NCHELP CommonLine Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans … · 2018-04-04 · Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data to obtain a credit check (The “Req CO or CP”

NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application Send File

File DescriptionRelease 5 Processing

NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Table of Contents Application Send File

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Basic processing options ............................................................................ 2 Initial requests ............................................................................................ 2 Subsequent requests ................................................................................. 5 Loan status reporting .................................................................................. 8 Master Promissory Note processing .......................................................... 9 Blanket guarantee processing .................................................................. 12 NCHELP information................................................................................ 13 Participant types ...................................................................................... 14 Additional services ................................................................................... 15

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES ................................................................. 19 CommonLine compliance rules ................................................................ 19 CommonLine unique identifier and CommonLine loan sequence

number ............................................................................................. 21 File transmissions .................................................................................... 23

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS .................................................................. 25

PROCESSING INFORMATION ...................................................................... 27 File organization ...................................................................................... 27 Data representation ................................................................................. 28 File packaging .......................................................................................... 30 Data verification ....................................................................................... 31

HEADER RECORD ........................................................................................ 33 Layout ...................................................................................................... 33 Field descriptions ..................................................................................... 34

APPLICATION SEND (@1) DETAIL RECORD(S) ........................................ 41 Layout ...................................................................................................... 43 Field descriptions ..................................................................................... 49

UNIQUE SUPPLEMENTAL (@2) DETAIL RECORD(S) ............................. 105 Layout .................................................................................................... 106 Field descriptions ................................................................................... 106

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NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Table of Contents Application Send File

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TRAILER RECORD ..................................................................................... 109 Layout .................................................................................................... 109 Field descriptions ................................................................................... 110

APPENDIX A: Valid Guarantor ID’s ........................................................... 115

APPENDIX B: Valid State and Territory Abbreviations ........................... 119

APPENDIX C: CommonLine Unique Identifier ......................................... 121

NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Introduction Application Send File

INTRODUCTION

This file description explains the programming format you will use to create the NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP (Federal Family Education Loan Program) and Alternative Loans Application Send File dated 4/01/2010 for CommonLine Release 5 processing.

NOTE

The Application Send File dated 04/01/2010 is the most recent release of this format. It replaces the NCHELP CommonLine Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application Send File for Release 4 processing dated 02/15/2009.

The Application Send File allows you to submit application data for guarantee via selected electronic media (e.g., electronic transmission or magnetic tape). Three types of applications may be submitted in the Application Send File:

• Master Promissory Note for Federal Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized)

• The Master Promissory Note for Federal PLUS loans

• The application and promissory note for alternative loans

NOTE Please note “alternative” is used to describe private, non-Title IV loans.

New applications/promissory notes can be submitted for the following processing options: credit only request, credit and print request, guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and print only. (See the Initial requests section for a detailed description of each process.) To be considered CommonLine Release 5 compliant, all of these processing options are required to be supported by school-based software (SBS). Service providers are required to support guarantee only, print only, and either guarantee and print or print and guarantee processing (they may support both guarantee and print and print and guarantee processing). Service providers are not required to support pre-approval credit request processing.

In addition to the services mentioned above, service providers can offer disbursement services once the application has been guaranteed and the promissory note has been received. This service is not indicated in the Application Send File as a separate processing code. If you are using disbursement services, the data requirements are more stringent in comparison to the other guarantee processing options. Since data is easier to collect at the time of guarantee, it is recommended the data required for disbursement be collected at this time. (The “Req Disb” column in the record layout

Issued: 04/01/2010 Page: 1 Revises: 02/15/2009


tables indicates which fields are required for this service.) If the data is not submitted at the time of guarantee, the disbursement may potentially be delayed or not disbursed because the data will have to be collected at a later time.

In disbursement servicing, once the application has been guaranteed, the disbursing agent will issue the funds to the appropriate entity. Please note disbursement services cannot be requested alone; you must request a guarantee processing option if you wish to use disbursement services.

After the initial application/promissory note is submitted, sending organizations can request the following services: correction requests, reprint requests, and terminate requests. (See the Subsequent requests section for a detailed description of each option.)

Basic processing options Basic processing options include guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and print only processing. Each of these processing options are described later in this document.

Initial requests

For initial requests, the processing options and the associated Response File information are determined by the data entered in Record Type Indicator Code (field 2, Application Send [@1] Detail Record) and Processing Type Code (field 95, @1 Detail Record). Refer to the appropriate field definitions for a complete list of possible entries for these fields.

