Enrollment Reporting for Summer & Other Non-Required Terms

According to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), active students with at least less than half-time status for the required term who are not withdrawn are considered continuously enrolled during non-required academic terms. For this reason, the NSLDS has provided specific criteria for non-required term enrollment reporting.

The Clearinghouse recommends your institution have a policy for reporting non-required terms to us that addresses these key points:

    • NSLDS expects schools to report enrollment files for non-required academic terms (e.g. summer) just as they do for regular terms occurring during the academic calendar.
    • NSLDS expects schools to certify a campus-level withdrawn (W) status for any student who is not expected to return for the next required academic term and is therefore considered officially withdrawn.
  • Typically, a student is not withdrawn during a non-required term if the student is expected to return for the next scheduled required term.
  • Typically, if your financial aid administration completes a return to Title IV that is effective during the non-required term, you should report the student’s withdrawn status and accurate effective date to the Clearinghouse.
  • If you report a federal aid student to the Clearinghouse as withdrawn, the Clearinghouse will make the status available to loan servicers and certify it to NSLDS, which will place the student in repayment.

To ensure you are reporting non-required term enrollment correctly, follow the recommendations under the School Action to Report column in the following table.

Spring Term Enrollment Summer Term Enrollment School Action to Report Clearinghouse Action Reported to NSLDS
Active status, expected to return Not enrolled Do not include student in summer reporting. Recertify spring enrollment.
Active status (H or greater) Less than half-time Report summer enrollment as is. Suppress less than half-time and re-certify spring enrollment.
Active status At least half-time (H or greater) Report summer enrollment as is. Report summer enrollment.
Active status Half-time summer, drops to less than half-time Report summer enrollment as is. Suppress less than half-time and re-certify at least half-time status.
Active status Less than half-time or greater, drops summer courses Report active summer status. Report active status.
Active Status Withdraws spring, not returning Report withdrawn (W) status. Report withdrawn (W) status.
Active Status Withdraws summer, not returning Report withdrawn (W) status. Report withdrawn (W) status.
No enrollment or withdrawn (W) effective spring At least less than half-time Report summer enrollment as is. Report summer enrollment.

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

Related Articles