Nonprofit Resources
Top November/December 2025 Announcements for Higher Education Institutions
Here is a summary of the top November and December 2025 announcements and updates for higher education institutions:
2025 Compliance Supplement Now Available – The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the final 2025 OMB Compliance Supplement on November 25, 2025, with no changes from the draft version. Single audit* reports for June 30, 2025, and later year-ends can now be issued. The OMB made no extensions despite the late issuance of the 2025 Supplement, which means the reporting deadline is still the earlier of nine months after the institution’s fiscal year-end or 30 days after the audit report is issued.
Department of Education Moves Several Programs to Other Government Agencies – As this article from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) notes, several postsecondary education grant funds and other programs will now operate under new federal agency partnerships between the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State. ED has not announced plans to move the Office of Federal Student Aid, which includes Title IV aid programs. You can view a full list of the affected programs here.
ED Makes Changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program – This NACUBO article discusses a final regulation published by ED on October 31, 2025, that changes the eligibility requirements for employers participating in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The revised regulation will take effect on July 1, 2026, and disqualify employers found to have a “substantial illegal purpose.”
Upcoming Title IV Requirements
- FSA Electronic Announcement CB-25-16, FISAP Edit Corrections and Federal Perkins Loan Program Cash on Hand Update Due Dec. 15, 2025 – As published in a May 2025 Federal Register notice, any changes, corrections, or edits to the Fiscal Operations Report for 2024–25 and the Application to Participate for 2026–27 (FISAP) must be submitted to ED no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, December 15, 2025. The FSA announcement includes steps to make changes, corrections, or edits to the FISAP.
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-25-46, New Reporting Portal for Reporting of Foreign Gifts and Contracts under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 – Implementation Planned for January 2026 and Reminder of January Reporting Deadline – Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 stipulates that higher education institutions must file a disclosure report with ED whenever the institution is owned or controlled by a foreign source or receives a gift from or enters into a contract with a foreign source, the value of which is $250,000 or more within a calendar year. The new reporting portal for the required Section 117 disclosure reports will be available on January 2, 2026. Current FSA guidance on this topic is available here. See the training webinar on this topic below.
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-25-45, FSA Partner Connect – E-App Enhancements Planned for December 2025 (Updated Dec. 8, 2025) – FSA Partner Connect has implemented the next phase of enhancements to the Application for Approval to Participate in the Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs (E-App). These changes will apply to any E-App submitted on or after December 7, 2025. The enhancements include self-certification to reduce the amount of additional documentation required for Policy & Procedures, Debarment List, Gainful Employment, and the Prison Education Program. Additionally, the E-App will no longer require personal information from all officials at an institution. Instead, only the institution’s president and one additional official will be required to provide personal information. The new features described in this announcement are now available on FSA Partner Connect.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Announcements
- FSA Electronic Announcement GEN-25-10, 2026–2027 Award Year: FAFSA® Information to be Verified and Acceptable Documentation – This Dear Colleague Letter summarizes and explains the changes in the verification process for the 2026–2027 award year. It also provides suggested text institutions can use to fulfill their regulatory verification requirements.
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-25-49, New Lower Earnings Indicator on the FAFSA Form – FSA has released a lower earnings indicator that provides students with additional information about the typical earnings of graduates from the institutions they are considering, along with guidance for accessing and interpreting the data.
Training Webinar
- FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-25-48, Registration for Training Webinar: Using the New Section 117 Reporting Portal – Registration is open for an FSA training webinar, “Using the New Section 117 Reporting Portal,” on December 15, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Please contact us if you have questions or would like to discuss how these announcements apply to your institution.