Enrollment Reporting Compliance Best Practices Checklist

Use this checklist as a quick monthly, quarterly, and periodic reference. For step-by-step instructions, review the supporting guidance and linked resources below.

Monthly Checklist

  1. Submit scheduled enrollment files on time
  2. Complete the Error Resolution Report on the Web promptly
  3. Report enrollment status changes through Enrollment Reporting
  4. Review and address post-processing reports
    • Current NSLDS Roster errors
    • Reject Detail Report
    • EDI Rejects List (only for institutions that use the EDI format)
    • “G Not Applied List” (only for institutions that use the Clearinghouse “G from DegreeVerify” option)

Quarterly Checklist

  1. Review and update your Enrollment Reporting Submission Schedule
  2. Review and update your Clearinghouse contact list, including assigned roles and user access
  3. Review FTP notification lists and safe sender settings

Annual or Periodic Checklist

  1. Conduct an internal review of enrollment reporting policies and procedures
  2. Review program-level data across catalog, COD (Common Origination & Disbursement), and Clearinghouse reporting
  3. Conduct an internal audit of federal aid recipient enrollment reporting records

 

Supporting Guidance

The following sections explain why each checklist item matters for compliance and include resources that can help institutions support accurate enrollment reporting.

Enrollment Reporting Schedule

  • Maintain an Enrollment Reporting schedule aligned with your institution’s academic calendar: The Clearinghouse recommends sending an enrollment file every 30 to 45 days to support proper data flow to NSLDS and loan servicers.
  • Submit files according to the schedule and required file type: Use the Standard Reporting Flag (“Y” or “N”) in the file header to indicate if the file is for a required academic term.
  • Plan ahead for SIS changes: Notify the Clearinghouse as early as possible if you are planning a student information system (SIS) change, which can affect enrollment reporting, degree reporting, and related compliance processes. Early collaboration helps identify potential issues before implementation. It also supports a smoother transition while minimizing unintended impacts, such as changes to existing college student IDs, missing students, or program status reporting anomalies.

Important NoteCompliance Note: Federal reporting compliance requires that enrollment be certified at least every 60 days. Enrollment status changes must be sent from the Clearinghouse to NSLDS within 60 days of the date an institution determined a change occurred. To adhere to this guideline more comfortably, most schools report monthly.

Helpful resources:

Error Resolution Report on the Web

  • Download and retain a copy of your error report BEFORE making corrections. The downloaded copy will include all errors and warnings flagged on your enrollment file submission.
  • Correct items on your Error Resolution Report on the Web promptly:
    • Red errors MUST be resolved.
    • Black warnings should be reviewed to determine if action is necessary. If the record is accurate, it can be left as is.
  • Update your Student Information System source data to reflect error report corrections. This helps prevent the same errors and warnings from recurring on future enrollment submissions.

Important NoteWhy This Matters: In order for the data to be available to flow from the Clearinghouse to NSLDS and loan servicers, the Error Resolution Report on the Web must be completed and the file must be processed within the Clearinghouse system. While the file is in the Error Resolution Report on the Web stage, the included information is not eligible for transmission to NSLDS.

Helpful resources:

Reporting Program Completion, Graduated (G)

  • Report Graduated (G) enrollment statuses at the campus and/or program level appropriately as soon as degrees are confirmed, when the degree audit is complete, and continue reporting until all degrees have been awarded. This can be completed in a batch file or, if the degree audit is staggered, multiple batch files.
  • Report a Graduated (G) enrollment status for each completed program at the program level using the Clearinghouse Enrollment Reporting service. “G” enrollment status should only be reported at the campus level if the student completed all current programs in their final term of enrollment.
  • If your school participates in “G from DegreeVerify,” you should promptly review records listed on the “G Not Applied” tab under Student Reporting > Data Reporting Dashboard on the Clearinghouse secure site after each DegreeVerify file is processed to ensure all Graduated enrollment statuses are correctly applied to student enrollment records.

Important NoteNote: DegreeVerify records are stored separately and used for verification services and credentialing. They are different from the enrollment compliance records used for data flow from the Clearinghouse to NSLDS or loan servicers.

Helpful resources:

Rejected Records

  • Reject Detail Report: On the Clearinghouse secure site’s Data Reporting Dashboard, review the Reject Detail Report in the “Needs Immediate Attention” section after each enrollment file is processed. This helps ensure records are successfully added to the Clearinghouse enrollment database for proper data flow to NSLDS and loan servicers. It also supports other services, like EnrollmentVerify and the Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP).
  • EDI rejects: For enrollment files submitted in EDI format, school administrators listed on your institution’s FTP notification list receive a “New Files Notification” email when records are rejected during the EDI translation process. These rejects occur when required fields are missing from the enrollment file and should be reviewed. You should correct EDI rejected records in the SIS source data for the enrollment file extract to avoid recurring EDI rejects. Add ftpadmin@studentclearinghouse.org and ftpadmin@nslc.org to a safe sender list so these alerts arrive in your inbox and not a junk or spam folder.

