Default Management

Welcome to the Default Management page. This page integrates the publication of the official cohort default rates (CDR) while providing cohort default-related information, references, and resources for these rates in one location.

Partner Eligibility and Oversight Services (PEOS) calculates draft and official cohort default rates, which measure the ratio of students who enter repayment (denominator) during a cohort year and who later default (numerator) on those loans. PEOS disseminates draft and official rates to schools electronically and allows schools the ability to challenge/appeal/adjust the rates.

Guaranty agency and lender cohort default rates are also calculated and disseminated by PEOS; however, this page pertains only to school cohort default rates and associated issues including default prevention. For guaranty agency and lender CDRs refer to the Lender and Guaranty Agency Default Rates page.

From this page, you may also navigate to our eCDR Appeals application, a web-based application that allows schools to submit Incorrect Data Challenges (IDC), Uncorrected Data Adjustment (UDA), New Data Adjustment (NDA), and Loan Servicing Appeals (LSA) during the cohort default rate appeal cycles. In the Cohort Default Rate Guide, you will find instructions on how to submit the Participation Rate Index challenge, Participation Rate Index Appeal, Erroneous Data Appeal, and/or the Economically Disadvantaged Appeal; these four challenges and appeals must be submitted electronically via password secured email.

You can review the question and answer section (FAQs) in which we include our most frequently asked questions. Should you need any further information regarding school cohort default rates, contact our hotline at 202-377-4259 or email us at fsa.schools.default.management@ed.gov.

In addition to cohort default rate assistance, Federal Student Aid provides default prevention support for schools. For questions related to default prevention, contact defaultpreventionassistance@ed.gov. For consolidated delinquency and default prevention resources, refer to the Default Prevention Resource Information page.

Cohort Default Rates

Cohort Default Rate Guide

  • Cohort Default Rate Guide Quick Reference

    The Cohort Default Rate Guide Quick Reference presents some of the key elements of the Guide in a more informal manner to give schools a summary of what they should do during the draft and official cohort default rate cycles. The Quick Reference Guide is offered in Portable Document Format (PDF). This requires version 4.0 or greater of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.

    We are working to update the two CDR guides. For a period of time, these resources will contain images and instructions that do not correspond to the updated NSLDS website.

  • The eCDR Appeals system is a web-based application used to submit certain types of challenges, appeals, or adjustments to a cohort default rate. It is also used to respond to questions about or results for a submitted challenge, appeal, or adjustment.

Templates and Spreadsheets

Last Modified: 10/03/2022 • Published: 03/28/2021