Posted Date:April 20, 2017
| Author: | Jeff Baker, Director, Policy Liaison and Implementation, Federal Student Aid |
Subject: Summer Term Enrollment Reporting to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
We have been asked to restate our guidance regarding how schools should report a student’s enrollment to NSLDS during the summer when the student was enrolled in the preceding spring term and is expected to enroll for the upcoming fall term.
In summary, a student is considered to be continuously enrolled at least half time during the summer, or in another period in which students are not generally expected to attend, classes as long as:
There is no reason for the school to believe that the student will not enroll on an at least half time basis for the next regularly scheduled term; and
The student was enrolled at least half time at the end of the previous regularly scheduled term.
Such a student should not be reported to NSLDS as “Withdrawn” as of the end of the spring term if the student was enrolled at least half time during the spring term and is expected to enroll at least half time for the upcoming fall term. In this case, the school should continue to report, through the summer months, the student’s enrollment status from the spring term even if the student is not enrolled in the summer or is enrolled less than half time. If the student does not return in the fall as expected, the enrollment status must be changed to “Withdrawn” with the end of the spring term as the Enrollment Status Effective Date. See Section 4.4.2 of the NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Guide for more information about the effective date of a withdrawn enrollment status.
If the student is actually enrolled during the summer or other non-required term, the school should report the summer or other term’s actual enrollment status if the student is enrolled for that term at least half time. For example, if the student was enrolled three-quarter time in the spring term, and is enrolled half time in the summer term, the school should report the student’s half-time enrollment status for the summer months. If the student was instead enrolled less than-half time in the summer or not enrolled at all, the school should report the student’s end of spring enrollment status (three-quarter-time).
The table below provides examples of how a student should be reported for a summer term based on how the student was enrolled in the preceding spring term. In all cases, it is assumed that the school has no reason to believe that the student will not be returning in the fall and that the summer is not a period during which students are generally expected to attend classes.
If the student is enrolled at the end of the spring term – | And during the summer term is – | The school should report during the summer – |
Full time | Not enrolled | Full time |
Full time | Full time | Full time |
Full time | Half time | Half time (with an effective date of the beginning of the summer) |
Full time | Less than half time | Full time |
Half time | Not enrolled | Half time |
Half time | Full time | Full time (with an effective date of the beginning of the summer) |
Half time | Half time | Half time |
Half time | Less than half time | Half time |
Less than half time | Not enrolled | Less than half time |
Less than half time | Full time | Full time (with an effective date of the beginning of the summer) |
Less than half time | Half time | Half time (with an effective date of the beginning of the summer) |
Less than half time | Less than half time | Less than half time |
As stated above, if the student enrolls in the summer term (or other non-required term) at least half time, the student’s actual summer enrollment status is reported. If such a student subsequently withdraws from the summer term, the student’s most recent enrollment status of half time or greater should be reported throughout the remainder of the summer. If the student does not return in the fall as expected, the status must be changed to “Withdrawn” with the date the student withdrew from the summer term as the Enrollment Status Effective Date. See Section 4.4.2 of the NSLDS Enrollment Reporting Guide for more information about the effective date of a withdrawn enrollment status.
Reporting a student as continuously enrolled, as provided in the guidance in this announcement, will prevent the student from improperly going into grace on their student loans in the summer, only to be placed back in an in-school status in the fall. It may also prevent the improper application of loss of interest subsidy due to a student being reported as withdrawn from the program that is being used to calculate the student’s maximum eligibility period for Direct Subsidized Loans.
If you have questions about this information, contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center at 1-800-999-8219. You can also contact the NSLDS Customer Support Center by email at nslds@ed.gov.