(ANN-26-23) FSA Partner Connect Training – Borrower Defense to Repayment for Administrators (Updated Sept. 25, 2026)

Publication Date
September 10, 2026
DCL ID
ANN-26-23
Subject
FSA Partner Connect Training – Borrower Defense to Repayment for Administrators (Updated Sept. 25, 2026)
Summary
This letter announces a webinar and additional training resources from Federal Student Aid (FSA) to assist FSA Partner Connect administrators in understanding new borrower defense to repayment functionality. The functionality will be available in October 2026.
Note

Update on Sept. 25, 2026: The additional training resources (job aid and webinar recording) described in this announcement are now available. See the “Additional Training Resources” section below for more information.

Dear Colleague:

Starting in October 2026, schools will use FSA Partner Connect to respond to notifications from FSA regarding borrower defense to repayment applications filed by their former or current student borrowers. Schools will use the new Borrower Defense portal—available from the FSA Partner Connect home page—to review cases, understand applicable regulation years, and upload evidence. We will update FSA Partner Connect to offer

  • a new summary page for borrower defense cases,

  • robust search and filter tools,

  • improved functionality to review case details, and

  • a modernized approach to manage evidence.

To assist FSA Partner Connect users in understanding the new functionality, we are pleased to offer a live, instructor-led webinar and self-paced training materials. Refer to the sections below for more information.

Borrower Defense in FSA Partner Connect Webinar

The session will introduce the new borrower defense to repayment functionality available in FSA Partner Connect. You will learn how to navigate the new “Case Summary” page; use search and filter tools to locate cases; review case details and manage evidence; and understand permissions and notifications. The webinar is designed to provide a straightforward, easy-to-understand overview for anyone beginning to use the new features.

We are offering the webinar on two separate occasions: one session for school administrators and another for third-party servicer and district servicer organization administrators. Please attend the session that best matches your role and needs.

No registration is required for the live webinar. Participation is first-come, first-served, and we can accommodate up to 10,000 attendees.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, 1–2:30 p.m. Eastern time (ET)

Link to Join: Borrower Defense for School Administrators Webinar

Adding an Invitation to Your Calendar

To add an iCalendar invitation for each event to your calendar, follow the instructions below:

  1. Log in to the FSA Training Center.

    Note: If you don’t 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.

  2. Select “Systems Training” from the main menu bar. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose “FSA Partner Connect.”

  3. Select the “Partner” icon in the middle of the page. Scroll to the “Live Webinar Calendar.”

  4. Locate the event in the table and select “Add to Calendar” to download and save the invitation to your calendar. The invitation includes the link for the session. If Outlook is not your default calendar, you may save the iCalendar (.ics) file and then upload it to your system calendar.

Additional Training Resources

In addition to the live webinar, we will also provide self-paced training materials, including a job aid, to walk you through the new process step-by-step and a webinar recording. The webinar recording will cover the same material as the live webinar. We will update this announcement when the materials are available in late September.

To view these additional resources when they are available, log in to the FSA Training Center and select “Systems Training” from the main menu bar. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose “FSA Partner Connect” and then select the “Partner” icon in the middle of the page.

Contact Information

For technical questions about FSA Partner Connect, complete the Customer Support form in the FSA Partner Connect Help Center. For additional assistance, you may contact the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. Starting Aug. 28, 2026, the contact center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

If you have a question about a specific borrower defense to repayment application, contact Borrower Defense Customer Support at 1-855-279-6207. Information for borrowers is available at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense.

We look forward to your participation in this training opportunity.

Sincerely,

Federal Student Aid

Last Modified: 09/25/2026