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Posted on by Duane Morris

Department of Education Plans Enhancements to E-App System

By Katherine Brodie, Daniel Walworth and Matthew Steinway

On November 26, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education released an electronic announcement that describes planned enhancements to the electronic application for approval to participate in the Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs (E-App) on December 7, 2025. The E-App is part of the Department’s Federal Student Aid Partner Connect platform utilized by institutions participating in Title IV, Higher Education Act, programs to update or report eligibility information.

In addition to general improvements to the user experience throughout the E-App, the Department noted two significant platform changes that will require attention from institutions of higher education. The Department stated that it will provide guidance in early December to help its users better understand the changes.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

Posted on by Duane Morris

Webinar: Workforce Pell: Equipping Colleges for the Tools of the Trade

Duane Morris will present a webinar, Workforce Pell: Equipping Colleges for the Tools of the Trade, on Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

REGISTER

About the Program

The Workforce Pell provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” offer colleges with short-term, workforce-focused programs the opportunity to provide students access to Workforce Pell for the first time. The new program is scheduled to launch in the 2026-2027 award year but will be subject to the rulemaking process of the Department of Education. Colleges should start preparing now so that their students will have the best chance at being the first to access the program when it launches. Join Duane Morris’ Higher Education Group members Kristina Gill and Edward Cramp as they provide pragmatic, action-oriented guidance to help your institution prepare.

Posted on by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Higher Education: Finding Investment Opportunities in Disruption

The U.S. higher education sector is in the midst of unprecedented transformation. Once defined by expansion and access, the industry now finds itself at a crossroads, shaped by sweeping federal policy changes, heightened demand for workforce-aligned credentials, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence. Anthony Guida, Partner and Education Industry Practice Lead at Duane Morris, authored the white paper “Higher Education: Finding Investment Opportunities in Disruption,” which was published by Houlihan Lokey, a leading independent global advisory firm.

Read the full paper here.

Posted on by Duane Morris

Duane Morris Education Team Recognized in The Legal 500

The Duane Morris Education Industry Group has been ranked in The Legal 500 US 2025 Guide. The publication writes: Duane Morris LLP’s education group has a varied client roster, including universities, vocational schools and higher education associations, accreditors and investors. Accreditation is a key concentration for the firm alongside its focus on student litigation, transactional matters and regulatory reviews. Leadership is split between five partners. In San Diego, co-lead Anthony Guida has experience in licensing and accreditation, focusing his practice on preK-12, postsecondary and edtech, while Edward Cramp has a broad practice covering accreditation as well as regulatory compliance, litigation and transactions. Katherine Brodie in Washington, D.C., handles Title IV and Title IX compliance, while Chicago-based litigator Lisa Scruggs and Philadelphia-based Daniel Walworth, who specializes in internal investigations and enforcement actions, round out the leadership.

Posted on by Duane Morris

Navigating the Title IX Implications of the NCAA Settlement on NIL

On June 6, 2025, Judge Claudia Wilken of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California approved the settlement agreement in House v. NCAA, Oliver v. NCAA and Hubbard v. NCAA. As higher education institutions determine how to implement the terms of the agreement, all should be cognizant of potential Title IX implications. Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris website.

Posted on by Duane Morris

DOJ Announces Pursuing False Claims Act Violations Against Recipients of Federal Funds

On May 19, 2025, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the U.S. Department of Justice will use the False Claims Act (FCA) to enforce the administration’s policies concerning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices and antisemitism. The FCA is a powerful tool, and its invocation by the DOJ is a signal to federal-funding recipients that they will face increased scrutiny. The May 19 Blanche memo now broadly announces an intention to investigate and pursue alleged FCA violations broadly against all recipients of federal funds, but makes special mention of colleges and universities as a focus of the initiative. Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris website.

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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