New & More Secure Reporting Method, “Data Upload,” Coming Soon!

The National Student Clearinghouse is pleased to announce that we will release a data upload option for reporting enrollment, advanced registration, and DegreeVerify files in early May.

The Benefits of Data Upload

Data upload is the most state-of-the-art solution for transmitting files, and offers many benefits, including:

  • Double encryption providing enhanced security (see “How the Clearinghouse Protects Your Data” below).
  • Easy upload using the “Drag & Drop File or Browse” button.
  • Real-time file upload status displayed in the “In-Progress File Uploads” section.
  • An “Upload Activity Log” of all data uploads, including each file’s name, ID number, upload status (successful or failed), the date it was uploaded, and the user ID of the person who uploaded it. The activity log can also be downloaded in .CSV format.
  • No change to the file formats we accept or the file specifications.

The initial release will only enable you to submit enrollment, advanced registration, and DegreeVerify files using data upload. You should submit all other files to the Clearinghouse via the method you have been using (e.g., secure FTP). You should also continue to use secure FTP to submit documents, such as those regarding Social Security number name conflicts, loan deferments, etc.

Secure FTP will continue to be an option for submitting enrollment, advanced registration, and/or DegreeVerify files. However, the preferred, most secure, and efficient transmission method is data upload.

For User Administrators: Assigning the Data Upload Role

Your Clearinghouse user administrator must assign the Data Upload role type to one or more users in order for your institution to submit files via data upload. Watch our How to Manage Users tutorial.

  • You can only assign the Data Upload role to users who have the Web Access role and a user ID.
  • The Data Upload role enables a user at one school code to use data upload for each of your branches if your institution has more than one Enrollment Reporting branch.
  • Secure FTP uploads will not be displayed on the Data Upload page.

How to Access Data Upload

  1. Log in at http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/ (click “User Login” at the top right).
  2. Select “Student Reporting.”
  3. Select “Data Reporting Dashboard” and the correct school code for your institution if it has multiple Enrollment Reporting branches.
  4. In the task bar on the left, select the “Data Upload” icon OR
  5. In the “New Data Upload Available” section, select the “Go To Data Upload” button.

Naming Your Files

Please use the preferred file naming convention, EightDigitSchoolCode_TermAcademicYear_n_<twoletterextension>, as shown in the examples below.

00123400_FALL2025_1_ER
00123400_FALL2025_2_ER
00123400_FALL2025_3_ER
00123400_FALL2025_1_AR
00123400_FALL2025_1_DV
  • Use a distinct file name for each upload, especially if you upload multiple files at once, to prevent confusion when you review the uploaded files on the “Upload Activity Log.”
  • Larger files may take up to an hour to upload.
  • Refreshing or closing the browser page, logging out, toggling between browser tabs, etc., should not disrupt file uploads that are in progress.

How the Clearinghouse Protects Your Data

All data that leaves or enters the Data Upload page is encrypted in transit and at rest. In order to provide an even higher level of security for learner data, the Clearinghouse also uses a second layer of encryption:

  • All files downloaded from the Clearinghouse require file-level encryption, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP).
  • All files uploaded to the Clearinghouse require dual-layer server-side encryption (DSSE), which we have implemented. This ensures a second encryption layer is in place to protect your data while making the process seamless for you.

For awareness, we will deploy an update to the Student Look-Up tab at the same time that we release the new data upload functionality. We are streamlining the look of the Student Look-Up tab, including grouping federal compliance data points for campus and program-level enrollment together, to help you report data more accurately.

You’ll find additional resources below. If you have any questions, please contact us at schoolops@studentclearinghouse.org.

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