ctcLink Learning Opportunities & Support Roundup: April 8, 2026

To plan further ahead or find the latest learning opportunities, as well as notices of cancellation or schedule changes:

• See the complete calendar at the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities Registration page or

• The SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply ctcLink Learning Opportunities filters).  

Learn about how to register, badging opportunities, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.

Registering for the workshops is easy!

1. Visit the SBCTC meetings and events calendar
2. Filter by "CTC Professional Development » Personal & Professional Development Suite"
3. Click "Sign up" button to enroll

Travel & Expense (T&E) Organizational Change Management (OCM) Tools & Alignment Support Activities

The SBCTC Project Management Office (PMO) and PAW are working together in many ways to help colleges move toward alignment in T&E processes:

• Building and maintaining Change Assessment Worksheetsfor colleges to evaluate their progress toward alignment
• Offering individual work sessions for college Points of Contact and Travel & Expense administrators to "jump start" their change assessment analysis
• Partnering with SBCTC Training and Support teams to hold Mini-Training Workshopson Travel & Expense alignment topics every two weeks through May 2026
• Providing template slide decks for colleges to modify for their own local use
• Compiling/updating Travel & Expense Training Resourcesand T&E Organizational Change Management Resources

Where to Learn More

Travel and Expenses Q&A & Mini Trainings and OCM T&E sessions

Join the Process Alignment Workgroup – Organizational Change Management (OCM) Subgroup for focused discussions on completing the Change Assessment Worksheet and developing Change Action Plans to integrate the Travel & Expense Task Force recommendations into your college’s regular business practices.

Colleges who have already implemented some of these changes are encouraged to participate and share their experiences supporting travelers and travel administrators in adopting the new processes.

ctcLink College Collaboration Group (cCCG)

The PAW OCM subgroup will continue to check in on this process during the biweekly ctcLink College Collaboration Group meetings to help ctcLink College Leaders stay on goal.

Regular meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 10 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

Questions?

If you need clarification, please reach out to the Project Management Office (PMO) team at PMOteam@sbctc.edu and they will guide your question to the right party for response.

New to ctcLink or Ready to Upskill? Make a ctcLink Training Plan

The ctcLink Customer Support Training team developed tools to assist colleges with employee onboarding in response to recommendations and requests.

Although learning a new software system can be challenging, these documents provide new staff with the information needed to locate, understand, and participate in the various training and learning opportunities available from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). 

• The Staff Training Participation (STP) application helps supervisors track ctcLink Canvas course training progress for staff and assign ctcLink Canvas courses for staff enrollment. Learn more about the Staff Training Participation Application
• Onboarding Training Manuals assist new college staff in their training journey through ctcLink (PeopleSoft). Learn more about the ctcLink Onboarding Training Manuals

About the Onboarding Training Manuals 

Onboarding Training Manuals can be found in the ctcLink Reference Center “Welcome to ctcLink – Start Here” section. Manuals are available for users in all PeopleSoft pillars, as well as for general staff:

• General Staff Onboarding Training Manual
• Campus Solutions Core Onboarding Training Manual
• Finance Onboarding Training Manual
• Financial Aid Onboarding Training Manual
• Human Capital Management Onboarding Training Manual
• Student Financials Onboarding Training Manual

Each manual is divided into sections highlighting specific topics and information necessary to become more comfortable with our ctcLink system. Section topics may include: 

• Onboarding checklist 
• Welcome to ctcLink Training 
• Each pillar’s place in ctcLink 
• Prerequisite ctcLink courses 
• Role-based training content and requirements (i.e., required and recommended ctcLink self-paced training courses) 
• Additional onboarding resources

How to use the onboarding manuals

The intent is for supervisors to work with staff to provide clarity around staff roles and functions of their job based on the onboarding manual. 

Each ctcLink module lists required and recommended self-paced ctcLink Canvas training courses which directly align to roles and functions performed at the colleges. For example, each staff member is required to complete general prerequisite courses to introduce them to the ctcLink system.

The checklist included allows supervisors to identify which required and recommended courses should be completed by each staff member. Additional training resources are provided to assist new staff in their onboarding activities. 

The ctcLink Training and Support teams look forward to partnering with the colleges and SBCTC agency staff to provide enhanced onboarding and training experiences for new and current employees. 

Please reach out to ctcLink Training Management if you have questions or concerns. 

Cross-Pillar Training Session: FA/SF/FIN End-to-End Reconciliation

Monday, May 4, 2026, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This Cross-Pillar Training Session is a high-level overview of the end-to-end reconciliation process as it begins in Financial Aid, passes through Student Financials, and ends in Finance. The Functional Trainers will share tips and tricks needed for successful reconciliation for the 2026 Academic Year.

