Troubleshooting: Uploading Student Cohort Files & Managing Errors

General Tips

  • Columns A-M, V, X, and AJ (if you report College Student IDs) will be pre-populated with enrollment data your institution reported to the Clearinghouse.
  • We recommend that you do not add, remove, or update student records that are pre-populated on the Clearinghouse-generated cohort files.
    • If when you upload the file, you see a high volume of error codes 5001, 5002, 5003, and/or 5004, it may be because the pre-populated data was altered or leading zeros are missing from the file. Typically, these high-volume errors can be resolved by fixing, saving and then re-uploading the file. See Student Level Report Errors & Warnings Resolution.
  • If students are missing from your cohort file(s), please ensure their program enrollment data has been reported accurately.
    • We recommend that you complete the Graduated Status Reconciliation section or update student records via an enrollment file submission or by using Student Look-Up before working on your Student Level Reports.
    • If you make updates to student records using the methods above, you should regenerate all cohort files after the updates are processed to ensure the most recent data is pre-populated on the files.
  • If you want to exclude specific students from your cohort files, you should use the applicable Invalid Flag field option rather than removing/deleting the row from the file.
  • If you want to update the pre-populated student data on your cohort files, you should first update the data via an enrollment file submission, using Student Look-Up, or completing the Graduated Status Reconciliation section (if applicable).
    • You should regenerate your cohort files after the updates are processed to ensure the most recent data is pre-populated on the files.
  • Do not remove leading zeros from your CSV files.
    • When you download and open your cohort files, you may see a pop-up in Excel asking if you want to remove the leading zeros. Select “Don’t Convert” to retain the leading zeros on the file.
    • Leading zeros should be present in Columns B, D, I, J, K, M, and AJ (as appropriate).
  • Files must be in CSV format and use the following file naming convention: 6digitOPEID_AwardYear (e.g., 001234_20192020.csv).
  • Do not rename, remove, or re-arrange column headings (row 1). They are pre-populated to ensure structural validation rules are applied.
  • Detail rows can be rearranged without causing issues.
  • We recommend using the Clearinghouse-generated cohort files, rather than SIS-generated cohort files, to avoid triggering error volume upon upload.

Total Amounts (TA) Record Tips

  • If an Invalid Flag field option applies to a TA row, you should populate the Invalid Flag field. Do not populate the total amounts for the row.
  • Column P will only be pre-populated for TA records.
  • Columns N, O, and Q-U should only be populated for TA records.
    • Do not populate columns W and Y-AG for TA records.
  • Total amount values should be rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Do not include dollar signs, commas, or decimals.
    • Enter a zero or all zeros if a student did not receive private educational loans.

Annual Amounts (AA) Record Tips

  • If an Invalid Flag field option applies to an AA row, populate Invalid Flag field. Do not populate the annual amounts for the row.
  • Columns W and Y will only be pre-populated for AA records.
  • Columns Z-AG should only be populated for AA records.
    • Do not populate columns N-U for AA records.
  • Annual amount values should be rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Do not include dollar signs, commas, or decimals.
    • Enter a zero or all zeros if a student did not receive private educational loans.

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