GW Federal Update (June 5)

Key Takeaways

• Recently, issues with one accelerated master’s degree program identified the need for improved communication with students about VA benefits for which they are eligible. GW has been actively working with the VA and with the student veterans to ensure that all students have been, and will continue to be, certified correctly for the benefits they have earned. As the university has worked to resolve the issues identified, it has been engaging with the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the VA. The university also coordinated with the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) Office of Audits and Evaluations on a visit to campus this week.
   
• Higher education institutions and student borrowers are bracing for the sweeping provisions mandated by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will fundamentally restructure federal financial aid.
   
• On May 28, the Trump Administration issued a proposed rule that would give political appointees more authority to review current and proposed federal grants to, among other things, “ensure that federal award proposals selected for funding are consistent with applicable law, federal agency priorities, and the national interest.” Interested parties can submit comments on the proposed rule by July 13. GW will work with higher education associations to submit comments.

GW Update

University Update Regarding Support for GW Student Veterans

GW has a large community of student veterans that it is proud to support through a range of programs and resources. Our student veteran population is a source of great pride for GW, and it is an honor to have as members of our community those individuals who have bravely served our country.  

Recently, issues with one accelerated master’s degree program identified the need for improved communication with students about VA benefits for which they are eligible. Below are updates on how GW has worked with the VA and our students to address those issues.

Review of Issues and Actions Taken
Several student veterans recently expressed concerns about their Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) and Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) benefits. With respect to the YRP, several student veterans incurred out-of-pocket costs because the tuition and fees associated with their academic program exceeded the YRP benefit cap for an individual student. In addition, some student veterans reported that they experienced a shortfall in their MHA housing stipend. This shortfall occurred as a result of how the VA calculates MHA benefits in the context of the non-standard structure of certain accelerated academic programs.

As a result of our review, GW agreed to fully reimburse six current students using YRP benefits, and a seventh student using another veteran program benefit, for their out-of-pocket tuition and fee expenses. In addition, GW reimbursed the seven students for any out-of-pocket housing expenses incurred due to the calculation of housing stipends certified by the VA in the spring semester.

GW has been actively working with the VA to ensure that all students have been, and will continue to be, certified correctly for the benefits these student veterans have earned. At the same time, the university recognizes that there is room for improvement in how we communicate with our student veteran population. To that end, the university has reached out directly to the impacted students to share updates and offered to meet one-on-one to provide additional support. The university also previously sent all student veterans a message about how to escalate concerns about benefits issues.

In addition, the university has committed to the following reforms to better administer, and communicate about, education benefits for student veterans:

• Mandatory Financial Orientation for Student Veterans: All incoming student veterans using VA education benefits will complete a mandatory orientation session with the Office of Military and Veteran Services (MVS) prior to or at the start of their first semester. Orientation will include a personalized benefits disclosure: the student’s specific program cost, the applicable Yellow Ribbon Program cap, any projected out-of-pocket obligation, and a signed acknowledgment of that information. This will be documented and retained as part of the student’s MVS record.
   
• Continuous Staff Training on Escalation Protocols: MVS and school staff will receive enhanced training, including structured, recurring training on escalation procedures. This training will focus on how to identify, document, and elevate student concerns about benefit payments or program costs. Training will establish a clear chain of escalation and will be conducted at the start of each academic year and following any significant VA policy change. 
   
• Annual Memo on Program Dates and Student Benefits: The Vice President for Student Affairs will issue a formal memo to each school dean at the start of every academic year that explicitly reminds deans and program directors that course start and end dates entered into GW’s systems directly affect VA enrollment certifications and, therefore, students’ housing stipends and other benefits. The memo will establish a standing protocol that changes to program course dates must be reported to the appropriate university leadership and note the responsibility of deans to ensure appropriate procedures are used by their school or college.

Engagement with Congressional and VA Officials
As the university has worked to resolve the issues identified, it has been engaging with the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the VA's Veterans Benefits Administration:

• GW has been in frequent contact with the Committee since early April, following reports the Committee received about the students’ payment concerns. This contact has included numerous engagements, including an in-person meeting with Committee staff, numerous responses to the Committee’s questions, and frequent updates on our interactions with the VA.
   