Objectives

• FA/SF/FIN - Understand the high-level flow of the cross-pillar (FA/SF/FIN) end-to-end reconciliation process
• FA – Understand the need to have reconciliation worksheets(s) to track expenses, revenue, and variances
• FA - Understand the available reports and queries in the Fund Management Guide that should be run on weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly basis
• FA - Understand the high-level process in FA concerning what queries and reports to run for varying funding sources
• FA - Understand the timing in which SAS files are available to use for FA/COD reconciliation
• SF - Understand how the GL is sent to FIN via SF/Cashier journals
• SF - Understand the available SF queries and how to reconcile them
• FIN - Review of GL Account Guidance / Resources
• FIN - Understand How SF Data Processes into Finance
• FIN - Review SF/GL Reconciliation Queries
• FIN - Reimbursement/Drawdown Best Practices

Presenters/Facilitators: Kelly Forsberg, Financial Aid Functional Trainer; Pauline Smith, Student Financials Functional Trainer; Alec Risk, Finance Functional Trainer

Audience: Newer FA, SF, and FIN staff responsible for reconciliation and staff needing a refresher

Get Connected: Join ctcLink Support eLists

ctcLink Customer Support sends updates, outage notices, changes to configuration, training and workshop opportunities, global and cross-pillar communications to colleges via Mailman eLists (often referred to as listservs, which is a registered trademark).

College subject matter experts (SMEs), PeopleSoft users/stakeholders can use the lists to ask their college peers questions about how they do things in ctcLink, best practices, local training plans, and more. 

When you join, do NOT select the Digest option or you might miss out on time-sensitive messages.

Find your lists

• ctcLink Support eLists – Lists geared toward ctcLink end-users, including reporting, queries, and dataLink.
• In addition, each ctcLink pillar area suggests related lists to join under their “Get Connected to” menus.
  • Campus Solutions (CS) Core
  • Financial Aid (FA)
  • Finance (FIN)
  • Human Capital Management (HCM)
  • Student Financials (SF)
• Mailman eLists – See the complete list of Mailman lists available to the community and technical colleges.

Are You Receiving ctcLinkAlerts?

SBCTC uses the ctcLinkAlerts eList to send notices about planned downtime for system updates, production alerts, urgent issues, and any unplanned downtime.

Each college maintains a local ctcLinkAlerts email distribution list (e.g., ctclinkalerts@columbiabasin.edu, ctcLinkAlerts@spscc.edu) which your ctcLink College Leader maintains as needed.

These college lists, not individuals, are subscribed to ctcLinkAlerts@lists.ctc.edu.

Each college chooses who to include, but typically colleges include their local ctcLink leadership, local ctcLink committee or task force members, key subject matter experts, IT, Help Desk, and PIO.

Restock Your Resiliency Toolkit

Take some time to take care of yourself! Professional and Personal Development Suite workshops are open to all Washington state community and technical college employees, whether faculty, staff, or exempt.

This series of soft-skill workshops was initially developed to support SBCTC IT staff. Once the workshops were discovered on the agency calendar by other SBCTC and college employees, they asked if they, too, might participate on a case-by-case basis.

Since piloting outside participation and receiving positive feedback and requests, we sought agency leadership and support to work across SBCTC departments to present to a systemwide audience. 

2026 Offerings

Professional Development Suite

• Effective Communication Strategies 
• Generational & Learning Preferences - NEW 
• Leadership 
• Presentation Tips & Tricks - NEW 
• Teams/Team Bonding 
• Time Management 
• Top Tier Customer Experience 

Personal Development Suite 

• Emotional Quotient (EQ)
• Managing Stress Part 1
• Managing Stress Part 2
• Mental Health: Awareness & Support
• Mind Frame: Turn Negative Thoughts into Positive Actions
• Psychological Safety in the Workplace
• Vicarious Trauma
• Work/Life Balance 

Teaming Suite 

• Effective Communication Strategies
• Psychological Safety in the Workplace
• Teams/Team Bonding

Learn More and Sign up

Learn more about how to register, badging opportunities, college requests for group training, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.

The workshops are cross-linked from the SBCTC Professional Development page and the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities page.

Questions? Reach out to Corinne Taylor, Professional/Personal Development Trainer.

How to Check the Status of an Enhancement Request

The ctcLink Customer Services Teams document all Enhancement Request (ER) forms submitted.

The ctcLink Enhancement Request Status lists are updated the first and third Wednesday of each month to align with the ctcLink Working Group calendar.

You can see where each Enhancement Request is in the governance review process, approval status, and/or any other actions taken in a couple of different views.

High-Level Summary At-a-Glance

The Full Enhancement Request List is sorted by status.

CS Core Updates

Grade Roster Gotchas 

Instructor Transcript Notes.  If your Grade Rosters are set to allow instructors to make transcript notes, we STRONGLY encourage you to review them before posting using QCS_SR_GRD_ROSTER_TRNSCRP_NOTE.  To remove or modify a note after posting, use normal maintenance on an enrollment page to delete row. 

