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 a financial aid data file is optional. You should include three kinds of information in the financial aid data file:
- Identifying information about the student
- Information from the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Information about any grants or loans the student has received
The identifying information is similar to what you include in the cohort and course data files, but there are important differences. Be sure to read the tables below to ensure you include the right data.
The following tables list all of the variables required in each detail record in the financial aid data file. We recommend listing the variables in the order in which they are listed in the tables.
Values are either required, not required, or required based on certain conditions. For any values that are not required, you may either populate the fields or leave them blank.
Do not use decimals for dollar amounts like Income or Tuition. Round up any dollar values to the nearest integer. For example, 26221.57 should be entered as 26222.
Disclaimer
By submitting this file, you certify that (i) none of the data elements submitted come directly from the National Student Loan Data System; and (ii) the data collected or derived from either the Free Application for Student Aid (FASA) or the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) is provided to the National Student Clearinghouse on an optional basis for the application, award, or administration of aid awarded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, state student aid, or aid awarded by the PDP Institution (each a “Student Aid Program”), which use may include audits and program evaluations necessary for the efficient and effective administration of such Student Aid Programs: FirstGen, ApplAid, Depend, Income, Types of Housing, EFC, MaritalStatus, NumDep, FedGrant, PellAmt, StateGrant need based, StateGrant non-need based, InstGrant need based, InstGrant non-need based, OtherGrant, FedLoan, StateLoan, InstLoan, ParentPLUS, OtherLoan, FedWork, StateWork, InstWork, OtherAid.
Financial Aid Data File Variables
| # | Variable | Variable Type | Format | Required | Description |
| 1 | CH1 | Enumerated | Yes | Indicates the type of data record. Enter D1 for detail records. | |
| 2 | Cohort | Date | YYYY-YY | Yes | Must be 2 consecutive years between 2000 and today Example: 2019-20 |
| 3 | Cohort Term | Enumerated | Yes | Term the student first enrolled in at least one course: Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer. Note: The PDP considers summer a lagging term. Be sure to align your terms accordingly. |
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| 4 | Academic Year | Date | YYYY-YY | Yes | Academic year to which the record belongs. Enter 2 consecutive years between 2000 and today. |
| 5 | Institution ID Type | Enumerated | Yes | Originating system of the institution ID (OPEID, FICE, NCES, ACT, etc.). Currently, you can only enter OPEID. | |
| 6 | Institution ID | Alphanumeric | 8 characters | Yes | Your institution’s ID (currently you can only enter an 8-character OPEID). |
| 7 | SSN | Numeric | 9 digits | Conditional | Student’s Social Security number. If not available, leave blank and enter the Student ID instead. Required if Student ID is blank. Cannot be the same as Student ID. |
| 8 | ITIN | Numeric | 9 digits | No | Individual Tax Payer Identification Number. Cannot be the same as SSN. |
| 9 | Student ID | Alphanumeric | 3 – 20 characters | Conditional | Your institution’s ID number for the student. Required if SSN is blank. Cannot be the same as SSN or ITIN. Can include: period, apostrophe, hyphen, underscore |
| 10 | First Name | Alphanumeric | Up to 60 characters | Yes | Student’s first name. Can include: space, period, apostrophe, hyphen |
| 11 | Middle Name | Alphanumeric | Up to 60 characters | No | Student’s middle name. Can include: space, period, apostrophe, hyphen |
| 12 | Last Name | Alphanumeric | Up to 60 characters | Yes | Student’s last name. Can include: space, period, apostrophe, hyphen |
| 13 | Suffix | Alphanumeric | Up to 10 characters | No | Student’s suffix (such as Jr., II, III). Can include a period. |
| 14 | Street Line 1 | String | 2 – 30 characters | Yes | Student’s permanent street address. If unknown, enter UK. |
| 15 | Street Line 2 | String | Up to 30 characters | No | Second line of student’s address, if needed. |
| 16 | City | String | 2 – 20 characters | Yes | Student’s city of permanent residence. If unknown, enter UK. |
| 17 | State | Alphabetic | 2 characters | Yes | Student’s state of permanent residence. For US students, enter a valid state code (see Valid State Codes). For students outside the US, enter any other two characters. If unknown, enter UK. |
| 18 | Zip/Postal Code | Alphanumeric | 1 – 10 characters | No | Student’s permanent zip/postal code. Must include at least one number. Can include a hyphen. Cannot include spaces. For postal codes with spaces, you can remove the spaces or replace them with hyphens. |
| 19 | Country | Enumerated | 2 characters | Yes | Student’s country of permanent residence (see Valid Country Codes). If unknown, enter UK. |
| 20 | Date of Birth | Date | YYYYMMDD | Yes | Student’s date of birth. Year must be between 1900 and 10 years ago. If unknown, omit the student from the data file. |
