The Clearinghouse complies with federal regulations, specifically CFR 682.610 and 685.309 (DCL 14-07). These regulations provide guidance for institutions to communicate enrollment status changes via Student Status Confirmation Reports (SSCRs), which contain information about students who received Title IV federal financial aid at your institution, or another institution, as determined by the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) .

NSLDS creates and sends SSCRs to the Clearinghouse on the first business day of each month. As your institution’s authorized agent, we respond to SSCRs with current student information from our database within 15 days of receipt, in accordance with DCL 14-07.

NSLDS Sends SSCRs

NSLDS generates SSCRs approximately the first of each month. The Clearinghouse might process a mid-month SSCR update if we receive and upload enrollment changes to our database between the first and 14th of the month.

Clearinghouse Creates SSCR Responses

We create SSCR response files for participating institutions using the most recent data in our database at the time.

Clearinghouse Sends SSCR Responses

We send SSCR responses for participating institutions to NSLDS within 15 days of receipt. we might process a mid-month SSCR if we receive and process enrollment changes to our database between the first and 14th of the month.

Clearinghouse Adds Process

The Clearinghouse adds file process occurs four days after each NSLDS roster cycle. The adds process is a supplement to the federal guidance and is not a required compliance reporting file corresponding to federal requirements. The Clearinghouse worked in partnership to create this process with Federal Student Aid (FSA) to ensure privacy FERPA compliance.

The adds file’s purpose is to support the mandatory NSLDS roster process by alerting NSLDS to potential students of interest that NSLDS can evaluate yes/no to being subject to enrollment reporting for student aid compliance. Enrollment records included in the Clearinghouse adds file enable NSLDS to add a student to the compliance NSLDS Roster Distribution process at NSLDS’s determination.

The adds process helps NSLDS identify matriculated students who do not have aid disbursed by their current school but may have received aid at a prior school, or who have certified enrollment by the current school with an update to their separation status (e.g. Withdrawn, Graduated) without re-enrolling. NSLDS has logic to stop requesting a student on the NSLDS roster process after NSLDS has received multiple certifications of the same campus level separation status. The adds process raises awareness to NSLDS to add students back to the NSLDS roster if a Withdrawn status student is subsequently reported to the Clearinghouse with their enrollment status changed to Graduated.

Students previously requested by NSLDS on the NSLDS Roster Distribution in the last 20 years will typically be included on the supplemental adds process from the Clearinghouse to NSLDS if they have new enrollment certified by their school with the Clearinghouse and have not been requested by NSLDS on the current NSLDS Roster Distribution. This means that the Clearinghouse does not send all students to NSLDS on the adds process.  Only students with newly certified enrollment who are not on the current school’s NSLDS roster and were previously requested within the last 20 years are sent to NSLDS.

The adds file reporting history is reflected on the Clearinghouse Secure Site, Data Reporting Dashboard, and NSLDS Reporting tab table in the CH originator row.

For more information, see Over 3.5 Million Students Reported to NSLDS via Supplemental SSCR Roster Reporting on the Clearinghouse Today Blog.