• Credit only request (processing type code: CO)

In credit only processing, the sending organization will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data to obtain a credit check (The “Req CO or CP” column in the record layout tables indicates which fields are required for this process.) Upon receipt, the service provider will perform a credit check and no other processing will occur (e.g., print processing). The service provider is required to send a Response File (@1) Detail Record acknowledging the receipt of the credit approval or denial. This information is communicated in Guarantor Status Code (field 150), Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151), Promissory Note Status Code (field 152), and Credit Status Code (field 153) of the Response (@1) Detail Record (as applicable). A status of credit approved is indicated by a value of 35 in Credit Status Code, providing no errors or denial existed. Pre-approval credit requests are optional for service providers but required for SBS.

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• Credit and print (processing type code: CP)

In credit and print processing, the sending organization will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data to obtain a credit check (The “Req CO or CP” column in the record layout tables indicates which fields are required for this process.) Upon receipt, the service provider will perform a credit check and if approved, print and mail (or deliver via e-mail or the Web) an application/promissory note. After the completed application/promissory note is returned, it is reviewed by the service provider for errors. The service provider is required to send a Response File (@1) Detail Record acknowledging the credit approval and print request. This information is communicated in Guarantor Status Code (field 150), Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151), Promissory Note Status Code (field 152), and Credit Status Code (field 153) of the Response (@1) Detail Record (as applicable). A status of credit approved and promissory note printed is indicated by a Credit Status Code of 35 and a Promissory Note Status Code of 20. If errors exist or if the service provider is still processing the request, other values may be returned in these fields to provide the school with detailed status information.

• Guarantee only processing (processing type code: GO)

In guarantee only processing, the sending organization will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data to obtain a guarantee. (The “Req GO or GP” column in the record layout tables indicates which fields are required for this process.) Upon receipt, the service provider will process the guarantee only request and no other processing will occur (e.g., print processing).

The service provider is required to send an NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Response File acknowledging the receipt of the guarantee only request and providing the guarantor status, lender-servicer status, promissory note status, and credit status information in the response. This information is communicated in Guarantor Status Code (field 150), Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151), Promissory Note Status Code (field 152), and Credit Status Code (field 153) of the Response (@1) Detail Record (as applicable). A status of guaranteed is indicated by a value of 40 in Guarantor Status Code, providing no errors existed.



• Guarantee and print processing (processing type code: GP)

In guarantee and print processing, the sending organization will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data to obtain a guarantee. (The “Req GO or GP” column in the record layout tables indicates which fields are required for this process.) Upon receipt, the service provider will process the guarantee and print request. Provided no errors are detected during processing, the service provider will guarantee the loan. The application/promissory note is printed and mailed (or delivered via e-mail or the Web). After the completed application/promissory note is returned, it is reviewed by the service provider for errors.

The service provider is required to send a Response File acknowledging the receipt of the guarantee and print request and providing the guarantor status, lender-servicer status, promissory note status, and credit status information in the response. This information is communicated in Guarantor Status Code (field 150), Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151), Promissory Note Status Code (field 152), and Credit Status Code (field 153) of the Response (@1) Detail Record (as applicable). A status of guaranteed is indicated by a value of 40 in Guarantor Status Code, providing no errors existed.

• Print and guarantee processing (processing type code: PG)

In print and guarantee processing, the sending organization will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data for a print and guarantee request. (The “Req PG” column in the record layout tables indicates which fields are required for this process.) Upon receipt, the service provider will print and mail (or deliver via e-mail or the Web) the application/promissory note, in needed. Once the application/promissory note is completed and returned, the service provider will guarantee or obtain the guarantee for the loan, providing no corrections need to be made.

The service provider is required to send a Response File acknowledging the receipt of the print and guarantee request and providing the guarantor status, lender-servicer status, promissory note status, and credit status information in the response. This information is communicated in Guarantor Status Code (field 150), Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151), Promissory Note Status Code (field 152), and Credit Status Code (field 153) of the Response (@1) Detail Record (as applicable).



Upon receipt of the completed paper application/promissory note, the service provider will grant the guarantee (providing no errors exist) and send another Response File (containing the same CommonLine Unique Identifier [field 24, Response (@1) Detail Record(s)] as the previous file) communicating guarantor status, lender-servicer status, promissory note status, and credit status information in the response. A status of guaranteed (promissory note received and approved) is indicated by a Guarantor Status Code of 40, a Lender-Servicer Status Code of 45, and a Promissory Note Status Code of 60. If errors existed or if the service provider is still processing the request, other values may be returned in these fields to provide the school with detailed status information.

• Print only processing (processing type code: PO)

In print only processing, the sending organization will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record requiring only a limited amount of data in order for the receiving organization to print and mail (or deliver via e-mail or the Web) the application. (The “Req PO” column in the record layout tables indicates which fields are required for print only processing.) No guarantee processing is required, no CommonLine Unique Identifier is created or stored, and no Response File @1 Detail Record will be sent. Any errors detected on print only requests must be dealt with on an exception basis. Contact your service provider to determine how print only errors are handled.

