When to Submit Data Files

After you have your kickoff call with the PDP implementation team, you can submit your data at any time. We recommend that you submit 3-5 years of historical data up to the most recent completed term. Most institutions submit data to the PDP twice per year in the fall and […]

Sample Data Files

Sample Version 1 Data Files Sample Cohort Data File DCE01,10027795,004781,00,,,,,20171030,,TEST2010-11,,,, CH1,Cohort,Cohort Term,Cohort Term Begin Date, Cohort Term End Date,SSN,ITIN,Student ID,First Name,Middle Name,Last Name,Street Line 1,Street Line 2,City,State,Zip/Postal Code,Country,Date of Birth,Ethnicity,Race,Institution ID Type,Institution ID,HS Completion Status,HS Completion Year,HS Unweighted GPA,HS Weighted GPA,First Gen,Dual and Summer Enrollment,Enrollment Type,Number of College Credits Attempted […]

Formatting the Financial Aid File Detail Records

You must submit the financial aid file AFTER your cohort file has been loaded and its status is Passed in the PDP secure portal. The students in the financial aid file must have been included in a successfully merged cohort file for the file to pass data quality checks. Submitting […]

Formatting the Course File Detail Records

In the course data file, you should include three kinds of information: Identifying information about the student Information about the student’s progress during the academic term Information about courses taken by the student The identifying information is similar to what you include in the cohort data file, but there are […]

Formatting the Cohort File Detail Records

In the cohort data file, you should include three kinds of data: Identifying information about the student The student’s high school graduation and GPA information Information about the student’s enrollment at your institution The following tables list all of the variables required in each detail record in the cohort data […]

Formatting the Detail Records

The detail records contain the field values in the data files. The fields are different for each data file type. Every data file must include at least one detail record. List the detail records after the column header record. Enter one comma-delimited detail record per line. See the following tables […]

Formatting the Column Header Record

Every data file must include a column header record containing the column headings for the fields in the data file. The column headings are different for each data file type. The field values are included in the detail records. See Detail Records below for details. List the column headings separated […]

Formatting the Trailer Record

You must include all of the following fields in the trailer record for each data file. All fields are required. # Variable Value 1 Record Type Indicates the type of record. Must be the first field in the record. Enter T1 for the trailer record. 2 Total Record Count The […]

Formatting the Header Record

You must include all of the following fields in the header record for each data file. All fields are required. # Variable Value 1 Record Type Indicates the type of record. Must be the first field in the record. The value depends on the type of data file you are […]

Formatting a Data File

Data files must be submitted as comma-delimited CSV or TXT files in flat-file format. A flat file contains a plain text table with columns separated by commas and rows separated by lines. For example, if you had a table of student names, ages, and favorite colors for four students named Tim, Sally, […]