| Note: The ISIR codes in the following table are based on the 2021-2022 edition. These codes are the same as the 2020-2021 edition except for EFC, as noted in the EFC field below. |
| # | Variable | Variable Type | Format | Required | Description |
| 21 | Applied Aid | Enumerated | Yes | Institution received an ISIR record (including rejected ISIR records) for the student for the academic year. Enter Y for yes or N for no. | |
| 22 | Depend | Enumerated | Conditional | Student's dependency status at the time of FAFSA application (or first term of enrollment for the academic year if FAFSA is not available). ISIR field #168. Required if Applied Aid = Y. Valid codes:
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| 23 | Income | Numeric | Up to 7 digits | Conditional | Total adjusted gross income in tax year used on FAFSA for independent students or parents of dependent students. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not complete a FAFSA, provide from another source. For dependent students, ISIR field #106 (or #108 + #109 if non-filer). For independent students, ISIR field #43 (or #45 + #46 if non-filer). Required if Applied Aid = Y. If no income, enter 0. |
| 24 | Tuition | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Yes | Actual tuition and fees your institution charged the student prior to financial aid being applied for all terms attended in the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If no tuition was charged, enter 0. |
| 25 | Type of Housing | Enumerated | Yes | Type of housing student lived in during the academic year. ISIR field #138. Valid codes:
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| 26 | Room Charges | Numeric | Up to 6 characters | Yes | Room costs charged to the student for all terms attended during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If exact amounts are not available, enter estimates. If no charges, enter 0. |
| 27 | Board Charges | Numeric | Up to 6 characters | Yes | Boarding costs (e.g. meal costs) charged to the student for all terms attended during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If exact amounts are not available, enter estimates. If no charges, enter 0. |
| 28 | Books | Numeric | Up to 6 characters | Yes | Cost of books and supplies charged to the student for all terms attended during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If exact amounts are not available, enter estimates. If no charges, enter 0. |
| 29 | Other Expense | Numeric | Up to 6 characters | Yes | Other costs charged to the student for all terms attended during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If exact amounts are not available, enter estimates. If no charges, enter 0. |
| 30 | EFC | Numeric | Up to 6 characters | Conditional | Student's primary (9-month) EFC determined after they filed their FAFSA for the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. ISIR field #282 (2021-2022 edition) or 272 (2020-2021 edition). Required if Applied Aid = Y. If the student did not fill out the FAFSA, enter -1. If the student filled out the FAFSA, but the EFC is not available, enter Missing. If the EFC is 0, enter 0. |
| 31 | Marital Status | Enumerated | No | Student’s marital status at the time of FAFSA application (or first term of enrollment for the academic year if FAFSA is not available). ISIR field #19. Valid codes:
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| 32 | Number of Dependents | Numeric | 1-2 digits | No | Number of dependents at the time of FAFSA application (or first term of enrollment for the academic year if FAFSA not available). ISIR field #128. If the student has no dependents, enter 0. If unavailable, enter Y for yes (the student has dependents) or N for no (the student does not have dependents). |
| # | Variable | Variable Type | Format | Required | Description |
| 33 | SEOG | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | No | Total amount of Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive an SEOG grant, enter 0. |
| 34 | TEACH | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | No | Total amount of Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grants the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive a TEACH grant, enter 0. |
| 35 | Veteran and Military | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | No | Total amount of federal veterans benefits and military grants (including ROTC) the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include payments made for tuition and fees, housing, books and supplies, work-study, and other expenses. If the student did not receive any veteran or military grants, enter 0. |
| 36 | Other Federal Grant | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of all other federal grants and awards (other than SEOG, TEACH, veteran/military, or Pell) the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any other federal grants, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 37 | Pell Amount | Numeric | Up to 5 digits | Conditional | Total amount of federal Pell grants the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive a Pell grant, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 38 | State Grant Need Based | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of needs-based state grants, scholarships, and fellowships the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include federal matching funds through programs like the Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership (LEAP) but