We are pleased to announce the posting of EDExpress for Windows 2021–2022, Release 2.0, on the Software and Other Tools page of Federal Student Aid’s Knowledge Center website (https://Knowledge Center.ed.gov/software-and-other-tools). Release 2.0 adds full Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant), William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan), and Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant functionality for the 2021–22 award cycle.
In addition to the software, the following EDExpress 2021–22 documents are available for download from the Knowledge Center website:
-
Installation Guide for EDExpress for Windows 2021–2022 (provides technical and installation guidance);
-
The EDExpress for Windows 2021–2022, Release 2.0 Cover Letter (provides critical information regarding enhancements and other updates in Release 2.0); and
-
The EDExpress for Windows 2021–2022, Release 2.0 Desk Reference (includes step-by-step guidance regarding EDExpress Pell Grant and Direct Loan functionality in Release 2.0).
Volume III of the 2021–2022 COD Technical Reference, which provides technical guidance and record layouts for use with the EDExpress 2021-2022 Pell Grant, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant modules, is also available on the Knowledge Center website.
2021–22 Federal Pell Grant Schedules in Release 2.0
EDExpress 2021–2022, Release 2.0 includes updates to the Global, Packaging, and Pell Grant modules to incorporate the 2021–22 Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement schedules announced in Dear Colleague Letter GEN-21-01, posted on Jan. 22, 2021.
College Financing Plan Functionality in Release 2.0
In the November 12, 2020 electronic announcement, Federal Student Aid’s Office of Postsecondary Education announced the availability of new College Financing Plan templates for the 2021–22 award year, including separate templates for undergraduate students and for graduate/professional students.
EDExpress 2021–2022, Release 2.0 continues to offer College Financing Plan functionality that is based on the single template responsive design implemented in the 2020–21 award year. If your school chooses to adopt the 2021–22 College Financing Plan templates, you will need to use a system other than EDExpress to create student records and generate the College Financing Plan document.
For more information on the 2021–22 College Financing Plan enhancements, including revised HTML specifications file, technical guide, and a set of Frequently Asked Questions, visit the College Financing Plan page at https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/aid-offer/index.html.
EDExpress 2021–22 Installation Notes
Note the following guidance during the installation of EDExpress 2021–2022, Release 2.0:
-
When you initiate the EDExpress 2021–2022 installation process, you will be prompted to install the ACE Access Database Engine. This functionality is required to install EDExpress 2021–2022. Click Install to allow the process to determine if the ACE Access Database Engine is already on the workstation and install it if not; after which the installation will proceed.
-
EDExpress 2021–2022 requires Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.6.2. You will be prompted to install this software if the EDExpress 2021–2022 installation process determines it is not available on your workstation.
For more information on installing EDExpress 2021–2022, see the EDExpress for Windows 2021–2022 Installation Guide.
EDExpress 2021–2022 Initial Login Information
If you upgrade from EDExpress 2021–2022, Release 1.0 to Release 2.0, your User IDs, passwords, and other security settings are carried forward to Release 2.0 and do not need to be recreated.
If you have not installed EDExpress 2021–2022 prior to Release 2.0, when you first access the software after installation, the default User ID is SYSADMIN and the default password is $y$tem Adm1n. Be sure to include the space between $y$tem and Adm1n (the two parts of the default password).
After you enter the default user ID and password, EDExpress 2021–2022 requires that you immediately define a new password for the SYSADMIN. New passwords must be a minimum of 12 characters and must include at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one keyboard character that is not a letter or number (such as an exclamation mark or other punctuation symbol). You can adjust the minimum password length and other requirements in the Password Setup dialog box (Tools, Setup, Global, Password Setup).
The SYSADMIN user ID only provides access to critical administrative functions in order to limit its use for routine software tasks and improve your ability to trace actions taken in the software to specific users. EDExpress administrators at your school should create unique user IDs in Security Users setup with the necessary access (based on the associated Security Group) and log into the software under those IDs for most software tasks they perform.
For more information on security setup, see EDExpress Help in the software and the EDExpress for Windows 2021–2022, Release 2.0 Desk Reference.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding downloading, installing, or using EDExpress 2021–2022, Release 2.0, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at CPSSAIG@ed.gov.
You can also post questions regarding EDExpress on FSATech. FSATech is an electronic mailing list for technical questions about Federal Student Aid systems, software, and mainframe products. For more information on subscribing to FSATech, go to https://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/services/fsatechsubscribe.html.
If you have any questions about the COD System, contact the COD School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978. You may also email CODSupport@ed.gov.