NOTE

If you submit an application for print only processing, you cannot later submit a request to correct, reprint, or terminate that application. Corrections, reprints, or terminations can only be submitted for applications previously submitted for guarantee and print, print and guarantee, pre-approval credit requests, or school certification requests. Corrections and terminations can also be requested for applications previously submitted for guarantee only.

Subsequent requests

For requests that occur after the initial submission of an application, the processing options and the associated Response File information are determined by the data entered in Record Type Indicator Code (field 2, @1 Detail Record) and Processing Type Code (field 95, @1 Detail Record). Refer to the appropriate field definitions for a complete list of possible entries for these fields.

• Correction request (record type code: C)

The sending organization can send a corrected application using the Application Send File, provided they have not received a guaranteed status or termination status for the application in a Response File. Once the loan(s) has been guaranteed, sending organizations must use the NCHELP CommonLine®



Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Change Transaction Send File for CommonLine Release 5 processing to submit any changes.

The correction Application Send (@1) Detail Record is usually a subsequent transmission of the original @1 Detail Record containing all data elements (corrected data and unchanged data). This correction record also uses the same CommonLine Unique Identifier (field 24, Application Send [@1] Detail Record[s]) as the original record. Correction records are also used to respond to School Certification Requests (SCR requests) submitted in the Response File and to submit requests for guarantee when the original record request was for either credit only or credit and print.

In addition, correction records may be used to correct information previously submitted in a pre-approval credit request prior to credit approval (35 in Credit Status Code [field 153, Response File]).

The receiving organization will overwrite the original @1 Detail Record with the correction record and return a Response File containing the correction data to the original sending organization. If the correction application is submitted for guarantee and print or print and guarantee, it should not be assumed that the application/promissory note will be reprinted. Sending organizations should submit a reprint request for this function.

Correction records cannot be used to correct Processing Type Code (field 95), or Requested Serial Loan Code (field 90) in the Application Send (@1) Detail Record. These fields must contain the same information submitted in the original @1 Detail Record except for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and print and guarantee requests when the original Processing Type Code was either CO or CP. For school certification requests (SCRs) the Requested Serial Loan Code must be completed for the first electronic transmission of the Application Send File in response to the certification request submitted by the service provider. Any other data element may be corrected or changed.

NOTE Some service providers may have additional limitations on the data elements they will allow to be changed in a correction record.



• Reprint request (record type code: R)

Sending organizations can request a reprint of any applications they previously submitted with GP, PG, or CP in Processing Type Code (field 95, Application Send [@1] Detail Record[s]) if they have not received a 60 (Valid MPN on file with lender-servicer) in Promissory Note Status Code (field 152, Response File) or a termination status for the application in a Response File. The sending organization must include the same CommonLine Unique Identifier (field 24, @1 Detail Record[s]) that was sent in the original record. Upon receipt of a reprint request, the service provider will reprint the application/ promissory note but is not required to send a Response File acknowledging the reprint request. If the service provider optionally sends a reprint response (indicated by a field 2, Response (@1) Detail Record] of N) in response to the reprint request. Where applicable, you may request a reprint of a promissory note for an SCR request. Contact your service provider for information.

NOTE

For reprint requests, the sending organization should provide all required fields as defined by the Processing Type Code (field 95).

Sending organizations can change the permanent or temporary borrower address when submitting a reprint request. (No additional application data can be updated using a reprint request.) If either address is updated, the receiving organization should update its system.

NOTE You cannot submit a reprint request for an application that has received a Response File with a Guarantor Status Code (field 150) of 35, a Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151) of 30, or a Promissory Note Status Code (field 152) of 60.

You cannot submit a reprint request for an application that was previously submitted with CO (credit only), GO (guarantee loan[s] only) or PO (print only) in Processing Type Code (field 95, Application Send [@1] Detail Record[s]).

If you originally submitted PO, you must submit another print only request for the application. If you originally submitted CO or GO, a reprint request is not available.



• Termination request (record type code: T)

Sending organizations can submit a request to terminate an application previously submitted for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, SCR, or pre-approval credit requests (CO or CP in Processing Type Code [field 95]). This request will result in a withdrawal of the application prior to guarantee. Once an application is terminated it cannot be reinstated it must be submitted as a new application with a new CL Unique ID (Please note this is not a loan cancellation. A loan cancellation after guarantee must be submitted via the Change Transaction Send File.)

NOTE

For termination requests, the sending organization should provide all required fields as defined by the Processing Type Code (field 95) with the exception of SCR requests. Termination requests for SCR requests should return the data received in the original certification request file.

