During the virtual 2020 FSA Training Conference, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) unveiled its latest update to the Next Gen FSA initiative: the FSA Partner Connect portal.
FSA Partner Connect will launch in March 2021 and includes a user-friendly dashboard with streamlined operational information by award year, notifications related to a partner’s specific school activities, and the ability to track scheduled system outages. The new site will feature links to frequently visited Department systems and sites, such as E-App, COD, and NSLDS, and will include a new Knowledge Center to replace the IFAP website. The intuitive, user friendly dashboard displayed upon login includes partner metrics, notifications, and news that will be tailored to users based on their role.
“The FSA Partner Connect portal is an important step we are taking to deliver on the Next Gen promise for postsecondary institutions and other critical partners. Federal Student Aid is working to understand and address our partners’ pain points with their federal student aid experience in the same way we do with our customers’ experience,” Mark Brown, FSA Chief Operating Officer, said at the general session.
FSA will roll out comprehensive training through a series of live webinars, recorded videos, and job aids and tutorials. Attendees at the 2020 virtual FSA training conference can see a preview demonstration of the partner portal in the conference Resource Center, and in the coming months, FSA will continue to gather feedback from the partner community to design and test the portal for future enhancements following the March 2021 launch.
A copy of the FSA Partner Portal presentation from December 1 is available on the FSA Conference website.
Sources:
ED: U.S. Department of Education Unveils FSA Partner Connect Portal at Annual Training Conference
GS8 Presentation: FSA Next Gen Introduces FSA Partner Connect