(GENERAL-22-10) REMINDER – Final DUNS Number Registration Required Before April 4, 2022 Transition to New Unique Entity Identifier

Author
Federal Student Aid
Electronic Announcement ID
GENERAL-22-10
Subject
REMINDER – Final DUNS Number Registration Required Before April 4, 2022 Transition to New Unique Entity Identifier

On April 4, 2022, the General Services Administration (GSA) will begin using the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as the authoritative identifier for all entities doing business with the federal government and will discontinue using the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) will also implement the UEI across all of its systems on April 4, 2022.

An institution will automatically receive a UEI if it has an “active” registration status for its DUNS numbers in the GSA’s System for Award Management (SAM) website . Institutions that do not have a UEI by April 4, 2022, will not be able to process disbursements in the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System or draw or return funds in G5 (the Department’s delivery system for program award and payment administration).

To ensure timely processing of your institution’s UEI before the transition, and to allow for continued access to G5 and limit disruption to Title IV aid processing in general, all institutions must complete the registration process of their grantee and payee DUNS numbers as soon as possible, but no later than March 18, 2022.

DUNS Number to UEI – Registration Reminders

Because an institution may use DUNS numbers for different purposes, it is likely an institution will need to register multiple DUNS numbers in SAM. Some considerations when completing the registration process are provided below.

  • If an institution processes disbursement records in the COD System using a different grantee or payee DUNS numbers than the ones used for cash activity in G5, it must register both DUNS numbers.

  • If an institution used a different DUNS number for any Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Grants (HEERF I, HEERF II, and/or HEERF III) than the one(s) used to process “regular” Title IV aid, it must register both numbers.

  • If an institution has multiple DUNS numbers, it must register each of them individually. This includes DUNS numbers for any approved additional locations.

In short, institutions must review the SAM website and validate the registration status for all grantee and payee DUNS numbers used at the institution and complete the registration as soon as possible. To complete the registration, an institution must first create a SAM user account. Once the SAM user account is created, the institution can log in to register every DUNS number associated with programs for which it expects to receive funds from, or repay funds to, the Department. Additional information about the UEI transition and registering a DUNS number can be found in the “Learn More” link in the “Register Your Entity or Get a Unique Entity ID” box on the SAM website.

Institutions should allow 10-12 business days after completing the process for the registration to be active in SAM.

Note: Once the institution’s UEI is assigned, it will be viewable in SAM as the system of record for UEIs; it will be listed below the DUNS number on the entity registration record. Although the UEI will be viewable in SAM, it will not be viewable in the Department’s Electronic Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Financial Aid Programs (e-App). Because there is no field in the e-App for entering a UEI, no action is currently required on the institution’s part. However, an institution can indicate their UEI in question 69 of the e-App. The Department will provide further information in a future Electronic Announcement.

Contact Information

If you still have questions about the SAM website or the DUNS number registration process, contact the Federal Service Desk at 1-866-606-8220.

For questions related to G5, contact the G5 Hotline at 1-888-336-8930. You may also email edcaps.user@ed.gov.