Federal Student Aid has identified a error within the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) that is flagging ‘independent students under the age of 24 as Dependent and creating a series of inconsistencies; primarily for the 2023-24 academic year. Here is everything that you need to know about this issue:
What are the main issues?
- Student borrowers are incorrectly identified as Dependent in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
- This has generated inaccurate aggregate loan limit totals
- Some 2023-24 ISIRs are flagged as exceeding aggregate loan limits during the NSLDS Postscreening process
- This primarily affected 5,478 borrowers under the age of 25 who are independent
Are there any solutions?
- The issue will be resolved in mid-to-late October when NSLDS begins receiving 2024-25 demographic data (ISIR processed results) from the FAFSA Processing System (FPS)
- In the meantime, schools with impacted 2023-24 ISIRs can use professional judgment to make adjustments on a case-by-case-basis and with supporting documentation
- Once the problem is resolved, schools should request Financial Aid History (FAH) for applicants through NSLDS
Where can I find more information?
- Review the NSLDS Transfer Student Monitoring & Financial Aid History User Guide and Record Layouts for guidance on creating FAH request files and and understanding FAH response files
- Administrators can manually review applicants’ aggregate and loan information using the NSLDS Professional Access
- Contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center at at 1-800-999-8219 or nslds@ed.gov for additional support
SOURCE: (GENERAL-24-117) NSLDS Professional Access – NSLDS Dependency Status Discrepancies