Initial configuration for all colleges was set for printing instructor transcript notes.  Most colleges do not find this desirable, and many have switched the configuration so that instructor transcript notes do not print.  Over the years, we’ve encouraged colleges to check this a few times.  

We see that there are still many that are set to print.  Below is a list of which transcripts at which institutions are currently set to print notes.  

If this is intentional: GREAT.  If it is not: PLEASE put in a ticket! We can help. 

Requesting this change needs documented approval from your Registrar.

College Codes at a glance

Close the Door to Your Grade Rosters

A class grade roster is closed IF it is in  "Approved" status when the full Grade Post process runs (Partial Post=not closed).  Grade rosters that are in an open status before the Grade Post process runs will be in an open status after the process runs: Instructor can modify rosters that are in open status. 

Educate your faculty about when it is appropriate to edit grades OR remove the authorization to enter grades from Maintain Schedule of Classes once grades have officially posted.

Temporary Freeze on OAAP Changes - Effective until End of May 2026

To support Phase 1 development of  Enhancement Request 328 – OAAP Statewide Security Controls for Fraudulent Detection and Prevention, a temporary freeze on new OAAP changes will take effect immediately. This includes any ctcLink changes that impact OAAP data or functionality. The freeze will remain in place through Phase 1 implementation, which is scheduled for the end of May.

This pause allows SBCTC and our OAAP vendor to focus on analysis, development, and testing within an accelerated timeline, helping deliver high-impact enhancements that improve fraud detection and prevention.

If you have a high-priority request during this period, please submit a ticket with all relevant details. Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the vendor.

What is OAAP?

The Online Admissions Application Portal (OAAP) is the centralized online student application for all public Washington community and technical colleges.

What is ER 328?

ER 328 introduces enhanced security controls to better detect and prevent fraudulent applications. These improvements will increase efficiency, reduce manual review efforts, strengthen fraud mitigation, and support a more consistent and trustworthy application experience. Additional details on Phase 1 scope and timelines will be shared soon.

What is not affected by this freeze?

• HCM and Finance pillars
• Financial Aid and Student Financials
• Canvas, CampusCE, and HCX (HighPoint Campus Experience)
• Other CS Core configuration requests or tickets that do not impact OAAP data or functionality

HEUG (Higher Education User Group) Conversations

Keep in mind that HEUG is a collection of PeopleSoft users from around the globe who work in similar but different systems. While it can be interesting or inspiring to see what others are doing and thinking we ask that you keep in mind that what works in one system may not work in or apply to another.

• April 17, 2026, 11 a.m. Pacific: Round 3: Ghost & Fraudulent Applications Community Discussion, This discussion will focus on what to do after the application, and what happens if there's enrollment or aid awarded. If you were unable to join the first discussion, there is a recording.

Join HEUG

Washington community and technical college system employees using ctcLink PeopleSoft products are welcome to join.

Learn more about signing up for HEUG Membership.

Campus Solutions (CS) Core Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Campus Solutions (CS) Core pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things CS Core-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

Running Start Series

SBCTC Dual Credit presents monthly virtual sessions for college Running Start staff. Each session includes SBCTC/OSPI updates and time for Running Start college staff to come together and connect. Participants cover a wide range of topics, including Campus Solutions - Student Financials.

The presentation portion is recorded and posted to the SBCTC Dual Credit YouTube playlist.

Feel free to contact Stephanie Wahl, SBCTC Student Services & K12 Alignment Policy Associate, with any questions.

CS Core Learning Opportunities

You can find details about upcoming CS Training and Work Sessions on the SBCTC Calendar, CS Core Weeklyish COREspondence, and CS Core eLlist.

Please visit the QRG Campus Solutions Learning Opportunities Recordings for a list of previous recordings.

Work Sessions LINK UP for 2026

Based on survey feedback and attendance patterns, the CS Core team is pleased to announce a new delivery approach to align and “link up” the training and work sessions:

• Training sessions: first Wednesday of each month, 8:30-9:30 am.
• Work sessions: third Wednesday of each month, 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Linking the Why (Theory) to the How (Practice)

CS Core ctclinkUps are planned with purpose, and each session is designed to stand alone. While content is related, sessions are independent and each has a distinct scope and different purpose. Training Sessions review functionality. These are intentionally followed by Work Sessions that explore usage. You may choose to attend either session alone or both as a set.

Content provided by the training team will be coordinated with support offered by the functional team. Tanjagay will begin the month with a foundational review, covering the “how-to” of that month’s Training topic.

Later in the month, the support team will host a Work Session that will focus on that same topic, providing a forum to apply knowledge and manage the real-world situations users encounter. 

In this way, CS Core aspires to address both “theory” and “practice.”

