# 2026-07825: Education Dept Refines Student Aid Privacy Protocols 2026-07825, Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records, is a Federal Register notice from Education Department published 2026-04-22, effective 2026-04-22; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-08). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07825 - As of: 2026-06-08 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-07825 - Title: Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records - Type: Notice - Agencies: Education Department - Citation: 91 FR 21450 - Published: 2026-04-22 - Effective: 2026-04-22 - Comments close: 2026-05-22 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-08 ## In one line Education Dept Refines Student Aid Privacy Protocols ## Summary The Department of Education is updating how it handles student financial aid records to make applying and managing aid easier and more secure. This affects students applying for federal aid, loan repayment help, and those using StudentAid.gov. You can share your thoughts on these changes until May 22, 2026, with no new costs involved. ## Abstract In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice of a modified system of records entitled "Aid Awareness and Application Processing" (18-11-21). This system maintains information necessary for the Department to process applications for Federal student financial program assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA); to perform the responsibilities of the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Ombudsman; to provide Federal student loan repayment relief including under the borrower defense to repayment regulations; to notify aid applicants and aid recipients of aid program opportunities and updates under title IV of the HEA via digital communication channels; and to maintain the StudentAid.gov website as the front end for assisting customers with all of their Federal student financial aid needs throughout the student aid lifecycle. The Department's Digital and Customer Care (DCC) Information Technology (IT) system collects the electronic records maintained in the Aid Awareness and Application Processing (AAAP) system. ## Effects PRIA read - Legacy Borrower Transitional Protection: benefit, medium. If you were enrolled in a program as of June 30, 2026 and borrowed a Direct Loan for that program before July 1, 2026, you may remain eligible under pre-2026 rules for the lesser of a transitional period not to exceed three academic years or the difference between the published program length and t… - New Tracking for Lower PLUS Loan Limits: cost, medium. The Department will record and enforce reduced loan limits: lower annual limits for students or parent borrowers of Parent PLUS loans, tiered unsubsidized caps for graduate and professional students, an aggregate (gross lifetime) limit for Parent PLUS per dependent, and a universal non-PLUS lifetim… - Expanded Fraud-Prevention Data Collection: mixed, low. During FAFSA completion the Department will collect additional data to help identify and prevent fraud, including name, email, phone number, IP address, date of birth, photograph, and identification documents. These records are stored and used to detect potential fraud and support at-risk campaigns. - StudentAid.gov Personalized Communications: benefit, medium. The Department will use StudentAid.gov and the Digital and Customer Care IT system to send strategic, real-time, personalized emails and SMS text messages and to collect device and activity data (including mobile device ID, device data, pages/URL accessed, and FAFSA activity) to encourage FAFSA com… - Improved Tracking for Forgiveness & Relief: benefit, high. The system will track qualifying payments for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF), determine employer qualification, record years taught for TEACH Grant certifications, and maintain Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge match information from SSA and… ## Related documents - [2026-17239](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17239): Education Department General Administrative Regulations, 2026-08-24 - [2026-17001](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17001): Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary's Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility Under the High…, 2026-08-20 - [2026-15019](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15019): Rescinding Portions of the Department of Education Title VI Regulations To Align With the Statutory Text and Conform to Executive Order 142…, 2026-07-24 - [2026-13286](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13286): Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand- Driven Workforce Pell: Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Ea…, 2026-07-01 - [2026-10013](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-10013): Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell: Pell Grant Exclusion Relating to Other Grant Aid; and W…, 2026-05-19 - [2026-08556](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08556): Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations, 2026-05-01 ## Sources - [2026-07825 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/22/2026-07825/privacy-act-of-1974-system-of-records) - [2026-07825 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-22/pdf/2026-07825.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-07824, Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Fiscal Years 2025-2026 Federal-State Part…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07824) - [Next: 2026-07826, Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07826) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07825 (as of 2026-06-08).