Federal Student Aid (FSA) has temporarily removed borrower defense to repayment functionality from FSA Partner Connect after identifying an issue following its October 4, 2026, transition from the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System.
Schools will use FSA Partner Connect to respond to notifications about borrower defense applications submitted by current or former students. However, that functionality is currently unavailable while FSA works to resolve the issue.
No action is required from schools until FSA provides further guidance. FSA will extend previously communicated response deadlines for specific borrower defense notifications and update the announcement when functionality is restored. A restoration date and revised deadlines have not yet been announced.
Schools needing assistance can use the following resources:
Technical questions: Submit the Customer Support form through the FSA Partner Connect Help Center or call the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
Questions about a specific application: Contact Borrower Defense Customer Support at 1-855-279-6207.
SOURCE: (GENERAL-26-62) Borrower Defense to Repayment Functionality Temporarily Unavailable for Schools