A termination request can be sent to the receiving organization for applications and pre-approval credit requests initially submitted via the Application Send File or for SCR requests submitted via the Response File. The sending organization must include the same CommonLine Unique Identifier (field 24, Application Send [@1] Detail Record[s]) that was sent in the original record. The sending organization can send a termination request using this file if they have not received a guaranteed status for the loan(s) in the Response File. Once a guaranteed status has been received, sending organizations must use the Change Transaction Send File to submit loan cancellations. The service provider is required to send a Response File indicating the completion of the termination request.

Loan status reporting

For CommonLine Release 5 processing, Response File loan status reporting has been redesigned to deliver a mechanism that provides a more accurate depiction of a loan’s disposition within the loan process. The single Application/Loan Phase Code used prior to Release 5 has been replaced with four new status codes which include Guarantor Status, Lender-Servicer Status, Promissory Note Status, and Credit Status. These codes were created under the premise that all loans (FFELP and alternative) require the completion of two to four different events before the loan process concludes. These events are guarantee processing, lender approval, promissory note processing, and credit verification.



Master Promissory Note processing

The following describes the values a school submits in Requested Serial Loan Code (field 90) and Processing Type Code (field 95) of the Application Send File and explains what the school should expect to receive from its service provider in the Promissory Note Status Code (field 152) and Actual Serial Loan Code (field 158) of the Response File.

Serial MPN; Guarantee & Print Processing (S/GP) — This combination of values

means this school wants to use a serial MPN process for this certification, or this is a non-serial eligible school indicating this certification is for an increase to a previously certified loan (within the same loan period). The school does not want to be responsible for tracking the promissory note and is telling the service provider to use a serial MPN for this borrower, guarantee the loan, and print a promissory note if needed.

If a valid MPN exists for the borrower with that lender or the lender's agent and the lender/lender's agent is creating the response record, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 60 (approved by lender-servicer) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated with the value of S (serial MPN).

If a valid MPN has not been received from the borrower but that lender/lender's agent has recently printed one for another loan and is awaiting its return, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 45 (lender-servicer awaiting promissory note), 50 (received by lender-servicer; needs follow-up), or 55 (received by lender-servicer; returned to borrower) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated with the value of S.

If no valid MPN exists or the lender/lender's agent is awaiting the return of one, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 20 (promissory note printed) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated with the value of N (new MPN).

If the response record is being created by a service provider other than the lender/lender's agent and that service provider tracks prior MPN history and prints MPNs, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with either: 1) a value of 01 (unknown) if they believe a previous note could be used for this loan and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code populated with the value of S, or 2) a value of 20 (promissory note printed) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code populated the value of N if no prior MPN history exists. If the response record is being created by a service provider that does not track prior MPN history, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 01 (unknown).



Serial MPN; Print & Guarantee Processing (S/PG) — This combination of values means this school wants to use a serial MPN process for this certification, or this is a non-serial eligible school indicating this certification is for an increase to a previously certified loan (within the same loan period). The school does not want to be responsible for tracking the promissory note and is telling the service provider to use a serial MPN for this borrower; if a promissory note is needed, print the promissory note; and guarantee the loan.”

If a valid MPN exists for the borrower with that lender/lender's agent and the lender/lender's agent is creating the response record, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 60 (approved by lender-servicer) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated the value of S. If a valid MPN has not been received from the borrower but that lender/lender's agent has recently printed one for another loan and is awaiting its return, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 45 (lender-servicer awaiting promissory note), 50 (received by lender-servicer; needs follow-up), or 55 (received by lender-servicer; returned to borrower) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated the value of S. If no valid MPN exists or the lender/lender's agent is awaiting the return of one, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 20 (promissory note printed) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code populated with the value of N. If the response record is being created by a service provider other than the lender/lender's agent and that service provider tracks prior MPN history, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with either: 1) a value of 01 (unknown) if they believe a previous note could be used for this loan and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code populated the value of S, or 2) a value of 20 (promissory note printed) and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code populated with the value of N if no prior MPN history exists. If the response record is being created by a service provider that does not track prior MPN history, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of 01 (unknown).



Serial MPN; Guarantee Only Processing (S/GO) — This combination of values means this school wants to use a serial MPN process for this certification, or this is a non-serial eligible school indicating this certification is for an increase to a previously certified loan (within the same loan period). The school wants to be responsible for providing a promissory note to the borrower, if a promissory note is needed. The school is telling the service provider to use a serial MPN for this borrower. The service provider is being asked to process the loan, and tell the school if a valid promissory note is available.