Added bonus? With the intentional focus on those "what do I do when" cases, the support “Work Sessions” will better live up to their moniker! This approach creates options and opportunities that better reflect the spectrum of user experience levels and needs.

Newer users might choose to attend just the training, while seasoned users might opt to attend just the Work Session. Some users, perhaps those to whom the content most directly applies, may find value in attending both!

April CS Core ctcLinkUp: NOW That’s What I Call Music: Fine-Tuning Transfer Credit Evaluation

WHY are you still evaluating transfer credits manually? Tune in to these sessions and swap your one-person band of transfer evaluations for a more harmonized performance. The Training Session will cover the instruments we use - incoming transcripts, external education - and how to play them (evaluate credit) in harmony.

During the Work Session, we’ll get hands-on with best practices, important considerations, and practical strategies for scoring your treble of Transfer Credit Rules to be pitch perfect.

We have added an EXTRA HOUR to the Work Session to give colleges an opportunity to build real rules with real-time support.

FIN Updates

Travel & Expense Process Alignment: Tools and Training Ready for Use

The systemwide Process Alignment Workgroup (PAW) has concluded its inaugural travel and expense process alignment task force and passed the baton to the ctcLink Support and Training teams.

Recommendations and best practices for alignment are regularly updated and incorporated into ctcLink reference and training materials.

Colleges and SBCTC staff are encouraged to dive in to explore and take advantage of Travel and Expenses Training Resources, including:

• Self-Paced Travel & Expense Training Courses
• Travel & Expense Learning Opportunities - Instructor-led sessions designed for staff who have successfully completed the self-paced Travel & Expense Canvas course trainings. Sessions are delivered on a cyclical basis — monthly, quarterly, or yearly — with the goal of strengthening participant skillsets.
  • Travel and Expenses Q&A & Mini Trainings - Every last Monday of the month, 11 a.m. See schedule below. The PAW Organizational Change Management (OCM) subgroup will attend these standing meetings. Collaboration and future topic schedules will be discussed, so travel subject matter experts and ctcLink College Leaders are encouraged to attend.
• Recurring FIN Work Session: Travel and Expenses Mini Training & Workshop
• Fluid vs Classic: The Travel & Expense Task Force has recommended using the Fluid interface going forward, as Oracle is no longer providing updates to “Classic” pages. Training materials are being updated to reflect Fluid pages, while maintaining the instructions for “Classic” to allow colleges time to make the transition. Also, Fluid better meets accessibility requirements and is responsive to device size.
• Reference Center Resources: detailed user guides and step-by-step instructions for creating, submitting, approval, and managing travel authorizations, cash advances, and expense reports, as well as delegation workflows, troubleshooting errors, budget exceptions, and administrative maintenance tasks.

Feel free to reach out to Gretchen Fulmer, Associate Director of Training, if you have any questions.

Finance Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Finance (FIN) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things FIN-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

FIN Learning Opportunities

Cross-Pillar Training Session: FA/SF/FIN End-to-End Reconciliation

Monday, May 4, 2026, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This Cross-Pillar Training Session is a high-level overview of the end-to-end reconciliation process as it begins in Financial Aid, passes through Student Financials, and ends in Finance. The Functional Trainers will share tips and tricks needed for successful reconciliation for the 2026 Academic Year.

Objectives

• FA/SF/FIN - Understand the high-level flow of the cross-pillar (FA/SF/FIN) end-to-end reconciliation process
• FA – Understand the need to have reconciliation worksheets(s) to track expenses, revenue, and variances
• FA - Understand the available reports and queries in the Fund Management Guide that should be run on weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly basis
• FA - Understand the high-level process in FA concerning what queries and reports to run for varying funding sources
• FA - Understand the timing in which SAS files are available to use for FA/COD reconciliation
• SF - Understand how the GL is sent to FIN via SF/Cashier journals
• SF - Understand the available SF queries and how to reconcile them
• FIN - Review of GL Account Guidance / Resources
• FIN - Understand How SF Data Processes into Finance
• FIN - Review SF/GL Reconciliation Queries
• FIN - Reimbursement/Drawdown Best Practices

Presenters/Facilitators: Kelly Forsberg, Financial Aid Functional Trainer; Pauline Smith, Student Financials Functional Trainer; Alec Risk, Finance Functional Trainer

Audience: Newer FA, SF, and FIN staff responsible for reconciliation and staff needing a refresher

Travel and Expenses Q&A & Mini Training

Recurring every last Monday of the month, 11 a.m. to noon, join us for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in support session on everything Travel and Expenses. This session may be partially recorded.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m. Training: The first half of the meeting is typically a short training focused on a particular topic/process in Travel and Expenses. This portion of the meeting is usually recorded. The recording and associated QRGs are posted to the ctcLink Pillar Work Session Information Canvas Course. End-users are welcome to listen in and learn something new.
• 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Q&A: Second half of the meeting will not be recorded. Please come with your questions or issues and be ready to share your screen.

