April 1, 2022

The U.S. Department of Education this week made additional updates to StudentAid.gov designed to improve the information and tools available to students and parents.

According to a March 29 Electronic Announcement from the Department, the updates “continue Federal Student Aid’s (FSA's) commitment to improve customer experiences and outcomes.” through ongoing modernization of their technology, tools, and resources.

The Department said the new features are to the following:

• Aidan® Virtual Assistant – Aidan can answer common questions about federal student aid and guide customers to the correct information and resources. With this release, the Department enhanced information and responses to questions about FSA ID and income-driven repayment plans.
• Loan Simulator – Loan Simulator was updated with additional content and functionality including a new Public Service Loan Forgiveness tooltip.

In addition, the Department updated information about the processes of applying for a Direct PLUS Loan and applying for a loan consolidation.

In the announcement, the Department said they plan to implement additional features and enhancements later this year.