Bulletin ID
DLB - 96 - 15
| PublicationDate: 9/1/96 BulletinID: DLB - 96 - 15 September 1996 DLB-96-15 SUMMARY: Tips on using the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to complete the Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) Dear Colleague: The "practice" phase for the new NSLDS SSCR process concluded August 15, 1996. While many schools completed and returned the SSCR information via NSLDS, many others experienced difficulties for a variety of reasons (i.e., conversion of the EDExpress software, inclusion of previously enrolled students, etc.). If your school returned the "practice" SSCR by the deadline, we realize the difficulties involved and greatly appreciate your hard work and diligence. If your school was unable to complete the process before August 15, please continue to work on completing the SSCR. We hope the tips included in this letter will help you. The next NSLDS SSCR will be issued to schools in late fall; we will all have benefited from what we are learning from this "practice" process. For more information on the NSLDS SSCR, please look for the September 1996 "Dear Colleague" letter, GEN-96-17. You can access this letter on the BBS and will receive a hard copy in the near future. NSLDS SSCR Implementation The "practice" period for the new NSLDS SSCR process ended August 15, 1996, for Direct Loan schools. However, if your school did not complete the SSCR, please do so and submit it as soon as possible. The first next NSLDS SSCR will be distributed in late fall. This file will contain the changes you reported on your "practice" SSCR. Even if you are late completing the "practice" SSCR, you must complete the Fall SSCR, reflecting your latest enrollment information. Please complete and submit both SSCR files, in the order received. If you are an EDExpress user, you will receive version 2.5 prior to receiving the Fall SSCR. You must install version 2.5 before processing the Fall SSCR. If you process the Fall SSCR with an earlier version of EDExpress, many of the records that you update will reject or contain errors. Your school may also receive SSCR rosters from guaranty agencies. Until further notice, please respond to these as usual. This may require some duplication of effort for a time, but this will cease when the NSLDS SSCR process is fully operational for all schools in February 1997. Training Materials and Customer Service A user guide, "The Paperless Link", was sent to schools in May 1996. It provides a step-by-step approach to all NSLDS on-line screens. A computer-based training (CBT) diskette was also included in this guide. The diskette is a tutorial for the screens. If your institution did not receive this mailing or has additional questions concerning the NSLDS SSCR process, please call NSLDS Customer Service at (800) 999-8219. Entering Student Data Many schools found that the recent "practice" SSCR included students who left their institution several years earlier. These students have been included in an effort to obtain more accurate information about their loans. Some schools may no longer have data on these students. You are expected to make a reasonable effort to provide accurate enrollment information for all students on the roster. If the information is not available, you should use a "Z" code, indicating no information, for those students. Schools only need to supply addresses for students who are currently enrolled or who left the institution within the last six months. If a student is attending a visiting school while enrolled at a host school that awarded Title IV aid, it is the responsibility of the host school to receive and process the NSLDS SSCR. NSLDS enrollment records reflect the school where the student is officially enrolled. You are allowed to submit a file to NSLDS that consists entirely of added records. Please be sure to use a file type of "A" in the header record when submitting a file of added records. Multiple TIV WAN Destination Points and Servicer Completion of SSCR If needed, your school may want to establish multiple Title IV WAN (TIV WAN) destination points. For example, the school's Registrar's Office or a third party servicer may have a separate, unique destination point for the exchange of SSCR data. If you have on-line access to NSLDS and you are using a third party servicer who already has a NSLDS destination code, you can use the on-line screens to designate or change servicers. If your school uses a servicer for the SSCR process, please remember that you are ultimately responsible for ensuring that your school's SSCR records are completed according to the program requirements. EDExpress and the SSCR Process The following steps are recommended for using EDExpress for the NSLDS SSCR process: 1. Go to SSCR Setup and set the compare flag to "yes." 2. Import the SSCR file with the compare option on. All SSCR records that match records currently on your EDExpress database will have all required status and address information available pulled into the SSCR database. If records are skipped during the import process because of bad data, keep a copy of the import edit list and instructions will be provided later on how to handle these records. 3. Print the SSCR list. This list will show the borrower identifier information, required information, and SSCR status. If a record has all required information present after the import, the SSCR status will be set to "R" for Ready To Send. For records with an "R" status where the information is accurate, nothing more needs to be done until export. For those where the information is not accurate, you must open the record and provide the accurate data. 4. For records where the status is not "R", you will need to supply the missing information. The status will automatically change to "R" when you save the record if all information is present. There are four methods to supply missing information: A. Select File/Open SSCR, choose the SSN of the record you wish to update, modify the record, and save it. B. Create a user-defined query to identify a group of records to which you want to apply the same required information. Do this by setting up the query and executing it under Open/SSCR Multiple Entry. C. If you have a group of records that cannot be identified and grouped via a query but need the same required information applied to them, go to Open/SSCR Multiple Entry and enter the required information and select Multiple SSNs. This will allow you to enter just the SSNs of all the records you wish to update. D. If the missing information is present on an external system, you can create an import change file to contain the information you want updated on selected records. Import this file, and if all required information is then present on the database, the status of each record will be set to "R". 5. When all records have a status of "R", the file can be exported. If you have any questions about using EDExpress for SSCR purposes, please call Direct Loan Technical Customer Service at (800) 330-5947, Option 3. If you have technical questions about the SSCR process in general, please call NSLDS Customer Service at (800) 999-8219. Again, please remember to install EDExpress 2.5 before processing your Fall SSCR. Error Notification Files Due to system communication problems, error notification files have been delayed and will be available in mid-October. Some schools may receive errors due to the use of zeros, rather than spaces, in the New Birthdate field. It is not necessary to correct errors related to this issue. Simply re-send your file to NSLDS. The system has been modified to accept either zeros or spaces for that field. Finally, we would like to thank all of you for your patience during our effort to make the SSCR process completely electronic. If you have questions concerning any of the information in this bulletin, please call the appropriate customer service line or your regional Direct Loan Account Manager. Sincerely, Diane M. Voigt, Chair Direct Loan Task Force |