% of its workforce and the potential impacts on student financial aid programs. The team discusses many questions raised by the action and what we've learned since Tuesday's announcement. Karen and Hugh then …

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Federal Tax Information and More FAFSA Guidance 20:31

8M ago20:31

20:31

This week on "Off The Cuff," Jill and Sarah discuss FAFSA updates concerning a new definition for Federal Tax Information (FTI) and 2026-27 guidance. Jill kicks things off by detailing the new FTI definition and its implications for data sharing policies. Sarah then walks through last week's electronic announcement from the department outlining the…

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OTC Inside The Beltway: Unpacking ED's DEI Dear Colleague Letter, SAVE Plan Updates, and Batch Corrections Functionality 43:15

9M ago43:15

43:15

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Megan and Jill to discuss multiple updates from the Department of Education (ED). Karen kicks off the episode by debriefing listeners on ED's Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that directed institutions to cease using race preferences as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and…

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OTC Inside The Beltway: Working Through the Trump Administration's Latest Effort to Dismantle Education Department 26:31

9M ago26:31

26:31

This week on "Off The Cuff," Allie and Karen are joined by Megan and Nalia to discuss the latest news reports that President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would seek to dismantle the Department of Education. Karen and Megan debrief listeners on what NASFAA knows so far and walk through the complex roadmap that would be r…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Working Through SAP Blind Spots 26:04

10M ago26:04

26:04

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh work through some possible blindspots for standards for academic progress (SAP) and discuss how institutions can review their policies and procedures to ensure they are up to date with the latest regulatory requirements. David kicks things off with a walkthrough of qualitative and quantitative components …

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Updated Timelines for NSLDS, Batch Corrections, GE & FVT 18:06

10M ago18:06

18:06

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah discuss some last-minute actions from the Biden administration impacting NSLDS Postscreening Results and the upcoming gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) reporting process. Jill kicks things off with a recap of the NSLDS postscreening functionality along with a new report that i…

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OTC From the Field: Under Secretary James Kvaal Discusses ED's Priorities During the Biden-Era 41:36

10M ago41:36

41:36

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal. With just a little under a week until a new administration takes over, James discusses ED's priorities over the past four years, including FAFSA simplification and student loan debt relief. The group also digs into the upcoming gainfu…

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OTC From the Field: A Conversation with ED's 2025-26 FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer 49:55

11M ago49:55

49:55

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Jeremy Singer, the president of College Board, who earlier this year was hired by the Department of Education (ED) to serve as FAFSA executive advisor for the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA. During the episode, Jeremy reflects on his tenure at ED, which ended earlier this month, and answers que…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Recapping the FSA Virtual Training Conference and Potential Paths of Biden-Era Regulations Under a Trump Administration 24:32

11M ago24:32

24:32

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah recap last week's Federal Student Aid (FSA) Virtual Training Conference and detail what could happen with Biden administration regulations under the incoming Trump administration. Sarah kicks off the conversation by highlighting important information folks may have missed at the FSA conference, including …

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Diving into Common Questions Found on NASFAA U 21:29

1y ago21:29

21:29

This week on "Off The Cuff," Hugh and David are joined by Tonya Hsiung, NASFAA U Program Manager, to discuss and answer some common questions, misconceptions and topics that catch some members by surprise in various NASFAA U courses. Topics discussed include loan fees, cost of attendance (COA), professional judgement (PJ), the Pell Grant recalculat…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Updates on GE & FVT Reporting 21:09

1y ago21:09

21:09

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss the latest news on Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT). Sarah kicks things off with a recap of recent updates to the reporting requirements and new announcements concerning draft completers lists and NSLDS reports. Sarah and Jill then walk through some common ques…

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OTC Inside The Beltway: 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA Updates and the 2024 Election 39:21

1y ago39:21

39:21

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth, Jill, Rachel, and Nalia discuss FAFSA updates and how the 2024 election may shape financial aid policy for the next administration. Jill kicks things off by debriefing listeners on several fixes the Department of Education (ED) has made to issues in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA cycles. Then, Nalia and Rachel lead…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Updates on 2024-25 Paper FAFSA Processing, Conflicting Information, and Known Issues 24:31

1y ago24:31

24:31

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss multiple updates with the 2024-25 FAFSA, starting off with the latest processing timelines for the 2024-25 paper FAFSA. David then debriefs listeners on how to handle conflicting information related to Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). The team also talks about resources from the …

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Jay Treaty Updates and Resources for Institutions Impacted by Natural Disasters 21:47

1y ago21:47

21:47

This week on "Off the Cuff," Sarah and Hugh discuss 2024-25 changes in documentation requirements related to Jay Treaty students and dig into the background of this guidance within the FSA Handbook. From there, Sarah debriefs listeners on several resources both NASFAA and the Department of Education (ED) have for institutions that were impacted by …

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OTC Inside The Beltway: Beta Testing Begins for the 2025-26 FAFSA 30:41

1y ago30:41

30:41

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss new updates with the FAFSA and the appropriations process. Karen begins by debriefing listeners on the latest news surrounding the 2025-26 FAFSA, which began it…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: What Makes Professional Judgement So Special? 34:26

1y ago34:26

34:26

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, David, and Sarah discuss all things concerning professional judgment (PJ). David provides some key background information on PJ, including details on terminology and policy considerations for institutions. Sarah then catches listeners up on what is new for PJ in 2024-25, along with updates made due to FAFSA change…

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OTC AskRegs Experts: Where Things Stand with SAVE and IDR 21:16

1y ago21:16

21:16

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh and Jill discuss the latest news surrounding the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, and income-driven repayment (IDR) plans in general. Jill kicks things off with a background discussion on how the SAVE plan came to be through the negotiated rulemaking process and then catches listeners up on the…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: A FAFSA Roadmap and Reporting Deadlines 37:04

1y ago37:04

37:04

This week on "Off the Cuff," Beth, Karen, Jill, and Hugh are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss the latest news surrounding the 2025-26 FAFSA and the department's planned "beta" period for the form. The team then discusses the department's upc…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: Debriefing on Batch Corrections 45:08

1+ y ago45:08

45:08

This week on a special edition of "Off the Cuff," Allie, Beth, and Karen, are joined by 2024-25 NASFAA National Chair Kristi Jovell of Middlebury College and National Chair-Elect Heidi Carl of Purdue University to break down the latest development from the Department of Education (ED) concerning batch corrections and the 2024-25 FAFSA. The team div…

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OTC Inside the Beltway: The Latest on GE & FVT Regulations, SCOTUS' Regulatory Shakeup, and FAFSA Timelines 47:24

1+ y ago47:24

47:24

This week on "Off the Cuff," Karen, Jill, and Hugh discuss the latest news surrounding Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations, as well as NASFAA's advocacy campaign to request that Congress take action to require the Department of Education (ED) to delay upcoming institutional reporting requirements. The team the…

National Association Of Student Financial Aid Administrators Podcasts