Important NoteWhy This Matters: Rejected records on a Reject Detail Report are not loaded into the Clearinghouse database when an enrollment file is processed. Unresolved rejected records will continue to be rejected on future submissions making the student’s information ineligible for transmission to NSLDS until it is corrected.

Helpful resources:

NSLDS Roster Errors

  • Correct NSLDS SSCR Errors on the Clearinghouse secure site by the “NSC Due Date” displayed in the NSLDS Reporting table.
  • Only correct errors on the row with the most current “NSC Due Date.”
  • Generally, most NSLDS error corrections should be made through the Clearinghouse rather than directly in NSLDS. Working prior NSLDS error reports or making direct updates in NSLDS can inadvertently cause data overrides or introduce additional NSLDS errors.

Helpful resources:

Monitoring and Audits

  • Monitor your institution’s NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Statistics Score monthly on the NSLDS site. Questions or concerns about your NSLDS statistics score can be directed to auditresource@studentclearinghouse.org.
  • Conduct regular informal internal audits of federal aid recipient student enrollment reporting in NSLDS.
  • Audit inquiries? Contact auditresource@studentclearinghouse.org

Helpful resources:

Collaboration and Supporting Compliance with Accurate Reporting

  • Ensure strong collaboration among Admissions, Registrar, Academics, Financial Aid Administration, Institutional Effectiveness, and other relevant departments to mitigate NSLDS Title IV federal compliance risk.
  • Institutions should implement processes to verify the accuracy of student identifiers, including Social Security number (SSN), first name, last name, and date of birth.
  • Students receiving Title IV aid are required to provide accurate identifying information to complete the FAFSA and maintain eligibility for federal aid.
  • It is FERPA-compliant and necessary for federal aid recipients to keep their identifiers current with the Social Security Administration, StudentAid.gov (with their unique FSA ID), federal and private loan servicers, and their institution.
  • Accurate SSNs (when applicable) and current student identifiers must be included in enrollment reporting to ensure successful data transmission between the Clearinghouse, NSLDS, and loan servicers and to support the proper administration of federal student aid.

Helpful resources:

Contacts, Roles, and Notifications

  • Regularly review your institution’s Clearinghouse contact list and update user access and assigned roles when staff or responsibilities change. This ensures the appropriate administrators receive notifications and can react in a timely manner for the enrollment submission process.
  • The contact list must have one contact with each of the following roles: Registrar, Financial Aid Director, Submission Data, Submission Data Alternate, and User Administrator.
  • We recommend that you have more than one contact, if possible, serve as a backup for these roles: Submission Data Alternate and User Administrator.
  • Add schoolops@studentclearinghouse.org, auditresource@studentclearinghouse.org, school_processed@studentclearinghouse.org, and donotreply@studentclearinghouse.org to a safe sender list so important alerts arrive in your inbox and not a junk or spam folder.
  • Regularly review your institution’s FTP account notification email list. Automated emails are sent to school administrators on the notification list to alert them when a file is uploaded or available for download. Files available for download often require action and/or are time sensitive.
  • Add ftpadmin@studentclearinghouse.org and ftpadmin@nslc.org to a safe sender list so these important alerts arrive in your inbox and not a junk or spam folder.

Helpful resources:

Policies and Procedures

  • Evaluate your institutional policies and procedures for assessing changes in enrollment status and ensure that these status changes are accurately reflected in the enrollment submission extract: Withdrawn (W), Graduated (G), and Approved Leave of Absence (A).
  • Confirm consistency in enrollment status effective dates and mechanisms for identifying increases or decreases in enrollment status.
  • Report enrollment files for non-required academic terms, such as summer. Maintain current, clear policies and procedures for scenarios in which a student is considered Withdrawn (W) from the school versus continuously enrolled during non-required terms, vacation periods, and breaks.

Helpful resources:

Program-Level Data Monitoring

  • Evaluate and monitor program data points in your institution’s Published Course Catalog or course catalog equivalent, Common Origination and Disbursement (COD), and Clearinghouse Enrollment Reporting.
  • Verify consistency of program criteria: CIP Year, CIP Code, Credential Level, Published Program Length and Measurement, and Weeks in Title IV Academic Year (reportable only for programs with program length measurement equal to weeks or months).

Compliance Resources

  • Subscribe to Clearinghouse Compliance Central to receive critical enrollment and compliance updates.
  • Use Clearinghouse Academy for recorded webinars, enrollment reporting tutorials, and live events.

Helpful resources:

Where to Get Help

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