If a valid MPN exists for the borrower, the lender/lender's agent responds with a 60 (approved by lender-servicer) in Promissory Note Status Code and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated with the value of S. If a valid MPN does not exist, the lender/lender's agent responds with a value other than 60 (approved by lender-servicer) in Promissory Note Status Code and optionally, Actual Serial Loan Code is populated with the value of N indicating the school must provide a promissory note to the borrower. When a certification is sent to a service provider that is not responsible for collecting an MPN and/or verifying a prior MPN exists or is still valid, Promissory Note Status Code is populated with the value of either 01 (unknown) or 40 (note forwarded to lender-servicer) as that service provider cannot verify that a prior MPN exists or is still valid. In these circumstances the school must wait for a response record from the lender/lender's agent. This response record will contain a Promissory Note Status Code value of 45 (lender-servicer awaiting promissory note), 50 (received by lender-servicer; needs follow-up), 55 (received by lender-servicer; returned to borrower), or 60 (approved by lender-servicer). The school will use the Promissory Note Status Code information to confirm a prior MPN exists or is still valid, or will use the field to confirm the school must provide a promissory note to the borrower.

Serial MPN; Print Only Processing (S/PO) — This combination of values reflects an

error condition as the school has communicated conflicting information to the service provider. Some service providers may translate this request to mean the school has requested a New MPN for print only processing. Other service providers may reject the application based on the conflicting request.

New MPN; Guarantee & Print Processing (N/GP) — or New MPN; Print & Guarantee Processing (N/PG) — Either combination of values

means this school does not want to use a serial MPN process for this certification, or the school is ineligible for serial MPN loans. The school does not want to be responsible for printing and collecting the promissory note. The school is telling the service provider to provide the borrower a new note. The service provider is being asked to print and guarantee the loan.



New MPN; Guarantee Only Processing (N/GO) — This combination of values

means this school does not want to use a serial MPN process for this certification, or the school is ineligible for serial MPN loans. The school wants to be responsible for printing and collecting the promissory note. The school is telling the service provider that the school will get the promissory note. The service provider is being asked to guarantee the loan.

New MPN; Print Only Processing (N/PO) — This combination of values means this

school does not want to use a serial MPN process for this certification, or the school is ineligible for serial MPN loans. The school does not want to be responsible for printing the promissory note. The school is telling the service provider to provide the borrower a new note. The service provider is being asked to print a new MPN and send it to the borrower. No other action is required on the part of the service provider.

Blanket guarantee processing

As noted in Dear Colleague letter GEN-99-22, dated 08/02/1999: Authorized by Section 428(n) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, blanket guarantee allows a lender to disburse loan proceeds prior to submitting loan data to the guarantee agency and further qualifying a borrower for a loan. A borrower must meet certain criteria prior to pre-qualifying for blanket guarantee. The following are important items to note about the blanket guarantee process:

• Implementation of blanket guarantee will be handled on a partner-by-partner basis and no industry-wide implementation date is needed.

• Only a lender or lender’s agent can submit blanket guarantee records to a guarantor.

• Lenders must submit data to guarantors on a loan-by-loan basis. • Blanket guarantees must be submitted using a guarantee only record

NOTE

If the first disbursement is cancelled prior to reporting the guarantee to the guarantor, the first disbursement should still be reported and subsequently cancelled so that the school has the opportunity to reinstate the disbursement later if needed. Lenders will send all the disbursements in the App Send file to the guarantor, then will cancel any disbursements with the guarantor so that all parties, school, lender/servicer and guarantor will have the same number of disbursements and the same statuses.



NCHELP information

This document and its contents were created by the NCHELP Electronic Standards Committee (ESC)). NCHELP, the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs, Inc., is an association of organizations using or providing services related to postsecondary student loan programs. The format in this document was created by industry organizations to provide a simplified approach and a common format for the electronic exchange of student loan data. The standardized format will provide a consistent approach and allow each participating organization to assure data sent or received following these standards will be accepted.

This format is not mandatory, nor is it intended to limit the ability of any two organizations to define their own format, edits, or method of exchange. However, organizations that implement this format and exchange data with other organizations participating in the CommonLine Network are assured of that data’s acceptance. Refer for the CommonLine Compliance Rules for additional information. It is the hope of the NCHELP Electronic Standards Committee that organizations providing software to schools and lenders will use this format to transmit and receive data. It is also the hope that this software will be created or modified to allow a school to send and receive FFELP loan data electronically with other organizations following these standards.

The Application Send File format will be reviewed and modified periodically by the NCHELP Electronic Standards Committee to meet federal requirements and user needs.

If you have any questions concerning the Application Send File format or the CommonLine Network, please contact the receiving organization (i.e., the organization to which you will be submitting this file). If you received this document directly from NCHELP, please contact the NCHELP central office at:

National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs, Inc. 1100 Connecticut Avenue, NW 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036

Phone: (202) 822-2106 Fax: (202) 822-2142 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.nchelp.org



Participant types

The term “sending organization” is used throughout this document. It refers to the service customer, which is the organization that will create these records and submit them to the service provider. The types of organizations creating this file will vary depending upon the receiving organization. Possible types are:

• Guarantors • Guarantor servicers

• Schools • School servicers

• Lenders

• Lender servicers

The term “receiving organization” is used throughout this document. It refers to the service provider, which is the organization that will receive these records. In most cases, the receiving organization will be a guarantor. However, in some cases, it may be a servicer or lender.

