Access to Federal Student Aid (FSA) Systems

All schools and/or their servicers must be able to exchange data with the FPS.

Schools must be able to receive Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) from the FPS, submit corrections to ISIR data to the FPS, and add the federal school code to a student’s record if needed. Schools may use the FAFSA Partner Portal, the EDExpress for Windows software, or their own software to manage student applicant data.

Enrollment is located at fsawebenroll.ed.gov.

Operational communications and guidance, technical documents, and related information specific to the FPS can be found on the “FAFSA Processing System (FPS)” page of the Knowledge Center. Schools may contact the FPS Help Desk at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at support@fps.ed.gov.

Only for schools participating in the Direct Loan Program or that participated in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program prior to July 1, 2010.

The Department provides draft and final versions of the default rates for all participating institutions each year in electronic format. Schools must enroll to receive their electronic CDR information to review the data for completeness and accuracy. The draft version allows a school to challenge any inaccurate or incomplete data before the final version is released.

Schools enroll for eCDR services at the SAIG Enrollment website: fsawebenroll.ed.gov.

Complete instructions for enrolling in the eCDR process, checking enrollment status, obtaining a sample default management plan, and downloading the Cohort Default Rate Guide are available at the https://ecdrappeals.ed.gov.

Only for schools participating in the Campus-Based, Federal Pell Grant, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG), and/or Direct Loan Programs. Send all award and disbursement data to the COD system using the “Common Record” format or via the COD website. Track funding levels and process Federal Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, IASG, and Direct Loan awards and disbursements. Schools participating in any of the three Campus-Based programs use this site to apply for funds, report expenditures, apply for waivers, and return money through the reallocation process.

The COD system is the Department’s system for processing all award and disbursement data for participants in the Federal Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, IASG, and Direct Loan Programs.

The COD website is a tool for processing and viewing Federal Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, IASG, and Direct Loan data as well as assisting schools with troubleshooting and problem resolution. It allows users to track funding levels, dates, and amounts of all cash receipts and returns of cash. It allows users to create or change award and disbursement data online rather than sending data by the batch process. It provides users the ability to view grant and Direct Loan reports and provides a report request function to assist schools in reconciling data between their institutions and the COD system throughout the processing year and in year-end closeout. Users view data by program and program year. Authorized users may also set several options for Master Promissory Note (MPN) processing as well as options for how a school’s borrowers use StudentLoans.gov.

For Campus-Based, the COD website is used to apply for Campus-Based funding for the next award year and report expenditures from the previous award year. Also, to apply for an Under-Use Waiver or a Community Service Waiver and to return funds to the Department through the reallocation process.

Schools can also use the COD website to complete Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculations.

Schools enroll for COD system processing of Campus-Based, Federal Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, IASG, and Direct Loan data at the SAIG site: fsawebenroll.ed.gov.

The COD website is located at cod.ed.gov. Access instructions are available on the website.

A COD User utilizes the Common Record in XML format to submit Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, and/or Direct Loan origination and disbursement data to the COD System. COD Participants may submit data to the COD system through batch processing of Common Record documents over the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) or through manual entry of Common Record data using the COD web site. Users should refer to the annual COD Technical Reference for record layouts and detail processes. Assistance is also available at https://cod.ed.gov/cod/ContactUs.

All schools use this site to apply for and maintain Title IV eligibility.

Use the E-app to apply for designation as an eligible institution, initial participation, recertification, reinstatement, change in ownership, or to update a current approval.

Updates include changes such as, but not limited to, name or address change, new location or program, increased level of offering, change of officials, or mailing address for publications.

The site is located at https://fsapartners.ed.gov/title-iv-program-eligibility/title-iv-participation-application.

Use the online help or contact your School Participation Team (SPT). A list of states covered by each SPT and its phone number is shown on the opening screen of the E-App site.

All schools must use the eZ-Audit website to submit required annual compliance audit reports and audited financial statements.