not institutional funds. If the student did not receive any needs-based state grants, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 39 | State Grant Non Need Based | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of non-needs-based state grants, scholarships, and fellowships the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include merit-based aid and federal matching funds through programs like the Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership (LEAP) but not institutional funds. If the student did not receive any non-needs-based state grants, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 40 | Institution Grant Need Based | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of need-based institutional grants the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include individual departments grants and institution matching funds. If the student did not receive any needs-based institutional grants, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 41 | Institution Grant Employer Aid | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of employer aid the student received during the academic year, including tuition waivers. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive employer aid, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 42 | Institution Grant Merit | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of merit aid the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include athletic scholarships and merit-only aid. If the student did not receive merit aid, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 43 | Institution Grant Military or Veteran | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of institution military/armed forces grants or veterans education benefits the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any institutional military/veterans grants, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 44 | Other Institution Grant Non Need Based | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of other institutional grants (other than needs-based, employer aid, merit aid, or military/veteran grants) the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include individual department grants and institutional matching funds. If the student did not receive any other institutional grants, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 45 | Other Grant | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Yes | Total amount of other grants the student received from outside private sources during the academic year (other than federal, state, or institutional grants). Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any other grants, enter 0. If not available, enter Missing. |
| 46 | Federal Loan | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of direct federal loans (including profession loans and Perkins loans prior to 2018-19) the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Do not include direct parent PLUS loans or indirect loans. If the student did not receive any direct federal loans, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 47 | State Loan | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of state loans the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any state loans, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 48 | Institution Loan | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Yes | Total amount of institutional loans the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any institutional loans, enter 0. If not available, enter Missing. |
| 49 | Parent PLUS | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Conditional | Total amount of Parent PLUS loans the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Do not include GradPLUS loans. If the student did not receive any Parent PLUS loans, enter 0. Required if Applied Aid = Y. |
| 50 | Other Loan | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | Yes | Total amount of other private or alternative loans the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any private or alternative loans, enter 0. If not available, enter Missing. |
| 51 | Federal Work | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | No | Total amount of need-based federal work-study the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include institutional matching funds and any amount the student reported as financial aid. If the student did not receive any need-based work-study, enter 0. |
| 52 | State Work | Numeric | Up to 6 digits | No | Total amount of state work-study the student received during the academic year. Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any state work-study, enter 0. |
| 53 | Inst Work | Numeric | No | Total amount of all institutionally sponsored work-study the student received during the academic year (any campus employment funded solely by the institution and awarded as financial aid). Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. If the student did not receive any institutional work-study, enter 0. | |
| 54 | Other Aid | Numeric | Yes | Total amount of any other aid the student received during the academic year (other than grants, loans, or work-study). Do not enter decimals. Round to the nearest integer. Include state vocational rehabilitation and job training. If the student did not receive any other aid, enter 0. If not available, enter Missing. |
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