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<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">Good afternoon, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Below please find a message regarding FAFSA ISIRs that was sent to us from Senator Lankford’s office for dissemination to our institutions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CB<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">Dr. Colbi Beam<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">Associate Vice Chancellor for State Grants and Scholarships<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif">Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">655 Research Parkway, Suite 200<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif">Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif"><a href="mailto:cbeam@osrhe.edu"><span style="color:#0563C1">cbeam@osrhe.edu</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">
<hr size="2" width="98%" align="center">
</div>
<div id="divRplyFwdMsg">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">From:</span></b><span style="color:black"> Penner, Matthew (Lankford) <<a href="mailto:Matthew_Penner@lankford.senate.gov">Matthew_Penner@lankford.senate.gov</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 8, 2024 4:24:26 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Jobe, Jarrett <<a href="mailto:jjobe@osrhe.edu">jjobe@osrhe.edu</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> <<EXTERNAL E-MAIL>> FW: New Update on FAFSA files going to schools</span>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">-- THIS E-MAIL WAS RECEIVED FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE-- <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="xmsonormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="xmsonormal"><b>From:</b> Fox, Patrick (HELP Committee) <<a href="mailto:Patrick_Fox@help.senate.gov">Patrick_Fox@help.senate.gov</a>>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 7, 2024 12:57 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Fox, Patrick (HELP Committee) <<a href="mailto:Patrick_Fox@help.senate.gov">Patrick_Fox@help.senate.gov</a>><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Sweeney, Ryan (HELP Committee) <<a href="mailto:Ryan_Sweeney@help.senate.gov">Ryan_Sweeney@help.senate.gov</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> New Update on FAFSA files going to schools<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="xmsonormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Hi All,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">You might have seen that the Department of Education (Department) will be
<a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2024-03-06/outage-alert-studentaidgov-maintenance-march-8-2024">
conducting FAFSA site maintenance</a> on Friday, March 8, 2024, from approximately 3 a.m. until noon Eastern time. This means that during this time students will not be able to log-in to their studentaid.gov account to file their FAFSA applications; they can
still use the website for general information. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:yellow">The good news is the site maintenance is due to the Department preparing student account information to send FAFSA files to schools.
<b>YAY!</b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Earlier this week, the Department
<a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2024-03-04/details-2024-25-fafsa-initial-institutional-student-information-records-isir-delivery-and-update-support-institutions-and-vendors">
laid out the next steps</a>, including the order of operation to send student data to schools, known as ISIRs. The plan is to process a relatively small number of FAFSAs at first and gradually increase volume over time as they sort out additional processing
bugs. Once the Department has finally “ramped up” FAFSA processing, they expect to be able to make it through the huge backlog of applications in “about two additional weeks” so closer to early April. New applications filed after processing begins will be
added to the back of the queue. Once the queue is cleared, the Department said its goal is to return to more normal FAFSA turnaround times of three to five days from FAFSA application completion on the website to delivery at the schools requested by the student.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">The full description of next steps is pasted below and please feel free to share with interested stakeholders including colleges and universities, high schools,
and student and parent groups. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Please let me know if there are any questions.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Best,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Patrick </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">In the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2024-01-30/2024-25-fafsa-student-aid-index-update-and-timeline-updated-feb-15-2024"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">Jan.
30, 2024 Electronic Announcement</span></a> (EA ID: GENERAL-24-06) the Department announced updates to the timeline for processing of 2024-25 FAFSA forms. The Department remains committed to the timelines and details noted in that announcement, including:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Department will begin transmitting batches of FAFSA information (ISIRs) starting in the first half of March;</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We anticipate catching up with the majority of ISIR transmissions to schools in the weeks following the beginning of ISIR delivery;</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation for student aid will reflect the updated SAI tables and the language in the <i>Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act</i>, <i>2024</i> to
reset the -$1,500 minimum threshold on the allowance for negative income earned by dependent students;</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">ISIRs will be sent to the schools and the state of residence that the applicant provided on the FAFSA form; and</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l5 level1 lfo1;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Online forms will be prioritized for processing first, followed by paper forms.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Preparing to Receive 2024-25 ISIR Files</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">If your organization has not yet completed the steps described in the Electronic Announcement <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2023-09-22/updated-saig-enrollment-agreement-available-oct-23-2023-required-steps-receive-2024-25-isirs-updated-feb-9-2024"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">Updated
SAIG Enrollment Agreement Available Oct. 23, 2023 – Required Steps to Receive 2024–25 ISIRs</span></a>, please act immediately to ensure your new FTI-SAIG mailbox is ready. In addition, updated Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) software must be installed
for your organization to access 2024–25 ISIRs. As explained in the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2024-02-27/additional-2024-25-fafsa-partner-preparation-support"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">Feb.