NOTE The terms “guarantor” and “guarantee” are used throughout this document. For those organizations that are accommodating alternative loan processes, please note that the definition of these terms is equivalent to the definition of the terms “insurer” and “insurance,” respectively.



Additional services

This section describes additional services supported by this file. All school-based software (SBS) is required to support these services. However, these services are optional for receiving organizations to provide. Additional services available to you are determined by the receiving organization.

The additional services listed below may require the completion of some optional fields in the Application Send (@1) Detail Record(s). However, they do not require the completion of unique fields nor the inclusion of a Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record.

NOTE

Some receiving organizations provide other unique services that require the completion of unique fields at the end of the @1 Detail Record, or the inclusion of an @2 Detail Record. Contact your receiving organization if you wish to use unique services.

• School Certification Request (Record Type Code: C)

The School Certification Request (SCR) process is initiated when a borrower’s application information is submitted directly to the service provider. The service provider enters the application data and generates a Response File containing a Response (@1) Detail Record of the borrower’s data. The Response File is transmitted to the school requesting that the school certify the application. After certification, the school will transmit an Application Send (@1) Detail Record containing a Record Type Code (field 2) of C and a Processing Type Code (field 95) of CR back to the service provider with the same fields populated that are required in the guarantee only process. Response File @1 Detail Record(s) created as a result of SCR requests must be at the application level (i.e., one Response File [@1] Detail Record per application).

If, during processing but prior to guarantee, the school determines that the borrower is ineligible for the loan, the school should send an Application Send (@1) Detail Record with a record type code of T (termination request).



• Credit Pre-Approval for PLUS/Alternative Loans

The school will submit a request for a pre-approval credit check for PLUS/Alternative loans by submitting a Processing Type Code (field 95) of either a CO (credit only request) or CP (credit and print request) in an Application Send File to the lender or servicer. The lender or servicer will respond with either an approval, (35 in Credit Status Code [field 153]) or denial (20 in Credit Status Code) or other information as to the status of the credit request.

For credit only processing, subsequent requests for guarantee will be submitted using a Record Type Code of C and Processing Type Code of either GP, GO or PG (as applicable) in the Application Send (@1) Detail Record. For credit and print processing, subsequent requests for guarantee will be submitted using a Record Type Code of C and Processing Type Code of GO in the Application Send (@1) Detail Record. Organizations must be aware of and comply with all regulations that govern credit reporting.

Hold/release disbursement funds

This additional service allows sending organizations to control the actual release of funds for each disbursement. Not all service providers offer the hold and release functionality. The Disbursement Hold/Release Indicator Code (fields 85-88 in the Application Send File @1 Detail Record and field 28 in the Change Transaction Send File Disbursement Cancellation/Change @1-09 Detail Record) acts as a flag indicating when funds should be held, indicated by an H (hold disbursement until release notification is given) or when funds should be released, indicated by an R (release the disbursement as scheduled), assuming a hold was requested. The Disbursement Hold/Release Indicator Code may also be found in the Application Send File Supplemental Disbursement Information Send @8 Detail Record in fields 20-35 for organizations submitting loans with more than four disbursements. The Application Send File @1 and @8 Detail Records must be used to submit hold and/or release instructions for loans that have not yet been guaranteed. The Disbursement Cancellation/Change @1-09 Detail Record must be used to submit hold and/or release instructions for loans that have been guaranteed.




Some service providers may allow schools to place all disbursements in a hold status automatically at the time of guarantee/application processing. Schools choosing this option must then submit a release transaction for each disbursement when they are ready to receive funds for that loan.

NOTE

The submission and acceptance of a hold record should not affect the reported disbursement schedule. Service providers should not change the original disbursement schedule because of a hold record (e.g., change the scheduled disbursement date to a future date).

Disbursements placed in a hold status for an extended period without notification of release are subject to cancellation based on service provider criteria. Most service providers will follow up with schools prior to canceling the disbursement (and any subsequent disbursements) if this situation occurs.

NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Implementation Guidelines Application Send File

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IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES CommonLine compliance rules

This section provides you with general processing rules to follow when implementing the Application Send and Response Files for Release 5 processing.

• To be considered CommonLine Release 5 compliant for application processing,

both Release 5 of the Application Send File and the Response File, as it relates to application processing, must be supported.

• To be considered CommonLine compliant for application processing, the current

version minus one must be supported for both the Application Send File and the Response File. Therefore, the Release 4 version of the NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application File and the NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Response File must be supported. This applies only to participants who previously adopted the Release 4 Application Send and Response Files and are now implementing Release 5.

