Notice of Proposed Regulations to Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education Dealing With the Terms and Conditions of the Alaska Education Programs, Grant and Scholarship Programs, and Postsecond...

NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO ALASKA COMMISSION ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION REGULATIONS DEALING WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE ALASKA SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM, THE ALASKA FAMILY EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM, AND THE ALASKA EDUCATION GRANT AND PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS, AND DEALING WITH POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS BRIEF DESCRIPTION The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education proposes to amend, adopt, and repeal regulations relating to the terms and conditions of the Alaska Supplemental Education Loan Program, the Alaska Family Education Loan Program, the Alaska Education Grant Program, and the Alaska Performance Scholarship Program, and relating to the regulation of postsecondary educational institutions. The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) proposes to amend, adopt, and repeal regulations in Title 20, Chapters 15, 16, and 17 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with terms and conditions of student loans, Alaska Education grants, and the Alaska performance scholarship program, and dealing with postsecondary educational institutions, including the following: (1) 20 AAC 15.935(e) is proposed to be repealed. The intended effect of this repeal is to remove the annual loan maximums for the Alaska Supplemental Education Loan Program and the Alaska Family Education Loan Program. Alaska Statute 14.43.173 permits the Alaska Student Loan Corporation to determine a borrower's annual loan maximum based on the student's enrollment level. The loan maximum may not exceed the limits established by the corporation. (2) 20 AAC 15.990(a) is proposed to be changed by adding a new paragraph to define the term "alternative repayment schedule:" a revision to the borrower's existing loan repayment term to provide short- or long-term repayment relief and a revised repayment schedule to adjust the monthly payment and the amount of time the borrower will make payments over the life of the loan. (3) 20 AAC 15.990(a) is proposed to be changed by adding a new paragraph to define the term "default forbearance agreement:" a short-term default recovery agreement in which the borrower agrees to make a specified number of voluntary payments to rehabilitate the borrower's defaulted loans, and in which upon the borrower's completing the agreement, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education discontinues administrative collection activities and removes a default report from the borrower's loan record. (4) 20 AAC 16.015(a)(1) is proposed to be changed as follows: change the term "expected family contribution" to "Student Aid Index," the new key metric for assessing financial need with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act starting in the 2024 - 2025 award year. (5) 20 AAC 16.037(a) is proposed to be changed as follows: clarify that grant awards are determined "in part" by the student's Student Aid Index as reported on the FAFSA and change the term "expected family contribution" to "Student Aid Index," the new key metric for assessing financial need with the FAFSA Simplification Act starting in the 2024 - 2025 award year. (6) 20 AAC 16.210 is proposed to be repealed and readopted as follows: clarify the full-time and half-time credit requirements for a first-year and a second- or subsequent-year scholarship recipient enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or credit-based certificate program, and career and technical school program; add a new subsection to define the qualifying eligibility requirements for a scholarship award recipient enrolled full-time in an undergraduate, graduate, or credit-based certificate program, and career and technical school program to receive an increased scholarship award; and clarify that a student's eligibility is extended by one semester for each semester the student is enrolled part-time; however, the extension cannot exceed the maximum of eight semesters of enrollment. (7) 20 AAC 16.220(c)(2) is proposed to be changed as follows: align the half-time description for a graduate student with 20 AAC 16.220(b)(2). The current half-time description does not include a "certificate program."” (8) 20 AAC 16.900(b)(3) is proposed to be changed as follows: repeal the term "expected family contribution" and adopt a new definition of "Student Aid Index," the new key metric for assessing financial need with the FAFSA Simplification Act starting in the 2024 - 2025 award year. The Student Aid Index is an eligibility index number provided by the U.S. Department of Education, as calculated from information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), representing financial need. A negative Student Aid Index indicates the student has a higher financial need. (9) 20 AAC 17.062(a) is proposed to be changed as follows: modify the date when annual performance reports and fees must be submitted to the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. The annual reporting date changed from December 1 to January 31 for authorized institutions other than institutions that report to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Additionally, this change corrects the citation referenced in this subsection giving the ACPE authority to assess a late fee if an institution fails to provide the information on or before the required date. You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to the Executive Director of the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education at P.O. Box 110505, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0505. Additionally, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education will accept comments by facsimile at (907) 465-6839 and by electronic mail at EED.ACPE-ExecDirector@Alaska.gov. Comments may also be submitted through the Alaska Online Public Notice System, by accessing this notice on the system and using the comment link. The comments must be received not later than 4:30 p.m. on September 05, 2025. You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to the Executive Director of the ACPE, P.O. Box 110505, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0505, or EED.ACPE-ExecDirector@Alaska.gov. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and at www.acpe.alaska.gov. If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact at (907) 465-6718 or by email at jackie.hall@alaska.gov not later than August 26, 2025 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided. A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Jackie Hall at (907) 465-6692 or by email at jackie.hall@alaska.gov. A copy of material proposed for adoption by reference is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System or on our website at: https://acpe.alaska.gov/Public-Notices After the public comment period ends, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected. Written comments received are public records and are subject to public inspection. Statutory authority: AS 14.42.030, AS 14.43.105, AS 14.43.110, AS 14.43.120, AS 14.43.630, AS 14.43.810, AS 14.43.820, AS 14.43.825, AS 14.48.050, and AS 14.48.090. Statutes being implemented, interpreted, or made specific: AS 14.42.030, AS 14.43.105, AS 14.43.110, AS 14.43.120, AS 14.43.125, AS 14.43.173, AS 14.43.405, AS 14.43.406, AS 14.43.415, AS 14.43.420, AS 14.43.630, AS 14.43.740, AS 14.43.810, AS 14.43.820, AS 14.43.825, AS 14.48.050, and AS 14.48.090. Fiscal information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation. The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education keeps a list of individuals and organizations interested in its regulations. Those on the list will automatically be sent a copy of all of the ACPE notices of proposed regulation changes. To be added to or removed from the list, send a request to the ACPE at EED.ACPE-ExecDirector@Alaska.gov, giving your name, and either your e-mail address or mailing address, as you prefer for receiving notices. Individuals can also sign up to receive automated notifications of all State of Alaska notices, including public notice for regulation changes, by subscribing to the Alaska Online Public Notices System: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Default.aspx. Date: July 29, 2025Kerry Thomas, Executive DirectorAlaska Commission on Postsecondary Education