Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

NASFAA Releases Interactive Tool for Navigating the Federal Budget Process

  • 06/09/14

WASHINGTON, DC — What is the purpose of the president’s annual budget request and when can it be expected? What is the role of a Congressional Budget Committee? How does it differ from Appropriations? What is an omnibus spending bill, and when does it come into play? The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has created a new, interactive Federal Budget Tool to help you ascertain the answers to these questions, and to navigate the process through which the federal student aid programs are funded each year.

“As federal student aid programs and financially needy postsecondary education students face annual budget challenges and attempts to reduce or eliminate spending, a working knowledge of the federal budget process is more important now than at any time in the history of the Higher Education Act,” said NASFAA president Justin Draeger. “NASFAA’s handy online roadmap is intended to guide users through the federal budget process, and help them understand it in a simple and easy to follow way.”

Using mouse-over functionality, and hyperlinks where appropriate, the tool guides you through each step, displaying relevant players and key actions that must occur at each juncture. Using this foundation, NASFAA’s goal is to offer our members — and reporters with an interest in federal student aid funding—a more confident understanding of the seemingly complex federal budget process.

NASFAA spokespeople are available to answer any questions regarding the tool, the budget process, and/or funding for key student aid programs. To speak to a NASFAA spokesperson, please email [email protected] or call 202/85-6944.

About NASFAA
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents nearly 20,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every ten undergraduates in the U.S. Based in Washington, DC, NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators. For more information, visit www.nasfaa.org.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.