
01 Jun US Department of Education Third-Party Servicer Changes: Resource Round-Up
Last updated June 2023
**Update **
As of April 11, 2023, the US Department of Education has updated its guidance “Specifically, we will delay the effective date of the guidance letter, and the September 1, 2023, date will no longer be in effect. The effective date of the revised final guidance letter will be at least six months after its publication, to allow institutions and companies to meet any reporting requirements.”
Resources have also been added below.
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On February 15, the US Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter regarding significant expansion to what it considers a Third-Party Servicer. A set of FAQs was also provided. The Third-Party Servicer changes have widespread implications for nearly all institutions and many departments within the college or university — including departments involved with admissions, enrollment, retention, data analysis, technology, etc. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in May 2022 citing recommendations for OPMs based on their findings.
The following are links to resources that may be helpful to Third-Party Servicers as well as colleges and universities.
Attorney Reviews:
Duane Morris – Article – Article 5/26/23
Thompson Coburn – Article (4/12/23)
CooleyED – Article
Thompson Coburn – Article
Thompson Coburn – Webinar (3/27/23)
Hush Blackwell – Article
Duane Morris – Article
Holland & Knight – Article
Higher Education Organizations:
WICHE – Article
UPCEA – Article
ACE – Joint Group Letter
ACE – Call to Discuss in NegReg
NACUBO – Article
NAICU – Letter
NAICU – Issue Summary
NAICU – Letter to Abolish Guidance
News/Media
Inside HigherEd – OpEd
Inside HigherEd – Debrief of the DOE Listening Sessions
Inside HigherEd – Article 2
Inside Higher Ed – Article 1
EdSurge – Article
Higher Ed Dive – Article 2
HigherEd Dive – Article 1
Higher Education Businesses
D2L – Not a Third-Party Statement
Opinions:
Whiteboard Advisors – Webinar Discussion
Forbes – Article
Phil on Ed Tech – Article
OPMs
Pearson Sells its OPM – Article
If you have additional free resources to be added, email the link for consideration.