• Service providers are required to support all basic processing options in the

Application Send and Response Files, with the exception of guarantee and print, and print and guarantee. A service provider is required to support either guarantee and print, or print and guarantee, but has the option of supporting both.

• All school-based software (SBS) is required to support all basic processing

options and additional services. Additional services are optional for service providers to provide. (See Additional services in the Introduction.)

• If a service provider receives a request for a service it does not support (e.g., GP

or PG), the record should be rejected and the appropriate error message returned.

• In general, service providers should format the Response File in the CommonLine version appropriate to the send file that was received (i.e., a Release 5 Response File should acknowledge a Release 5 Application Send File). This rule may be overridden by mutual agreements between CommonLine participants.

• To be fully compliant, service providers must be able to communicate with other

service providers, as well as schools, using CommonLine file formats (for application processing only; not applicable to change transaction processing).

• All participants are required to use a CommonLine-compliant mail system for file

transmissions. For approved CommonLine mail systems for file transmissions, see the NCHELP Technical Manual for CommonLine and Common Account Maintenance Processes.



• Service providers must support the application response (S) record. Service providers that perform lending functions (e.g., disbursing agents) must be able to support the modification response (M) record for schools. Service providers that only perform guarantee functions do not have to support M records for schools. SBS must support both S and M records.

• All SBS must support the reprint response (N) record. However, the N record is

optional for service providers to provide.

• All service providers who process alternative loans must support all of the Application Send and Response (@1) Detail Record(s) and the Alternative Loan Send and Alternative Loan Response (@4) Detail Record(s) required data elements for those alternative loan programs that require them. All SBS must support the @1 and @4 Detail Record formats for those alternative loan programs requiring them.

NOTE

All SBS are required to support the @4 Detail Record; however, the inclusion of this record type is optional in the Application Send File. If no Alternative Loan Send (@4) Detail Records were submitted in the Application Send File, then no Alternative Loan Response (@4) Detail Records will be included in the Response File.

• All SBS must support all loan types (federal and alternative) in the Application

Send File. Service providers must support all FFELP loan types that they offer and be able to provide, at a minimum, a reject error code in the Response File if they receive an alternative loan type they do not support.

• The School Certification Request (SCR) process is optional for service providers,

but must be supported by all SBS. If a school receives an SCR request from a service provider, it will transmit the certification information via an Application Send (@1) Detail Record with a Record Type Indicator Code (field 2) of C and CR in Processing Type Code (field 95).

• All organizations who collect and process borrower reference information can

submit that information in the Application Send File Reference/Cosigner Send (@5) Detail Record(s). If this record type is supported by the service provider, this information will be passed back in the Response File Reference/Cosigner Response (@5) Detail Record(s). These @5 Detail Records are optional. Service providers and SBS are not required to support these records.

• All organizations who collect and process supplemental borrower information can

submit that information in the Application Send File Supplemental Borrower Information Send (@7) Detail Record(s). If this record type is supported by the service provider, this information will be passed back in the Response File Supplemental Borrower Information Response (@7) Detail Record(s). Service providers are not required to support this record; however SBS is required to support this record.



• All organizations that process more than four disbursements can submit the

additional disbursements in the Application Send File Supplemental Disbursement Send (@8) Detail Record. If this information is supported by the service provider, it will be passed back in the Supplemental Disbursement Response (@8) Detail Record. Service providers are not required to support this record; however, SBS is required to support this record.

• If an organization receives an unsupported optional record type (e.g., a Unique

Supplemental [@2] Detail Record), the organization should ignore the record and should not produce a fatal error.

• Some sending organizations may request up to 20 disbursements for a loan.

CommonLine now supports 20 disbursements as a standard. Service providers are not required to support more than four disbursements. If a service provider supports more than four disbursements, the service provider should confirm its trading partners and loan servicers agree to and support the use of additional disbursements before implementing this functionality. To be considered CommonLine Release 5 compliant, SBS must support 20 disbursements.

• Pre-approval credit processing is optional for service providers but required for

SBS. A service provider should never send an unsolicited pre-approval credit request response (indicated by a CO or CP in Processing Type Code (field 144, Response File) without prior arrangement with the receiving organization. If you receive a pre-approval credit request response and want to certify the loan, you should use the appropriate processing type (guarantee only, guarantee and print, or print and guarantee) in an Application Send File correction record.

CommonLine unique identifier and CommonLine loan sequence number

CommonLine unique identifier and CommonLine loan sequence number

NOTE In this section, the term “application” references either the application from the borrower or the certification from the school.

