June 16, 2026
U.S. Department of Education Interagency Agreements (IAAs) Overview
A summary of transfer details and what this means for higher ed institutions.
As of March 2026, the Department of Education (ED) has signed 10 IAAs with five federal agencies. These agreements represent significant restructuring of federal education administration, shifting operational responsibility from ED to other federal agencies.
What This Means for Institutions:
- Grant applications and payments for transferred programs are moving to different agency systems as awards will be administered through their grants management systems rather than traditional ED processes
- Institutions may expect new points of contact for compliance and monitoring as receiving agencies assume more operational responsibilities previously held by ED
- The $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio is transitioning to the Department of the Treasury through a three-phase process: defaulted loan collections, administrative servicing of non-defaulted debt, and programmatic policy and student financial assistance (including FAFSA administration)
- Programs not currently included in any IAA may be subject to future transfers as implementation evolves
ED Office and Program Transfer Summary
| IAA Title | ED Office | Programs/Functions Transferred | Receiving Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary Education Partnership | Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) | Higher education grants including TRIO programs, GEAR UP, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, HBCU grants, Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund | DOL |
| Workforce Development Partnership | Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education | Career and Technical Education programs; Adult Education and Family Literacy programs |
DOL |
| Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership |
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) |
K–12 grants supporting teaching and learning | DOL |
| Federal Student Assistance Partnership | Office of Federal Student Aid | Federal student loan portfolio (~$1.7 trillion); initial phase covers defaulted loan collections; future phases expected to include non-defaulted loan servicing, FAFSA, and institutional eligibility | Treasury |
| Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership | OPE | Child Care Access Means Parents in School program | HHS |
| The National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation | OPE | Medical subject matter expertise to support reviews of foreign medical education accreditation standards | HHS |
| Family Engagement and School Support Partnership | OESE | School safety/security and mental health grants that support family engagement centers | HHS |
| Indian Education Partnership | OESE / OPE / Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services |
Indian Education programs for Native students and tribal college grants | DOI |
| Section 117 Partnership | Office of the General Counsel | Foreign gift and contract reporting as required of higher education institutions under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act | State |
| International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership | OPE — International Programs | Fulbright and Hays Program grants; Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships; International Research vand Studies Program | State |
SOUrces
- “Breaking Down ED’s Interagency Agreements,” Inside Higher Ed
- “Departmental Actions: Regulatory Actions by the Federal Departments and State Agencies,” AASCU
- “Fact Sheet: Department of Education (ED) and Department of Labor (DOL) Postsecondary Education Partnership”, Department of Education
- “ED Shifts Additional Key Programs to Other Agencies: What States, Districts, and IHEs Need to Know,” Sligo Law Group
- “Fact Sheet: Federal Student Assistance Partnership,” U.S. Department of the Treasury,
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