In 2014 the U.S. Department of Education released new rules governing the enrollment reporting process used to complete National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) compliance reporting. Since that time, AACRAO has worked with the agency on behalf of the many institutions struggling to meet the requirements in good faith to provide additional clarification of these new definitions.
Last July, AACRAO, NASFAA and the Education Department held a joint webinar series (http://www.ifap.ed.gov/150PercentDirectSubsidizedLoanLimitInfo/Training.html) to provide training and support on the new NSLDS requirements.
Following the webinars, the associations continued discussions with the agency to voice concerns about consequences for institutions unable to comply with the reporting requirements, particularly surrounding multiple majors and multiple degrees (at the undergraduate and at differing academic levels). In response, the department released updated guidance (http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1417.html) earlier in August 2014 outlining a set of revisions to the requirements that reduce reporting complexity for institutions while maintaining compliance with relevant statutory and regulatory provisions.
But a host of questions still remain.
In an effort to address some of those concerns, Ian Foss and Eric Hardy with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid hosted back-to-back sessions at the AACRAO Annual Meeting on Monday to discuss the recent changes to federal enrollment reporting requirements. The duo provided an overview of how these reporting changes came about and what program-level reporting is now required, and address common questions, including:
- What CIP Code do I report for non-degree programs?
- If program does not lead to a degree or certificate and doesn’t meet any of the special program requirements – do not report.
- Does Transfer Student Monitoring (TSM) add students to enrollment rosters?
- Yes. NSLDS adds students to rosters based on the monitoring Enrollment Begin Date.
- When student appears on the roster, report actual enrollment information.
- What is the difference between Program Begin Date and Program Enrollment Effective Date?
- Program Begin Date is the date the student actually started in the program of study. This does not change based on a new term date.
- Program Enrollment Effective Date is the date of the enrollment status being reported for that program.
- Cannot certify future enrollment; i.e., for a term that has not already begun.
- Do schools have to add borrowers to rosters when reporting?
- Yes. It is very important that schools add financial aid recipients to their rosters if the students are not already on the roster
Foss and Hardy acknowledged that many questions remain unanswered and noted that the department is hard at work to develop practicable answers. They promised that additional guidance would be available this summer.