27 Electronic Announcement</span></a>, FSA transmitted a test file to all active FTI-SAIG mailboxes on Feb. 28, 2024. Active FTI-SAIG mailboxes have been assigned to partners who have signed and submitted the updated SAIG enrollment agreement. In addition,
the partner must have installed updated SAIG software to participate in the test.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">The purpose of the test is limited to assuring that a test file can be received in the active FTI-SAIG mailbox and retrieved by the associated
partner. The test file was sent in the SAIG message class ISRF25OP and its content included the date sent and a message noting that it is a test file. The test file does not mimic an ISIR file and should not be downloaded into the partner’s system.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Last week, the Department released a test data file of system-generated test ISIRs. These system-generated test ISIR data cover different
student scenarios. These records also provide examples of federal tax information (FTI) retrieved from the IRS, showing if the IRS FTI can be used, and when to use self-reported FTI. There will be examples of all three formulas (A, B, and C) used to calculate
the new SAI along with the intermediate values, Max Pell Indicator, and Min Pell Indicator. We will continue to update additional test ISIRs and open-source tools stored in a public U.S. Department of Education GitHub <a href="https://github.com/usedgov/fafsa-test-isirs-2024-25" target="_blank"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">repository</span></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Transmission of 2024-25 ISIR Files</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">As previously announced, the Department will begin transmitting batches of FAFSA information (ISIRs) to states and institutions in the
first half of March. We are providing additional information on what stakeholders and institutions can expect as we start transmitting small batches of completed applications to schools and ramp up to processing larger batches in the days and weeks following.
We anticipate:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">ISIRs will be generated by student with the student’s information sent to each of the schools and state listed on the application.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">As we are preparing the system, the Department will initiate a planned pause to StudentAid.gov for a number of hours to prepare our systems.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Once the Department reopens the site, additional work will be required to test our systems prior to ISIR delivery.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">In the days following, the Department will start transmitting very small batches of ISIRs (1-2) to a few dozen schools identified on the first submitted applications as part of the process to test
ISIR delivery.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">During this testing phase, the Department will get feedback from that small subset of schools to identify any technical issues or changes that need to be made before starting to ramp up ISIR delivery
to a broader set of institutions.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Once the testing phase concludes, the Department will gradually ramp up delivery. During this period, some institutions may receive no ISIRs or as little as one ISIR each day depending on the schools
identified by the applicant. Some institutions may receive multiple batches of ISIRs per day.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The volume of ISIRs institutions and states receive per day will vary and will grow larger as we scale during the ramp-up period.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">At peak, we expect that the majority of institutions will receive no more than 1,500 ISIRs per day. The top 5% of institutions by volume may receive up to 25,000 ISIRs per day. We will continue to
work with our institutional, vendor, and third-party servicer partners to monitor and manage any volume concerns.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Once we have ramped up delivery, we anticipate it will take about two additional weeks to process all applications that have already been submitted. This is consistent with the timeline we announced
on January 30.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Department will provide regular updates on our progress towards completing processing of submitted FAFSA applications on the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/fafsa-simplification-information/2024-25-fafsa-updates"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">Knowledge
Center</span></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Once processing has begun, new applications submitted while we are processing completed applications will be added to the end of the queue.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">When the Congressional appropriations process has completed and determined the 2024-25 Maximum Federal Pell Grant award amount, ISIRs will be reprocessed to reflect any update.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Once we’ve completed our ramp-up and processed all FAFSA forms that were submitted, we anticipate that the turnaround time from application
to processing will return to normal ranges. Typically, this is three to five days for an online form. Once processing begins, we will post updates on our progress to the Knowledge Center on the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/fafsa-simplification-information/2024-25-fafsa-updates"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">2024-25
FAFSA Updates</span></a> page.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Support for Institutions, Software Vendors, and Third-Party Servicers As They Prepare to Receive ISIRs</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Department is continuing to provide support to schools and vendors as they prepare to receive submitted applications. Schools interested in receiving support can request it via the mailbox <a href="mailto:CollegeSupportStrategy-FAFSA@ed.gov"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">CollegeSupportStrategy-FAFSA@ed.gov</span></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We have proactively reached out to nearly 450 schools offering support to help them prepare to package aid offers. Roughly 150 schools have requested technical assistance.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We have matched nearly all schools requesting technical assistance as they prepare to process applications with a federal liaison or a nonprofit partner. All schools requesting technical assistance