• After these engagements and responses, the VA conducted a campus visit on May 19 to further confirm GW’s compliance with the YRP.
   
• The university also coordinated with the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) Office of Audits and Evaluations on a visit to campus this week. This visit included conversations with GW staff and an open door session for any current students in our military-affiliated and veterans community to hear about their experiences at GW and in receiving their VA benefits. The university sent an email to veterans and military-affiliated students notifying them of this voluntary meeting opportunity and encouraged them to participate if they are interested.

The university looks forward to continuing to engage with the VA and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and make any additional enhancements to its programs as needed.

Ongoing GW Support for Student Veterans
GW also reaffirms its commitment to our student veterans and will continue to provide specialized resources to ensure they thrive in their educational pursuits. Some of the many resources available in addition to the Yellow Ribbon Program and other education benefits include:

• VA Work Study: Employment opportunities for military-affiliated students who are utilizing their VA education benefits while attending GW.
   
• VetSuccess on Campus Counselor: A program dedicated to supporting servicemembers, veterans, and their qualified dependents by offering a range of valuable services.
   
• Military Community Center: A community center that works to enrich the support for military-affiliated students.
   
• Dog Tags Newsletter: Information, resources, and events shared monthly with the veteran community. 
   
• Career Services: Collaboration with GW's Center for Career Services to provide exceptional career support for our military-affiliated students.
   
• Scholarships: A variety of scholarships for our military-affiliated students that are provided by GW, MVS, and various outside sources, ensuring a range of opportunities to support the academic journey.

Recent Federal Actions

Department of Education

• In the May 7 edition of the GW Federal Update, we reported that on April 30, the Department of Education published a final rule titled, “Reimagining and Improving Student Education - Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations” and issued a related fact sheet. The rule makes significant changes to student loan repayment options and places new federal loan limits for graduate and professional degree programs. On May 22, 26 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland, alleging that the rule “unlawfully limits access to federal student loans for students pursuing professional degree programs, including many healthcare and other critical workforce fields,” by among other things, “impos[ing] restrictions Congress did not authorize.” Given GW’s extensive array of graduate, medical, law, and professional degree programs, these new loan limits and the elimination of Grad PLUS loans could substantially alter the financial aid packaging and recruitment strategies for a significant portion of GW's student body. Information and resources related to the changes is available on the Financial Aid website. Highlighting these high-stakes regulatory shifts, GW has engaged with federal lawmakers raising serious concerns about these provisions that would have far-reaching and detrimental impacts on students and higher education institutions like GW.
  
  Beyond initial borrowing, the federal repayment landscape is being completely reimagined. The former patchwork of income-driven repayment options, including the recently sunset Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) framework, will be officially replaced for new borrowers by a single consolidated program: the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Alongside these major lending and repayment overhauls, the July 1 rollout introduces strict new earnings-accountability standards applied to every credential program across all higher education sectors, while simultaneously launching the highly anticipated Workforce Pell program to provide federal funding for high-demand, short-term vocational programming. For GW, navigating the implementation of the new Repayment Assistance Plan will require significant coordination across financial aid offices, while the university's strong post-graduation employment outcomes will be critical as all credential programs adapt to compliance under the new strict earnings-accountability standards.

International Community

• On May 22, the Trump Administration announced a policy that would require most foreigners seeking green cards (or permanent residency in the U.S.) to return to their home countries to apply, except in undefined “extraordinary circumstances.” According to press reports, about 1.4 million green cards were issued in 2024, with more than 820,000 approved for people inside the U.S. On May 29, the Trump Administration sought to clarify its announcement, saying that it was not a blanket change in policy but rather a “reminder to [immigration] officers of their discretionary authority, which has always existed on a case-by-case basis.” GW community members may isogwu [dot] edu (reach out to the International Services Office) if they have questions about their individual circumstances.

