(LOANS-22-08) FY 2019 Official Cohort Default Rates Distributed Sept. 29–30, 2022 (Updated Sept. 30, 2022)

Author
Federal Student Aid
Electronic Announcement ID
LOANS-22-08
Subject
FY 2019 Official Cohort Default Rates Distributed Sept. 29–30, 2022 (Updated Sept. 30, 2022)

Note

Please note the following updates published on Sept. 30, 2022:

Average Rate Calculation LRDR: In the past, three LRDRs were sent to schools that receive an Average Rate Calculation due to having 29 or fewer borrowers entering repayment in the current cohort fiscal year. For FY 2019, these schools will receive only one Average Rate Calculation LRDR that combines the information for the three years into one LRDR. A school will use the Cohort Year in position 321 - 324 of the fixed-width Average Rate Calculation LRDR to identify each year’s information.

Fixed-Width Reports to SAIG Mailboxes: We are currently experiencing an issue with online reports being sent to users’ SAIG mailboxes. The Excel version of each report is available upon online request for download to your computer. The affected reports are as follows:

  • GACDR NSLDS GA CDR History Report (GACDREOP)

  • LRCDR NSLDS Lender CDR History Report (LNCDREOP)

  • LSCDR NSLDS Lender Servicer CDR History Report (AHSLDEOP)

  • SHCDR NSLDS School CDR History Report (SHCDREOP)

If you need the fixed-width version of any of these reports sent to your SAIG mailbox, contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center at 1-800-999-8219 or nslds@ed.gov.

Beginning on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, through Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) will distribute the FY 2019 official cohort default rate (CDR) notification packages to all eligible domestic and foreign schools only. The rates will be publicly released on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022.

In this announcement, we provide information about our distribution of the official rates and the begin dates and other reminders about the cohort default rate appeal process. In addition, we provide information about some changes to the Default Management website that will occur along with the 2022 release of the rates.

Distribution of FY 2019 Official Cohort Default Rates

For both eligible domestic and foreign schools enrolled in the Electronic Cohort Default Rate (eCDR) process, we are sending FY 2019 official cohort default rate and accompanying documentation via the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG). This information is being sent to the SAIG mailbox of the destination point administrator designated by the school. Each eCDR package contains the following information:

  • Cover Letter (message class SHDRLROP)

  • Extract-Type Loan Record Detail Report (message class SHCDREOP)

Notes:

  1. A Comma Delimited-Type Loan Record Detail Report (message class CDRCSVOP) is available via NSLDS Professional Access. Go to the Reports area to download the report or to have it sent to an SAIG mailbox.

  2. A Reader-Friendly Loan Record Detail Report (message class SHCDRROP) for FY 19 is being updated to PDF and will be available soon via NSLDS Professional Access. We will inform schools when this report can be downloaded from the Reports area.

Schools not enrolled in eCDR will not receive an eCDR notification package.  Schools may download their cohort default rate and accompanying Loan Record Detail Reports from the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) via the NSLDS Professional Access website.

LRDR File review: Schools are reminded of the availability of the NSLDS Loan Record Detail Report (LRDR) Import Tool. The LRDR Import Tool can be used to easily load data generated from the LRDR into the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application, which is designed to assist schools with reviewing and analyzing their LRDR extract files.

To download the LRDR Import Tool, go to the Default Management - Templates and Spreadsheets Topics page on the Knowledge Center. If you have questions about using the LRDR Import Tool or NSLDS, contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center at 1-800-999-8219. You can also contact Customer Support by email at nslds@ed.gov.

Note: Any school that did not have a borrower in repayment, during the current or any of the past cohort default rate periods, will not receive a FY 2019 official CDR notification package. These schools are considered to have no cohort default rate data and no cohort default rate.

We will continue to provide guaranty agency rates and lender rates via email. Both guaranty agency and lender rates can also be obtained through the NSLDS website.

Begin Dates for Appealing FY 2019 Official Cohort Default Rates

The period for appealing the FY 2019 official CDR under 34 C.F.R Part 668, Subpart N begins on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, for all schools.

Reminders About the Cohort Default Rate Appeal Process

Schools must use the electronic Cohort Default Rate Appeals (eCDR Appeals) System for the following appeals and adjustments.

  • Loan Servicing Appeal

  • Uncorrected Data Adjustment

  • New Data Adjustment

Previously, some appeal types could be mailed to us in paper format, but we have moved to electronic submissions (email) since 2020. Schools must submit the following appeals electronically via password secured email (not the eCDR Appeals System) to the Cohort Default Rate Group; paper submissions will not be accepted.

  • Economically Disadvantaged Appeal

  • Participation Rate Index Appeal

  • Erroneous Data Appeal

Send these appeals to FSA.Schools.Default.Management@ed.gov with a copy (cc:) to mary.mcgeorge@ed.gov. The subject line of the email should be labeled as: FY 2019 Official [Insert appeal type], OPEID.

As a reminder, eCDR Appeals is a web-based application that allows schools to electronically submit certain adjustments/appeals requests during the specified timeframes. The application allows data managers (guaranty agency or federal loan servicer) and Federal Student Aid personnel to electronically view and respond to these adjustments/appeals.  The application tracks the entire life cycle of each request from the time the case is submitted until the time a decision is made and the case is closed.

If a technical problem caused by the Department results in an inability to access the data, schools have five business days from the receipt of the eCDR notification package to notify Partner Eligibility and Oversight Services (PEOS) at the email address given below. As stated above, the time period for challenging the FY 2019 official CDR begins on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, for all schools.

To complete an adjustment or appeal, you may need the data manager’s contact information. Click on the “Alphabetical and Numerical Data Manager Contacts” link from the home page of the Default Management Topics page on the Knowledge Center.

If the Department revises a school’s cohort default rate based on its adjustment or appeal submission, the revised cohort default rate will be available on the Default Management Topics page.

For specific information regarding eCDR Appeals, visit the eCDR Appeals website where you will find user guides for each of the challenge and adjustment processes, as well as a user guide for the registration process. Additionally, you will find links to recordings of eCDR Appeals demonstration sessions to assist first-time users.

Default Management Website Updates and Content Consolidation

Currently, CDR information is spread across multiple websites and servers. With the release of the rates, we will fully integrate all CDR information under the Default Management Topics page on the Knowledge Center. The move will streamline content and simplify navigation. It will also bring the look and feel of all CDR content in line with the look and feel of the Knowledge Center.

Any default management page URL that begins with “www2.ed.gov/OSFAP” will no longer be connected to the Knowledge Center as of Oct. 3, 2022, and fully retired as of Oct. 31, 2022. If a user has pages bookmarked with a URL that includes this prefix, he or she will need to update those bookmarks with the new pages as soon as possible; ideally, users should update the bookmark to the Default Management Topics home page: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/default-management. In two cases, we will have a redirect in place for a limited time. A user will receive an error message (likely a 404 error) for all other pages.

Contact Information

For additional information regarding the school cohort default rate calculation or the challenge processes, refer to the CDRG.

You may also contact us by email at fsa.schools.default.management@ed.gov or by phone at 202-377-4259.

Last Modified: 09/30/2022