This open time is for college end users to collaborate with functional support and other Travel and Expense staff/supervisors to troubleshoot issues, discuss workflow or process questions, and/or even share your screen. Some examples of topics:

• Canceling EX Payments
• Initial Setup and the Importance of updating Expenses Profiles
• Applying Cash Advances to an Expense Report
• Cash Advance Reconciliation
• On & Off-boarding Employees for Expenses
• Why your Approved Expense Report Won't Stage for Payment

Module: Expenses / Travel & Expense

Primary Audience: Staff, Travelers, Travel Admins/Staff

Related QRGs: FIN - Expenses section of the ctcLink Reference Center

Prerequisite Courses: EX100, EX101 and/or EX102

Contact Alec Risk, ctcLink Functional Trainer.

Mark your calendar for the upcoming Travel and Expenses Q&A & Mini Trainings and OCM T&E sessions! The PAW OCM subgroup will attend the FIN standing meetings (as well as the extra OCM sessions) to help guide the colleges. Travel subject matter experts and ctcLink College Leaders are encouraged to attend.

FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Mini Training and Open Q&A

Recurring every second Monday of the month at 11 a.m. join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive, training and troubleshooting drop-in session on everything Grants/Projects.

Michele Rockwell, MSML, ctcLink Finance Functional Analyst, facilitates.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m., Training: First half of the meeting will typically be a short training focused on a particular topic/process in Grants and Projects. This portion of the meeting is usually recorded. The recording will be posted to the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information Canvas Course.
• 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., Q&A: Second half of the meeting will not be recorded. You are invited to drop in with any questions related to grants and projects at the open Q&A sessions. This open time is for college end-users to collaborate with functional support and other Grants and Projects staff/supervisors to troubleshoot issues, discuss workflow or process questions, and/or even share your screen. Some examples of topics:
  • Grant Billing
  • Modify Grant Award or Capital Project Budgets
  • Amending Awards
  • Project-related Budget/Commitment Control Errors
  • Grant-related Combo Codes
  • Grant-related Item Types

Related QRG: FIN - Grants/Contracts section of the ctcLink Reference Center

Questions? See the contact information listed in the event calendar listings below.

Finance College Users Production Support Meetings

Meetings are held every other Tuesday, from 2 to 3 p.m. These sessions are open to ALL Finance (FIN) end users. The ctcLink Finance Customer Support team provides updates on Service Tickets, PeopleSoft enhancements, and open forum time to ask questions or request future topics.

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations Accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Financials/General Ledger (SF/GL) related.

There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

Accounts Receivable (AR) and Billing (BI) Open Q&A

Every other Thursday, these recurring Accounts Receivable and Billing work sessions aim to provide accounting support and guidance regarding, but not limited to, the various reconciliation topics and processes.

Bring your AR and BI questions and get functional support or listen in and collaborate with your community college peers.

The recorded sessions will be posted to the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information Canvas Course located under Modules > Finance Learning Opportunities > Accounts Receivable and Billing Work Sessions.

Module(s): FIN [AR and BI]

Primary Audience: Accounts Receivable and Billing Staff

Related QRG: FIN - Accounts Receivable, FIN - Billing

ctcLink Accounting Team Presents

Every third Thursday, these recurring work sessions aim to provide accounting support and guidance regarding, but not limited to, the various reconciliation topics and processes. Each session covers a specific topic(s) and then moves to open Q&A.

FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A

Every second Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon (except where noted) join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in session on all things Asset Management.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m., Training: Come learn or share something new.
• 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Q&A: Please come with your questions or issues and be ready to share your screen.

Some examples of topics:

• Tagging Active Assets
• Excel to CI Asset Upload
• Processing issues
• General questions

FA Support Updates

Summary of Direct Loan Limit Changes Effective July 1, 2026

Beginning July 1, 2026, significant federal changes to Direct Loan programs—driven by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3A or OBBBA)—will take effect. These changes impact annual, aggregate, and lifetime borrowing limits for borrowers.

After April 26, 2026, the new NSLDS TSM/FAH files will incorporate revised annual and aggregate limits, legacy eligibility determinations, proration rules, and borrower‑type distinctions that depend directly on accurately reported data coming out of ctcLink. The most impacted changes to the ctcLink system will be caps to the PLUS loan program, the Lifetime Federal Loan Limit, and Proration Requirements.

Notable Changes

• The PLUS Loan Program will have caps beginning in 2026–27, Parent PLUS Loans will have:

• $20,000 annual limit per dependent student
• $65,000 aggregate limit per dependent student

• A new lifetime borrowing limit of $257,000 applies to all federal Direct Loans combined (excluding Parent PLUS).
• Proration Requirements include students enrolled less than full‑time must have loan amounts proportionally reduced to match their enrollment level.
• Other changes include Graduate and Professional borrowing caps.

