Institutions will soon see major improvements to the way they report foreign gifts and contracts to the U.S. Department of Education. A new and redesigned reporting portal will go live January 2, 2026, replacing the legacy system that institutions have used since June 2000.
A More Streamlined Reporting Experience
According to ED’s December announcement, the new portal is designed to be more intuitive and responsive to institutional needs. Key enhancements include:
- Bulk upload capabilities to report multiple gifts or contracts at once
- Save-as-draft functionality, allowing institutions to complete filings over time
- A summary review page to verify entries before submitting
- Capacity to self-correct prior submissions (for reports submitted through the new portal)
- The ability to review and revise another institutional user’s submission
- Functionality to allow an institutional user to download the full set of records that were submitted rather than print each individual submission
- Automatic log off
- An updated user guide to support onboarding and training
These improvements aim to reduce administrative burden and increase accuracy in reporting foreign gifts or contracts. Pursuant to Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, postsecondary institutions receiving federal financial assistance must disclose foreign source gifts and contracts with a value of $250,000 or more annually to the Department.
Current guidance concerning Section 117 will initially continue with no changes at this time. The current guidance and information (e.g., FAQs, deadlines) will continue to be located at FSA’s Knowledge Center
Important Transition Dates & Training
The current reporting portal will be retired on December 16, 2025. To support the transition, ED will host a training webinar on December 15, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. ET, with a recorded version available on December 18. Webinar information will be provided in a future announcement.
The new reporting portal will go live on January 2, 2026 at the following website: www.ForeignFundingHigherEd.gov available on Jan. 2, 2026.
Institutions should also keep in mind that the next annual reporting deadline remains January 31, 2026. Because this date falls on a Saturday, ED will treat Monday, February 2, 2026, as a timely submission date.
RESOURCES:
- (GENERAL-25-47) New Section 117 Foreign Gifts and Contracts Reporting Portal Supplemental Announcement – Go-Live January 2, 2026
- U.S. Department of Education Announces New and Improved Portal for Universities to Report Foreign Funding
- (GENERAL-25-46) New Reporting Portal for Reporting of Foreign Gifts and Contracts under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 – Implementation Planned for January 2026 and Reminder of January Reporting Deadline
- FSA Knowledge Center: Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Reporting