will be matched with a nonprofit partner by end of next week.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We are also deploying personnel to campuses to conduct deeper needs assessments, and our nonprofit partners are coordinating with schools they’ve been matched with to provide support virtually or
onsite where needed.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Department has been regularly meeting with vendors and third-party servicers to share updates and make sure they are prepared to start receiving completed aid applications.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">As we enter into the final testing phases before we begin processing applications, we will continue to be in close touch with vendors to receive feedback before and during our ramp-up period.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Impacts to Students and Families</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">The Department has been working to provide timely updates to students and families regarding the changes to 2024-25 FAFSA processing timeline
via the <a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support" target="_blank"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">FAFSA Support page</span></a>, email campaigns, Federal Student Aid’s social media channels, and other deliverables.
Key messaging includes:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">FAFSA eligibility information will be sent to schools and states in the first half of March.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Until schools and states receive the FAFSA information, they won’t be able to answer questions about aid eligibility or status.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Once schools receive students’ FAFSA information, they will need additional time to provide personal financial aid award information.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Students can review their application status on StudentAid.gov.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Students will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary after their form has been processed. Students may immediately use the Submission Summary to review their form answers and understand any actions needed
to complete their form.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The Department will follow-up in the coming weeks with an email notifying students that their form has been processed and their information has been sent to their schools and state.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Students with contributors without a Social Security Number will be able to submit their FAFSA application the first half of March.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo4;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Students who need to make corrections to their form will be able to do so later in March.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Stay Informed</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">As we begin our implementation of 2024-25 FAFSA processing, you may experience intermittent system outages. We will provide information
on planned outages as it is available.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">We will continue to update the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/fafsa-simplification-information/2024-25-fafsa-updates"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">2024-25
FAFSA Updates</span></a> page and provide processing updates noted in this announcement. We encourage our partners to sign up for <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/subscriptions"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">Knowledge Center Subscription</span></a> emails
to receive the latest news on a daily or weekly basis.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">Get Help</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">For technical issues related to ISIR processing:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For support with your SAIG agreement and mailbox, or for help with technical issues related to ISIR processing</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">, the FAFSA
Partner Portal (FPP), or EDExpress, please contact the FPS Help Desk (formerly CPS/SAIG Technical Support) at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at <a href="mailto:support@fps.ed.gov"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">support@fps.ed.gov</span></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For issue alerts and frequently asked questions</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">, please visit the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/fafsa-simplification-information/2024-25-fafsa-updates"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">2024-25
FAFSA Updates</span></a> page on the Knowledge Center.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo5;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For general questions related to the 2024-25 FAFSA,</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> we welcome our partners to continue using the <a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/help-center/contact-customer-support"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">Contact
Customer Support form</span></a> in FSA’s Partner Connect Help Center. To submit a question, please enter your name, email address, topic, and question. When submitting a question, please select the topic “2024–25 FAFSA.”</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#17232E">To request assistance with financial aid management systems configuration or processing applications:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsonormal" style="color:#17232E;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For schools that need direct technical assistance related to processing applications and packaging aid award offers</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">, please
continue submitting your requests to the College Support Concierge mailbox <a href="mailto:CollegeSupportStrategy-FAFSA@ed.gov"><span style="color:#227AA7;text-decoration:none">CollegeSupportStrategy-FAFSA@ed.gov</span></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="xmsonormal" style="line-height:11.65pt"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:red">Patrick Fox |</span></b><b><i><span style="font-family:"HELVETICA BOLD OBLIQUE";color:red"> Education Policy Advisor</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="line-height:11.65pt"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:Patrick_Fox@help.senate.gov">Patrick_Fox@help.senate.gov</a>
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