FA Action Needed

In preparation for the updated 2026–27 Direct Loan regulations taking effect on July 1, 2026, the FA Support team strongly recommends requesting and loading current NSLDS Financial Aid History (FAH) file(s) prior to NSLDS File Layout changes which are effective April 26, 2026.

For Review: A PDF of the Record Layout changes are listed in this FSA Partners NSLDS User Resource: NSLDS Transfer Student Monitoring & Financial Aid History User Guide and Record Layouts (March 2026).

A Note about Pell from FA Training/Support

When resolving Loan or Pell Validation Errors, please remember to update the Manage Pell Payment page and/or the Manage Direct Loan page with those additional steps telling the system the hold has been resolved, or changes to origination need to be updated.

Many of these records are being missed and are not going out to COD as a result.

For more details, check the March 5, 2026 FA Weeklyish Bulletin sent to the ctcLink Financial Aid Support list.

Not a member of that list? Join today at ctcLinkFinAidSupport.

Updated Quick Reference Guides (QRGs)

• FA Business Flow Process Guide | 9.2 FA - Managing 3Cs | ctcLink Reference Center
  • What changed? Updated to 2027 AY.
• Direct Loan Troubleshooting Guide | 9.2 FA - Loans | ctcLink Reference Center
  • What changed? Added anchors to the Validation Error table section of the document to the Next Steps Header in the document. Also added an anchor at the end of each Validation Error section to the Next Steps document Header.

Work Study Program Business Process & Resource Guide

The Work Study Program Business Process & Resource Guide is now available at the ctcLink Reference Center.

Two new guides added to FA Packaging Hub

• FA Exx990 Process Guide | 9.2 FA - Packaging and Awards
• FA File Review Queries Guide | 9.2 FA - Packaging and Awards

For all the Packaging and Awards guides, visit the Financial Aid Packaging Hub at the ctcLink Reference Center.

FA Weeklyish Bulletin

Trying to recall that important thing you read in the ctcLink Financial Aid eList, FA Weeklyish Bulletin? Don’t miss a thing! Revisit past editions in the FA Weeklyish Bulletin Archive at the ctcLink Reference Center.

Financial Aid (FA) Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Financial Aid (FA) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things FA-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

FA Learning Opportunities

Advanced FA Work Session: Search Party! A Key Words FA Query Review

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 1 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This FA Work Session is an advanced walk through on Item Type Key Words.

The purpose of this search party/work session involves running a Financial Aid query (QCS_FA_IPEDS_KEYWORD_REV) to:

• Find Item Types at your institution that may be missing important Key Words related to IPEDs for annual reporting, and
• What to do if Key Word information is missing/blank

More information on IPEDs Reporting can be found on the SBCTC website: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Reporting

Audience: FA staff responsible for submitting and approving Item Types

Related QRGs: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Reporting

Session Presenter: Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink FA Functional Trainer

Cross-Pillar Training Session: FA/SF/FIN End-to-End Reconciliation

Monday, May 4, 2026, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This Cross-Pillar Training Session is a high-level overview of the end-to-end reconciliation process as it begins in Financial Aid, passes through Student Financials, and ends in Finance. The Functional Trainers will share tips and tricks needed for successful reconciliation for the 2026 Academic Year.

Objectives

• FA/SF/FIN - Understand the high-level flow of the cross-pillar (FA/SF/FIN) end-to-end reconciliation process
• FA – Understand the need to have reconciliation worksheets(s) to track expenses, revenue, and variances
• FA - Understand the available reports and queries in the Fund Management Guide that should be run on weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly basis
• FA - Understand the high-level process in FA concerning what queries and reports to run for varying funding sources
• FA - Understand the timing in which SAS files are available to use for FA/COD reconciliation
• SF - Understand how the GL is sent to FIN via SF/Cashier journals
• SF - Understand the available SF queries and how to reconcile them
• FIN - Review of GL Account Guidance / Resources
• FIN - Understand How SF Data Processes into Finance
• FIN - Review SF/GL Reconciliation Queries
• FIN - Reimbursement/Drawdown Best Practices

Presenters/Facilitators: Kelly Forsberg, Financial Aid Functional Trainer; Pauline Smith, Student Financials Functional Trainer; Alec Risk, Finance Functional Trainer

Audience: Newer FA, SF, and FIN staff responsible for reconciliation and staff needing a refresher

Advanced FA Training: The Rules-olution to Item Type Awarding Rules

Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 9 to 10:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

Join us for an advanced review on the awarding rules we all know and love: Financial Aid Item Types > FA Item Type 2 Tab in ctcLink.

