USA Funds Update
President Cites USA Funds’ Hurricane-Relief Efforts; Initial Grants Announced
President George W. Bush has recognized USA Funds®’ efforts to assist college students whose education plans have been disrupted by this year’s hurricanes. Read more.
Reminder: USA Funds Fall Financial-Aid Workshops Under Way
USA Funds’ Fall-2005 Financial-Aid Workshop series runs through Nov. 17. Sixty-five workshops at more than 30 locations throughout the United States are scheduled for the fall series. For more information and to register online, visit the USA Funds University online-learning page.
Washington Report
Senate Panel Submits Reconciliation Recommendations, Links Reauthorization
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has approved its recommendations for meeting required spending reductions in federal entitlement programs. The committee proposed that $7 billion in spending reductions in the federal student-loan program be targeted to deficit reduction. Read more.
Tech Talk
Future OpenNet File Management System Enhancements Will Improve Loan Processing
Enhancements to OpenNet File Management System will soon offer schools a means to transmit all online loan transactions to multiple service providers. Learn more.
Mainframe Enhancements Offer More-Informative School and Lender Reports
Changes on the mainframe loan-processing system of USA Funds’ guarantor-servicer affect reports, school-certification requests and CommonLine Response Files. Read more.
Debt-Management Perspectives
Dodge City Community College Credits USA Funds Life Skills With Gains in Attendance, GPAs
A financial-aid adviser at Dodge City Community College credits her school’s use of USA Funds Life Skills® with freshmen for helping to raise attendance rates and grade-point averages this past semester. Read more.
Access to Education
College Board Report: Tuition Increases Slow for Public Universities
In its annual surveys of college costs and financial aid, the College Board reports that tuition increases at public colleges and universities were significantly smaller for the current academic year than for the two previous years, while increases in tuition rates at private four-year colleges and universities were about the same as last year’s. The College Board also reported that the total amount available in student aid rose by nearly $10 billion from the previous year. Learn more.
Operations Bulletin
Institutional-Reporting and Application Deadlines Extended Following Hurricane Rita
The U.S. Department of Education has published a Federal Register notice extending student-aid institutional-reporting and application deadlines for those adversely affected by Hurricane Rita. Visit the USA Funds Hurricane Relief Information page to access information about the Oct. 14, 2005, announcement.