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Top Five February 2026 Announcements for Higher Education Institutions
Here is a summary of the top five February 2026 U.S. Department of Education (ED) announcements and other resources for higher education institutions:
Upcoming Title IV Requirements
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-11, Upcoming SAIG Outbound TCP Connectivity Change (Updated Feb. 23, 2026) – The office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is updating the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) environment. Users should follow the instructions in this announcement by March 1, 2026, to avoid connectivity issues.
- FSA Electronic Announcement GEN-26-01, 2026–27 Federal Pell Grant Maximum and Minimum Award Amounts – The Federal Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts have been announced for the 2026–27 award year (July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027). The maximum award remains fixed at $7,395, and the minimum award is $740.
- FSA Electronic Announcement CB-26-02, Tentative 2026–27 Funding Levels for the Campus-Based Programs – Tentative funding levels and corresponding worksheets are available for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program for the 2026–27 award year. Campus-Based Program awards for 2026–27 will use the 2024–25 Student Aid Index (SAI) in place of Expected Family Contribution (EFC) data for the first time. FSA noted that the conversion from EFC to SAI data may result in differences in institutions’ needs, as assessed through the fair share funding formula, compared with 2025–26.
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-12, Request for Institutions to Update and Maintain Default Management and Prevention Plans; Publication of Updated Nonpayment Rates by Institution – ED announced the release of updated data on nonpayment rates by institution, showing that over 1,800 institutions have nonpayment rates of 25% or higher. ED warned that institutions could be at risk of losing access to federal student assistance due to potentially high cohort default rates. See this article from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) for further discussion.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Announcements
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-10, Public Comment Period Open for 2027-28 FAFSA® Materials – This announces the comment period for draft versions of the 2027-28 online FAFSA form and summarizes enhancements to the form, including pre-populating students’ data from previous FAFSA forms. Additionally, parents with multiple children applying for federal student aid will be able to reuse their information across all applications instead of entering it for each child. Comments must be submitted on or before April 14, 2026.
Additional Resources
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-26-07, Volume 5 Now Available [2025-26 Federal Student Aid Handbook] –Volume 5: Withdrawals and the Return of Title IV Funds of the 2025–2026 Federal Student Aid Handbook has been published.
- NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Guide (February 2026) – ED announced the availability of the updated NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Guide, which contains detailed instructions.
- Congress Passes Budget Legislation That Funds Student Aid and Blocks Indirect Cost Rate Caps – As this National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) article highlights, Congress has passed legislation funding student aid. The final agreement maintains current funding for FWS, FSEOG, and TRIO programs.
- How the New Single Audit* Threshold May Affect Your Institution’s Audit Timeline – What happens if a higher education institution meets the Single Audit requirement one year, but not the next? Our new article answers this question. It also discusses the related eZ-Audit reporting requirements in both scenarios and how your institution can determine the correct reporting deadline each year.
Please contact us if you have questions or would like to discuss how these announcements apply to your institution.
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