Objectives

• Understand how the available Meet Need/Cost Awarding Rules function against Financial Need and COA:
  • Conditional
  • Cost Only
  • Need Only
  • No Effect
  • Special Need/Cost
  • Straight Need/Cost
• Understand how adjusting Meet Need/Cost Awarding Rules impact awarding selection criteria

Audience: FA staff responsible for awarding financial aid

Prerequisite Course(s): Canvas Course FA103 Awarding Financial Aid & SAP

Presenter/Facilitator: Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid)

Advanced FA Training: New AY Pre-Processing Review of FA Eligible Plans

Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 9-10 a.m., Learn more and join the session

Join us for an advanced review of FA-eligible Academic Plans as they relate to the COD Credential Cross Reference Table and the Academic Plan Table in ctcLink.

The purpose of the session is to show FA users how to review any Academic Plans that may need to be removed or added to the COD Credential Cross Reference Table before new year Federal Financial Aid processing begins.

Objectives

• Understand how to review the Academic Plan Table > Taxonomy for varying Academic Plans
  • Understand which plans are FA-eligible and which are not FA-eligible
  • Understand which plans are Active vs Inactive
• Understand how the Academic Plan Table and COD Credential Cross Reference Table impacts Federal Financial Aid processing
• Understand how to work with the data from the QCS_FA_ACADEMIC_PLAN_TABLE query Excel results, reviewing for FA eligible plans
• Understand how to extract the COD Credential Cross Reference Table plans into Excel
• Understand how to compare the data in the QCS_FA_ACADEMIC_PLAN_TABLE query to the COD Credential Cross Reference Table data
• Understand how to identify new FA eligible plans to update on the COD Credential Cross Reference Table before Federal Aid processing begins in the New Year (2027)

Audience: FA staff responsible for managing Federal Financial Aid programs, FA staff Direct Loan and Pell processors

Related QRGs: Direct Loan Troubleshooting Guide, Pell Troubleshooting Guide

Prerequisite Course(s): Canvas Course: FA104 Processing Pell Payments and Direct Loans

Presenter/Facilitator: Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid)

2026 FA Drop-in Support Sessions

Need help troubleshooting or want to learn something new? Join these casual drop-in sessions to connect with colleagues, share insights, and solve challenges together.

Questions? Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid).

HCM Support Updates

HCM Users Group Monthly Virtual Meet-Up

Friday, April 10, 2026, 9-11 a.m., Attend the HCM Users Group Monthly Virtual meeting

Join us for an open format discussion concerning best practices and procedures for all HCM Users.

Questions? Contact Annie Butler, HCM Users Group Chair.

Refresh your HCMemory

HCM Work Sessions are recorded and stored in the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information Canvas course (formerly Pillar Work Session Info) for future reference.

More about how to access the Training Recordings Archive.

HCM Monthly Newsletter

Subscribe to the ctcLinkSME-HCM list to receive the latest edition of the HCM Monthly Roundup, featuring HCM hot topics, training, and how-to tips.

To subscribe

• Visit ctcLinkSME-HCM – Human Capital Management (HCM) and follow the screen prompts.
• Contact: HCM Customer Support

Human Capital Management (HCM) Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Human Capital Management (HCM) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things HCM-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

HCM Learning Opportunities

HCM Work Sessions

Recurring every Wednesday, 1 to 3 p.m., HCM Work Sessions offer deeper dives into PeopleSoft functionality, focusing on skills enhancement in specific HCM functions (e.g., payroll, benefits, manager self-service).

SF Updates

SF DL Blast Newsletter

See previous editions of the Student Financials Distribution List Blast: SF DL Blasts.

Subscribe to the ctcLinkSME_StuFin list to receive the latest editions of the SF DL (Student Financials Distribution List) Blast featuring SF hot topics, training tips, and tricks.

Student Financials (SF) Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Student Financials (SF) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things HCM-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

SF eList subscriptions

Please note the ctcLink Support eList and SBCTC e-list sign up pages, especially these three:

• Main Student Financials eList: ctcLinkSME_StuFin
• 1098-T Statements eList: ctcLink-1098T
• BAR (Budget, Accounting, and Reporting Council) eList: BAR

Remember, besides receiving notes from our team, these resources are an easy way to ask questions of your systemwide SF colleagues.

SF Learning Opportunities

Please feel free to reach out to SFSupport@sbctc.edu if you have any questions or need further clarification.

• The Student Financials Learning Opportunities Recordings QRG is a comprehensive list of all previous SF-related recordings.
• Previous SF DL Blasts can be found within Student Financials Resources.

SF Training: Item Types/CPL/Tree Nodes

Monday, April 13, 2026, 1:00 PM-2:30 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This introductory course explores the relationship between Item Types, Charge Priority Lists, and Node Trees, and how they work together within the system.

