Federal student loansOne of the department's major roles is management of the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio. Student aid will be largely unaffected in the short term, according to the department's shutdown contingency plan. Within the Office of Federal Student Aid, the department plans to furlough 632 of the 747 employees during the shutdown, although it didn't say which ones. The department will also continue to process the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is a key piece of how colleges and universities provide aid packages to incoming students. Civil rights investigationsUnder the shutdown, the department will stop its investigations into schools and universities over alleged civil rights violations.