Aaron Lacey Discusses Impact of New Rules from U.S. Education Department

Thompson Coburn partner Aaron Lacey comments on the U.S. Education Department’s new regulations by in a recent interview with Inside Higher Ed. The rules include significant restrictions on colleges and universities from withholding transcripts, aiming to provide more students with access to transcripts and academic credits even if they owe money to the institutions. The changes are part of a broader set of regulations that also address the effects of sudden college closures and communications about financial aid.

With the new rules, the department is codifying “a great deal of additional discretion” for the agency in decisions about which institutions are eligible to receive federal student aid, financial responsibility and administrative capability, Lacey said. The standards institutions would have to adhere to are unclear, and “we don’t know what the next administration or the administration after that may do with this greater discretion.”

“It’s challenging because trying to figure out how to comply with things and trying to make sure that you’re not running afoul of lines that are no longer so bright is difficult, and it can be a little frustrating,” he said.

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