In this session, we may cover:

• Understanding Item Types: What are they for, how do I know what we have, how do I create new ones.
• Understanding change impact on CPL updates: What CPL do I have/what is in them, how do I request a change/or create a new one.
• Tree Node changes and how they impact the CPL: What is the purpose of the item type tree, how/why might the item type tree need to be updated.

Primary Audience: Student Financials Staff

Related QRGs: Understanding Item Types

Presenters: Charles Sapien, ctcLink SF Functional Analyst, and Pauline Smith, ctcLink SF Functional Trainer

SF Work Session: Understanding Item Type Queries

Thursday, April 16, 2026 2-3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Don’t miss this one-hour work session as we explore helpful Item Type Queries and how to use them.

Primary Audience: Student Financials Staff

Presenter: Charles Sapien, ctcLink SF Functional Analyst, and Pauline Smith, ctcLink SF Functional Trainer

SF Work Session: SFRA Year-in-Review and Updates

Monday, April 20, 2026 1-2:30 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Join us as we reflect on the past year’s Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA) process and explore the latest updates and improvements.

Primary Audience: Any staff that work with SFRA

Related QRGs: Student Financial Responsibility Agreement

Presenter/Facilitator: SBCTC SF Support Team

Cross-Pillar Training Session: FA/SF/FIN End-to-End Reconciliation

Monday, May 4, 2026, 1 to 3 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This Cross-Pillar Training Session is a high-level overview of the end-to-end reconciliation process as it begins in Financial Aid, passes through Student Financials, and ends in Finance. The Functional Trainers will share tips and tricks needed for successful reconciliation for the 2026 Academic Year.

Objectives

• FA/SF/FIN - Understand the high-level flow of the cross-pillar (FA/SF/FIN) end-to-end reconciliation process
• FA – Understand the need to have reconciliation worksheets(s) to track expenses, revenue, and variances
• FA - Understand the available reports and queries in the Fund Management Guide that should be run on weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly basis
• FA - Understand the high-level process in FA concerning what queries and reports to run for varying funding sources
• FA - Understand the timing in which SAS files are available to use for FA/COD reconciliation
• SF - Understand how the GL is sent to FIN via SF/Cashier journals
• SF - Understand the available SF queries and how to reconcile them
• FIN - Review of GL Account Guidance / Resources
• FIN - Understand How SF Data Processes into Finance
• FIN - Review SF/GL Reconciliation Queries
• FIN - Reimbursement/Drawdown Best Practices

Presenters/Facilitators: Kelly Forsberg, Financial Aid Functional Trainer; Pauline Smith, Student Financials Functional Trainer; Alec Risk, Finance Functional Trainer

Audience: Newer FA, SF, and FIN staff responsible for reconciliation and staff needing a refresher

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations Accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Financials/General Ledger (SF/GL) related.

There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

 

Query Developer Learning Opportunities

Query Fundamentals Lab

Every Monday, 10-11 a.m., Join the Webex session

Query fundamentals labs are held weekly giving all Query Developers the chance to practice their query development skills. Different topics/skills are covered each week. Past lab exercises and recordings are available in Canvas.

How to Enroll in Self-Paced Query Developer Courses

It’s easy to enroll in Query Developer Courses.

• Visit the ctcLink Training Registrationpage,
• Select the class(es) from the Designated Query Developer Training section,
• Follow the sign-up process.

More for PeopleSoft Query Developers

Find more ctcLink PeopleSoft Query Development resources including forms, documentation, and tools at the ctcLink PeopleSoft Reporting web page.

ctcLink Accessibility Monthly Open Forum

The ctcLink Accessibility monthly forums engage Washington's community and technical college system in discussions around ctcLink accessibility and technology. We aim to improve communication and transparency while providing space for productive and solution-focused dialog. Our main objective is to deliver accessible technology for all our students, staff, and the larger community.

Join us! Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, 11 a.m. to noon.

Please join us for the next ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. All are welcome to attend via Zoom.

• Participants are encouraged to submit ideas for future meetings via an online form.
• Zoom meeting link: ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum 2025 and beyond

In case you missed a meeting, please see materials from past Open Forums.

Accessibility Support “Office Hours” – All College Faculty Invited

Every Friday, 1 –2 p.m., Office Hours Zoom link

The Washington eLearning Council (eLC) Accessible IT Workgroup has launched a weekly drop-in "Accessibility Question" office hours for all college faculty and staff.  

Instructional Designers from across Washington will be on hand to answer questions and help faculty at all SBCTC colleges make their courses more accessible in a low-pressure environment. This project is supported by SBCTC staff.

Keeping the Lights On

In a ctcLink world populated with acronyms and mysterious jargon, the Application Services teams are the “pillar behind the pillars” for Washington’s community and technical colleges 24/7 by supporting ctcLink pillars, systemwide IT applications, environments, accessibility improvements, testing, and managing the network data load behind-the-scenes.

While you may never meet them directly or understand what they do, they support you every single day.