DCLPublicationDate: 6/1/97 DCLID: ANN-97-7 AwardYear: Summary: Title IV Single Identifier Initiative U.S. Department of Education Washington, D.C. 20202-5132 -- To Financial Aid Administrator Dear Financial Aid Administrator: In March 1997 we wrote to you about the Department's initiative to implement a single identifier for an institution to use when it participates in the Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The purpose of this communication is to provide you with a report containing all program identifier information about your institution's participation which we maintain on our data systems. Prior to assigning a single identifier we want to reaffirm with you that the information we maintain on your institution is current and accurate. The enclosed Program Identifier Report (PIR) contains the identification information we have on our data systems. Please note that one copy of the PIR is being provided to you with the Business Officer receiving a copy of this Information Bulletin. The PIR is divided into three sections: - Section 1 contains the name and address of your institution. This information was provided during the initial or subsequent certification process(es) for participation in the Title IV student aid programs. The address listed is the legal address for your institution and may not be the address(es) at which student financial aid information is received. Section 1 also lists the identifiers CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO YOUR MAIN CAMPUS. - Section 2, "Other Locations", provides the name and address information that was provided about your institution's other sites. These may be non-main campus educational locations or schools within your institution for which you have requested a separate delineation. These may also be administrative sites at which electronic data is exchanged, student financial aid administered, or loan origination sites. Finally we list any Pell, Campus-Based or Direct Loan program identifier(s) that may be associated with each site (including duplicate program identifiers that were used to identify the main campus). - Section 3, "Federal Family Education Loan Programs", lists any FFEL identifier(s) that, at one point or another during the previous thirty-five years, were used by your institution (or its predecessor). The National Student Loan Data System maintains a "crosswalk" of inactive loan identifiers to current loan identifiers, and uses the crosswalk in calculating your institution's student loan cohort default rate. As the Financial Aid Administrator or Business Officer for your institution we look to you to correct any erroneous, no longer current, or incomplete information contained in the report. Please note that if your institution recently submitted its recertification application for continued participation in the Title IV programs, the information contained in the recertification application may not be reflected in the PIR as the recertification application is still in process. If corrections are necessary and your institution has multiple financial aid offices and/or business offices, you should include corrections from these other offices in your response. You may provide the Single Identifier Initiative Team with any corrections or additions by - - ACCESSING OUR WEB SITE and making whatever corrections are necessary. Our web site address is http://www.sii.ed.gov. To access and correct your institution's identifier information, click on the SII icon. You must use your institution's 8 digit OPEID and the "Payee Identification Number" (PIN) as the password. If your institution participates in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP) an additional PIN was assigned for that purpose. YOU MAY NOT USE THE FDSLP PIN AS THE PASSWORD. "Help" screens are available to provide any assistance you may need as you correct the information. - PROVIDING CORRECTIONS VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL. Any corrections must include the Office of Postsecondary Education Identifier (OPEID) and the name of the institution, the name and telephone number of a person whom we may contact for clarifying information. Our electronic mail address is title4sii@ed.gov Electronic mail corrections should be sent "return receipt requested" to assure you of our receipt of the corrected information you provided. - FAXING CORRECTIONS. You may fax us any corrections to your institution's information. Our facsimile number is 202.260.5909. You must include a fax cover page with the name and telephone number of a contact person. Facsimile corrections must be printed on the institution's letterhead and include the OPEID. - UTILIZING REGULAR POST. You may provide any corrections via regular mail. As with facsimiles, corrections must be printed on the institution's letterhead, include the OPEID and the name and telephone number of a contact person. If the information printed on the PIR is correct and current you are not required to provide any additional information. If the information about your institution does require correction or emendation, we encourage you to utilize the web site as this method reduces the likelihood of data entry error. On the web site you are not required to make all corrections at the same time. You may access your institution's information on the web site as often as you want. We ask that you provide us with any corrective information by September 30, 1997. We anticipate providing your institution with another report later this year. This report will provide you with information about the Title IV single identifier designated for your institution and its educational and administrative sites. We will also advise you of the date(s) after which the new identifier will signify your institution throughout the student financial aid community. Both the Single Identifier Initiative and Project EASI [Easy Access for Students & Institutions] are predicated upon the Postsecondary Education Participant System (PEPS) becoming the sole source of information about a Title IV participating institution. Later this year PEPS will initiate electronic export of information about an institution's participation in the Title IV programs to all SFAP systems, student loan servicers, and the State and National Student Loan Guaranty Agencies. Certain types of institutional information (e.g., current program identifiers, financial aid and business office addresses, voice and facsimile numbers, internet address, etc.,) must be accurate and current to assure smooth transition to electronic interface. Finally, your institution's new identifier may also be used by State education, licensing or regulatory bodies, testing agencies, and other entities providing services to the postsecondary education community. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us by - - telephoning 202.708.4608, - faxing 202.260.5909, - emailing title4sii@ed.gov, or - visiting the SII booth at the NASFA conference in Philadelphia. We are committed to providing you with accurate and timely information and assistance regarding any questions you have about your institution's identifier information. Sincerely, Elizabeth M. Hicks Deputy Assistant Secretary Student Financial Assistance |