Dear Colleague:
We are pleased to announce an additional set of webinars in our Wednesday Webinar Series, a series of live webinars which cover a variety of topics related to the Title IV programs. The webinars provide the most recent statutory and regulatory updates and other guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), including the office of Federal Student Aid. Federal Student Aid also shares operational information and reminders during the webinars. Participants are encouraged to ask questions by typing them into the chat during the webinar, and a live Q&A session follows the presentation.
Federal Student Aid staff will present the next set of webinars in this series in January and February 2026. Additional webinars that address topics of interest to the financial aid community will be announced in the future.
You do not need to register for these webinars. Participation will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and we can accommodate up to 5,000 attendees in each session.
Refer to the sections below for more information about each webinar, including instructions to add a reminder to your calendar.
All sessions are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Eastern time (ET). See below for complete details about each webinar, including the link to join on the day of the event.
Note: Each webinar will be hosted with the Zoom Webinar platform. For the best webinar experience, you can download the Zoom app before the event at https://zoom.us/download.
Verification for 2025–26 and 2026–27
Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, 1–2:30 p.m. ET
This session will include a discussion of the verification requirements for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) cycle. We will discuss acceptable documentation for the various verification groups, guidance on verification tracking in the FAFSA Partner Portal, and unique situations such as verification of non-filing, identity theft, and amended returns.
Link to Join Webinar:
Zoom Link for Verification for 2025–26 and 2026–27 Webinar
Webinar ID: 161 419 5763
Passcode: 177980
Cohort Default Rate (CDR) and Default Prevention Strategies
Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, 1–2:30 p.m. ET
This webinar will equip institutions with the knowledge and tools they need to proactively reduce student loan defaults and ensure compliance with federal requirements. We will explain how CDRs are calculated, outline effective data-driven prevention strategies, and reinforce the critical role schools play in borrower success and program integrity.
Link to Join Webinar:
Zoom Link for Cohort Default Rate (CDR) and Default Prevention Strategies Webinar
Webinar ID: 160 843 3690
Passcode: 225364
To add an iCalendar invitation to your calendar now, to remind you of the webinar details, follow the instructions below:
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Log into the FSA Training Center.
Note: If you do not have a username and password for the FSA Training Center, select "Create new account" at the bottom of the log-in page and follow the instructions to create a username and password.
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Select the “Upcoming Webinars” icon on the home page.
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Locate a webinar in the table and select the iCalendar file to download and save the invitation to your calendar. The invitation includes the webinar link. If Outlook is not your default calendar, you may download the iCalendar (.ics) file and then upload it to your system calendar. The table on the Upcoming Webinars page also includes a link to the webinar.
You may download a PDF version of the presentation the day before the live webinar in the “Upcoming Webinars” section of the FSA Training Center. After logging in, select the “Upcoming Webinars” icon on the home page and locate the webinar in the table to download the presentation materials.
We will post a recording and a transcript of the webinar on the FSA Training Center the week following the live webinar. After logging in, go to “Recorded Webinars and Training” on the main menu bar, select “Webinars and Training Videos,” and locate the recording and transcript in the “Application Process and Student Eligibility” category (for the Verification for 2025–26 and 2026–27 webinar) and the “School Eligibility” category (for the Cohort Default Rate (CDR) and Default Prevention Strategies webinar).
We look forward to your participation in this webinar series. If you have questions, please contact us at helpdesk.fsatraining@ed.gov.
Sincerely,
Federal Student Aid