As we discussed previously, post-screening functionality for NSLDS will not be available until early Spring 2025, meaning that generate ISIRs for applicants with updated information. In response to these delays, NSLDS is going to provide institutions with an Excel file each month containing an updated list of applicants whose eligibility status has changed eligibility status, with the first version being released on January 31, 2025. Schools can utilize this new tool to correct or prevent overpayments and request financial aid histories through the FAT001 report or the FAH batch process.
Posted Date: January 17, 2025
Author: Federal Student Aid
Electronic Announcement ID: APP-25-02
Subject: NSLDS Post-screening and new data files
In July, in Electronic Announcement (EA) GENERAL-24-84, the Department indicated that the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) site Post-screening functionality would be available by the end of 2024. The Department now expects to release this functionality in spring 2025. This means that, until that time, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Processing System (FPS) will not generate updated Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) for applicants with new information based on the results of NSLDS Post-screening.
The Department recognizes the ongoing administrative burden that this delay represents. To help support schools, NSLDS will start to provide an Excel file (.xlsx) that identifies applicants for the 2024–25 award year whose eligibility status has changed since their initial 2024–25 FAFSA submission, based on the following reasons:
The Department has included almost all Reason Codes in the posted files. Schools can filter by Reason Code to find students who need specific follow-up activities. Reason Code 01 (for students who entered default on a Title IV loan that was previously not in default) has been excluded at this time to allow the department to review the default status of borrowers who participated in Fresh Start. We anticipate including Reason Code 01 in the second set of files sent in one month (by February 28).
The NSLDS Post-screening Eligibility Changes file will be available for download on the Common Origination & Disbursement (COD) website for all schools by January 31 and then updated monthly. Any eight-digit OPEID associated with the impacted post-screened applicants who have received a loan or grant, as well as any eight-digit OPEID where the post-screened applicant has a certified enrollment status of ‘F’ (full-time), ‘Q’ (three-quarter time), ‘H’ (half-time), ‘L’ (less than half-time), ‘A’ (leave of absence), ‘G’ (graduated), ‘W’ (withdrawn), or ‘D’(deceased), will receive a file that includes these applicants. Schools should review the list of applicants provided and filter the information that is relevant to your school to take appropriate actions. The file will include applicant identifiers along with the post-screening reason code, indicating what has changed since their initial 2024–25 FAFSA form. Schools can access the file by going to the COD website, selecting the School tab, navigating to the School Information section, and then proceeding to the File Share/Messages section to download the NSLDS Post-screening Eligibility Changes file for your OPEID.
Note: The NSLDS Post-screening Eligibility Changes file will be available on the COD website for 180 days before it expires.
Schools (or their third-party servicers) can use the information in the file to request financial aid history for listed applicants through the normal NSLDS Financial Aid History batch process, or through the upcoming Financial Aid History (FAH) Report (FAT001). Both options will help in eligibility determinations, as the output response from both the FAH batch process and the FAT001 report will provide aggregate loan amounts, overpayments, lifetime Pell amounts, and other important details for Title IV grants and loans. Schools also have the option to review individual student records through the NSLDS Professional Access website.
Please note that the Financial Aid History Report (FAT001) will be made available on the NSLDS Professional Access website by January 31. A separate Electronic Announcement will be posted to the Knowledge Center once the report becomes available.
To request a student’s financial aid history from the NSLDS Financial Aid History batch process, schools should use “H” (for FAH only) in the “Request Indicator” field of the combined Transfer Student Monitoring (TSM)/Financial Aid History (FAH) Batch Inform File. The NSLDS Transfer Student Monitoring & Financial Aid History User Guide and Record Layouts includes details about how to request financial aid history from NSLDS using the FAH batch process, and more information about creating the TSM/FAH Batch Inform File and interpreting the response file. When the Financial Aid History Report (FAT001) is available via the NSLDS Professional Access website, online school users can request financial aid history by entering the student identifiers (Social Security number, first name, last name, date of birth), with the ability to request information for many students at once. Schools should receive the Student Aid Internet Gateway—or SAIG—response output of the Financial Aid History (FAT001) report for the requested students within one hour of submitting the request. For further information about requesting the FAT001 Report and interpreting the response file, please refer to the Electronic Announcement that will be posted to the Knowledge Center and the NSLDS Transfer Student Monitoring & Financial Aid History User Guide and Record Layouts when the report becomes available.
Once FPS is able to generate ISIRs for applicants with updated information from NSLDS Post-screening in spring 2025, the applicants listed in the NSLDS Post-screening Eligibility Changes file will still go through the normal NSLDS Post-screening process, and schools will receive an updated ISIR.
As a reminder, if an institution disbursed aid for a student, and the student’s eligibility for Title IV funds is subsequently reduced and creates an overpayment, the school must resolve the overpayment. Additional information regarding a school’s responsibility for resolving overpayments can be found in Volume 4, Chapter 3 of the Federal Student Aid Handbook. As a reminder, new regulations, under §668.14(b)(33), that took effect July 1 state that schools cannot take a negative action against a student for a balance that resulted from an error.
With consideration to general disbursement rules outlined in Volume 4, Chapter 2 of the Federal Student Aid Handbook, schools may wait for ISIRs to be generated from the implementation of NSLDS post-screening in the spring to make a disbursement; the files that will be posted by January 31 in COD are for convenience and to allow for earlier action to prevent or correct overpayments. Schools should refer to Electronic Announcement GENERAL-24-94 for the Department’s previous guidance on an extension for reporting disbursements to COD for the 24-25 award year. Schools should also keep in mind obligations under §668.16(s) to disburse funds, “in a timely manner that best meets the students’ needs.”
Contact Information
If you have questions related to NSLDS, contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center at 1-800-999-8219 or nslds@ed.gov. If you have questions related to COD, please contact the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978 or CODSupport@ed.gov.