The eZ-Audit website provides a single point of submission for paperless financial statements and compliance audits online. A designee from the school signs on to eZ-Audit, enters summary audit and financial data into an online form, attaches an electronic version of the report, and submits.

The eZ-Audit website is located at ezaudit.ed.gov. Select “Registration Instructions” to apply for access to the site.

Use the links on the left side of the opening screen titled “Common Submission Errors,” “Frequently Asked Questions,” “Steps to Creating an eZ-Audit Submission,” and “Creating a PDF.” Help Desk support may be reached toll-free at: 1-877-263-0780. The Step-by-Step Guide to Using eZ-Audit is available online at the eZ-Audit website and on the Knowledge Center.

All schools must be able to access G5.

G5 is used to draw down Title IV funds as well as make returns of excess cash electronically. The site provides continuous reporting capability of an institution’s funding by program and year.

The G5 website is located at g5.gov. All users need to register before they can access the G6 website. Instructions are available on the website. Users must also set up direct deposit procedures with G6 in order to receive funds in their designated bank account.

Training on how to use the G6 website and G6 processes is available on their website. To access the online training, select “Main” in the blue menu bar at the top of the home page. Then, select “Online Training” to complete the training. Assistance is also available by contacting the U.S. Department of Education Business Support Services Help Desk at 1-888-336-8930 or emailing obssed@servicenowservices.com.

All schools must be able to access the NSLDS® database.

The NSLDS database is the source of information about federal student loans and grants. The NSLDS database provides a centralized, integrated view of federal loans and grants during their complete life cycle, from aid approval through disbursement, repayment, deferment, delinquency, and closure. Information and data for the NSLDS database is received from various data providers including schools, lenders, servicers, and guaranty agencies. Schools must use the NSLDS site to assist with eligibility determination when awarding federal student aid.

The NSLDS Professional Access website is located at nsldsfap.ed.gov/login.

The NSLDS Student Access website is no longer available. Students can access loan and grant information by logging into StudentAid.gov and viewing their Dashboard.

For questions related to NSLDS functions such as student eligibility, overpayments, loan history, and enrollment reporting, contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center at 1-800-999-8219. You can also contact Customer Support by email at nslds@ed.gov.

Note: Schools do not need to access StudentAid.gov. This site is used by students and borrowers in the Direct Loan Program.

The Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory is part of StudentAid.gov.

All schools can use the directory to determine whether or not a teacher who received a Federal Perkins Loan, Direct Loan, or FFEL Program Loan at their school is eligible to receive a loan cancellation as provided under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Borrowers can use StudentAid.gov to:

Direct PLUS Loan endorsers can complete an online Endorser Addendum. Direct PLUS Loan borrowers (both parents and graduate or professional students) can complete a request for a Direct PLUS Loan and initiate a credit check online as well as complete PLUS Loan counseling. TEACH Grant recipients can complete a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) and initial and subsequent counseling (TEACH Grant exit counseling is not part of the site). The TCLI Directory lists schools on a state-by-state and territory-by-territory basis that meet the criteria as being designated as a low-income school that a borrower may teach at to qualify for deferment and cancellation benefits.

The StudentLoans.gov website is StudentAid.gov.

Information about what students need and can expect for the site can be found in the “Learn More” box on the website.

The TCLI Directory is located under the “Obtain Aid” menu item at the bottom of the home page. On the opening screen select “Search” to search for schools by school name or by state.

All schools and/or their servicers need to enroll at this site to exchange data with various U.S. Department of Education (The Department) systems.

Allows data exchange between schools and the FAFSA Processing System (FPS), the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) system, and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) database. Also provides the ability to transmit the annual Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate in the Federal Campus-Based Programs (FISAP) file and to receive electronic Cohort Default Rate (CDR) information.

Enrollment is located at https://fsawebenroll.ed.gov.

Online help is available to answer questions about enrollment for each type of service. Schools may contact the FPS Help Desk at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at support@fps.ed.gov.