We advocate for military-connected students before the Education Department
Disabled veterans’ right to student loan forgiveness
We had a major win in forcing the US Education Department to honor disabled veterans’ legal right to student loan forgiveness. Still more to do!
Loan Relief for Students Defrauded by a School
We fight for defrauded veterans to get their student loans forgiven by the Education Department, and their Pell Grants restored.
Integrity and Quality Standards by Colleges
We advocate for rules requiring colleges to abide by basic integrity rules and meet minimum quality standards.
Accreditation and Accreditors
We push for high quality standards by accreditors and we expose lax accreditors.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT DATA
U.S. Education Department Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
OUR LETTERS TO THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Letter to NC-SARA re: Proposal to Elevate SARA’s Consumer Protection Standards
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), administered by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), lowers barriers for schools to offer online programs in multiple states, easing the way for institutions to expand the reach of their online programs. SARA’s impact is immense - almost 6 million students were enrolled in online programs at more than 2,300 SARA participating schools in Fall 2020, including 1.6 million students enrolled in online programs based outside of their state.1 Every state except for California is a SARA member. 2 However, the agreement’s standards set an extremely low bar for consumer protection, leaving millions of online students vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous schools.
Our Letter to the Department of Education on the Council on Occupational Education.
VES advocacy letter on behalf of students and veterans in higher education in response to the call for third-party comments announced on November 14, 2022, in the Department of Education’s Notice Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education. 1 Our comments concern the Council on Occupational Education (“COE”) and the senior Department official’s (SDO) decision letter dated October 27, 2021, requiring COE to come into compliance with 34 C.F.R. Part 602 within 12 months and to submit a compliance report within 30 days thereafter.
Our Nomination Letter for Debbie Cochrane for Appointment to NACIQI
September 15, 2022 The Honorable Miguel Cardona, Ed.D. Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202 Mr. Secretary, Responding to the Department of Education’s Federal Register notice of August 16, 2022, I write on behalf of Veterans Education Success to nominate Ms. Debbie Cochrane, [...]
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REPORTS
GAO: 94% of PSLF Applicants Employed By DoD Have Been Denied; 124 Active Duty Servicemembers Have Earned Loan Forgiveness
Public Service Loan Forgiveness: DOD and Its Personnel Could Benefit from Additional Program Information The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is intended to encourage people to enter public service. It forgives the federal student loan balances of eligible borrowers who have made at least 10 years of payments while in [...]
Federal Student Aid Annual Report FY 2019
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid FY 2019 report detailing the organization’s fiscal year financial and program performance.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences: Military Service and Educational Attainment of High School Sophomores After 9/11: Experiences of 2002 High School Sophomores as of 2012
This Statistics in Brief examines 2002 high school sophomores’ entrance into military service through 2012, up to 8 years after most graduated from high school in 2004. The report provides estimates regarding the timing of military service; the demographic and academic characteristics of those who served in the military; the [...]
U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General recommendations for HEA
U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General recommendations for HEA
MORE NEWS & INFO
GAO: Federal Student Aid: Education Needs to Take Steps to Ensure Eligible Loans Receive Income-Driven Repayment Forgiveness
To make student loans more affordable, income-driven repayment plans base monthly payments on a borrower's income and family size, and extend repayment periods. Borrowers in these plans are also eligible for forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments. But the Department of Education has had trouble tracking borrowers' [...]
Our Formal Written Submission to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
July 1, 2021 Docket ID: ED-2021-OPE-0077 Vanessa Gomez U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave., SW Room 2C179 Washington, DC 20202 Dear Ms. Gomez, On behalf of Veterans Education Success, I write to submit comments on the May 26, 2021, Federal Register notice of the Department’s intent to establish negotiated [...]
Collection of Statements to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
Negotiated Rulemaking 2021 Public Hearing Statements and Testimony of Veterans of the Armed Forces
Robert F. Muth Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
Robert F. Muth, University of San Diego School of Law Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good Afternoon Thank you for the opportunity to provide this public comment on potential issues for future negotiated rulemaking. My name is Bob Muth and I am a professor of law at the University [...]
Wesley Wilson Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
Wesley Wilson, Higher Ground Veterans Advocacy Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning, thank you for allowing me to provide comment here today. I am Wesley Wilson, and I am a current student veteran and represent High Ground Veterans Advocacy. At 17, I joined the Army to earn educational [...]
Our Testimony to the Department of Education on Negotiated Rulemaking Public Hearings
William Hubbard, Veterans Education Success Testimony U.S. Education Department June 2021 Good morning, my name is Will Hubbard, and on behalf of Veterans Education Success—a non-profit focused on serving veterans seeking the transformative power of higher education—I am here to highlight real examples of why these issues matter. I am [...]