Research and Grantmaking

• On May 7, the U.S. District Court in New York ruled that the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) unlawfully terminated over 1,400 grants allegedly associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion, and/or “gender ideology,” holding that the termination violated the First Amendment, the equal protection clause, and because the Trump Administration “exercised decisive authority over the selection and termination of NEH grants without any statutory authority to do so.” The court observed that it was a “textbook example of unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.” The Administration argued among other things that ChatGPT, which it used to identify grants to cut, caused any viewpoint discrimination. The Court rejected that argument, holding that “Chat GPT was the Government’s chosen instrument for purposes of this project, and [the Administration’s] use of AI to identify DEI-related material neither excused presumptively unconstitutional conduct nor gives the Government carte blanche to engage in it.”
   
• In the August 14, 2025, edition of the GW Federal Update, we reported that on August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking,” aimed at changing how federal agencies review and award discretionary grants. The order, among other things, directed agency heads to appoint senior officials to review funding opportunities to ensure alignment with administration priorities and to prohibit support for activities such as “racial preferences,” denial of the “sex binary,” “illegal immigration,” or initiatives deemed contrary to public safety or “American values.” On May 28, the Trump Administration issued a proposed rule relating to that Executive Order. If adopted, the proposed rule would give political appointees more authority to review current and proposed federal grants to, among other things, “ensure that federal award proposals selected for funding are consistent with applicable law, federal agency priorities, and the national interest.” The proposed rule would ban “grants that push disparate impact liability theories, discriminatory event services, DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion], gender ideology” and “child sex mutilation” while also prohibiting “agencies from excluding faith-based organizations and applicants.” Interested parties can submit comments on the proposed rule by July 13. GW will work with higher education associations to submit comments.
  
  In related news, according to media reports, all grants approved by NIH for funding must then undergo additional screening by staff in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), some of whom may be political appointees and not subject matter experts.
   

Other Higher Education Institutions

• Yale University: On May 14, the Justice Department announced that it completed its investigation into the admissions practices at Yale School of Medicine and concluded that Yale “intentionally selected applicants based on their race” by using “racial proxies to circumvent the Supreme Court’s prohibition on using race to select students.” DOJ alleges that “in general, Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted with consistently lower academic qualifications than their White and Asian counterparts.” In response, Yale stated that its admitted students “demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and personal commitment” and that it was “confident in the rigorous admissions process.” DOJ reached similar conclusions with respect to the UCLA medical school’s admissions policies, as reported in the May 7 edition of the GW Federal Update. DOJ’s investigations into the admissions practices at the medical schools at Stanford University, Ohio State University, and the University of California, San Diego, continue,  as reported in the April 9 edition of the GW Federal Update. As reported in the January 15 edition of the GW Federal Update, GW is one of more than 50 universities that is the subject of a DOJ compliance review of the use of DEI in admissions. Finally, on June 4, DOJ announced that it has launched new investigations into the admissions practices of fifteen medical schools.  
   
• UCLA: In the February 26 edition of the GW Federal Update, we reported that on February 24, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in California against the University of California, alleging among other things that UCLA created an unlawful hostile environment and retaliated against Jewish and Israeli employees on the basis of their race, religion and national origin. On May 26, DOJ filed a second lawsuit also in a U.S. District Court in California against UCLA, alleging that the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by displaying "deliberate indifference" with respect to a hostile educational environment during the spring 2024 pro-Palestinian campus encampments. UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk has forcefully rejected the claims that UCLA has not addressed antisemitism on campus, highlighting major systemic overhauls including the creation of a specialized Civil Rights Office, the appointment of a Title VI officer, and new campus safety leadership.

Resources

GW is committed to supporting our students, faculty and staff through federal changes. Curated resources are available for staying informed and safe, in addition to FAQs addressing the most common topics on students' minds, including interactions with external law enforcement and supporting international community members.

About this Newsletter

GW publishes this weekly Federal Update to inform students, faculty and staff about how developments in the federal government affect higher education generally and the University. This newsletter includes timely information, answers to questions from GW community members, and resources for support.