Two fields are designed as CommonLine unique identifiers for the application and resulting loans: CommonLine Unique Identifier (field 24) and CommonLine Loan Sequence Number (field 25). You are required to use the CommonLine unique identifier as the primary application identification code for CommonLine processing. Except for print only requests, all CommonLine files containing information related to an application must include the CommonLine unique identifier. The CommonLine loan sequence number is required in the Application Send File for blanket guarantee loans only. While CommonLine is the primary focus, use of the CommonLine unique identifier and CommonLine loan sequence number between all business partners in processes outside of CommonLine is strongly encouraged.



NOTE To accommodate the blanket guarantee process, the CommonLine Loan Sequence Number (field 25) has been added to the Application Send File. In the blanket guarantee process, guarantors must be able to accept a subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan with the same CommonLine Unique ID, but with different loan sequence numbers, even if transmitted in separate batches from lender to guarantor.

The CommonLine unique identifier is assigned at the application level. This code is assigned by the organization that transmits the first electronic record containing information about the application for the first CommonLine electronic transmission. Typically, this takes place when the Application Send (@1) Detail Record is submitted in the Application Send File. Please note that, for SCR requests, this number is typically assigned by the service provider in the Response File. However, there are cases in which the CommonLine unique identifier may not yet be assigned when other CommonLine files are created. When creating CommonLine files, it is the file creator’s responsibility to confirm whether or not the CommonLine unique identifier has been assigned. If not, it is the file creator’s responsibility to assign it. To reduce the likelihood that duplicate CommonLine unique identifiers are assigned, the CommonLine workgroup requires CommonLine schools and service providers to implement the following processes beginning with Release 5:

• SBS systems are required to use the Incremental Code portion of the

CommonLine Unique Identifier (positions 12-17) as described in Appendix C, CommonLine Unique Identifier. For all other CommonLine participants, this CommonLine unique identifier algorithm is strongly recommended but not required.

• Service providers who receive the initial Application Send File are required

to edit that file against their entire database to ensure no duplicate CommonLine unique identifiers have been transmitted. Duplicate CommonLine unique identifiers should be rejected by the receiving organization.

• SBS vendors and financial aid management system (f.a.m.s) vendors should

contact their school customers and ensure those customers are adequately trained to install and use their software products—specifically regarding the use of system IDs and CommonLine unique identifiers.

The CommonLine loan sequence number is assigned at the loan level and is used in conjunction with the CommonLine unique identifier to identify each loan. This number is assigned by the guarantor at the time of guarantee or by the lender at the time of blanket guarantee. Typically, this takes place when the Response (@1) Detail Record is submitted in the Response File. For blanket guarantee, the CommonLine Loan Sequence Number is assigned in the Application Send File process at the time the Application Send File is created.



NOTE

When the Response File is created by an organization other than the guarantor, it is that organization’s responsibility to obtain the CommonLine loan sequence number and populate CommonLine Loan Sequence Number after the loan is guaranteed. The guarantor has the option to delegate the responsibility of assigning the CommonLine loan sequence number to the lender.

Refer to the detail record(s) section as well as Appendix C, CommonLine Unique Identifier, for a complete description of the CommonLine Unique Identifier field. Refer to the detail record(s) for a complete description of the CommonLine Loan Sequence Number field.

File transmissions

The NCHELP Electronic Standards Committee has developed detailed guidelines for transmitting the Application Send File. These guidelines provide information on specifying the subject name of the file transmission, recommendations on file size limits, and other detailed technical information. This information is defined in the NCHELP Technical Manual for CommonLine and Common Account Maintenance Processes.





NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Physical Characteristics Application Send File

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The physical characteristics of the Application Send File must be:

Format: IBM compatible Recording mode: Fixed length Character set: Standard ASCII text Physical record length: 960 bytes Block size: Unblocked

Carriage-return and line-feed characters must be placed at the end of each 960-byte physical record.

Text files should be transmitted in binary mode.


NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Physical Characteristics Application Send File



NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Processing Information Application Send File

PROCESSING INFORMATION

This section provides you with the following helpful processing information: how records in the file must be organized; how data must be represented within fields; and what fields must be included to aid in verification of the file’s data.

File organization

The Application Send File must contain the following records in this order:

• One header (@H) record

• One Application Send (@1) Detail Record for each application

Data in the @1 Detail Record will vary based on conditions listed in each field description.

NOTE

When you are submitting new applications and/or correction applications in this file, all detail records should be created at the application level (i.e., one detail record per application).

However, if you are using certain unique services, you may need to create detail records at the loan level. If your receiving organization provides any unique services, contact the receiving organization for the requirements of using these services.

• One or more Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record(s) for each loan or

application if you wish to use unique services provided by your receiving organization

NOTE

If @2 Detail Record(s) are included in the Application Send File, they may be sent back with the Response File, depending on your agreement with the receiving organization. Contact your receiving organization for more information.

• One Alternative Loan Send (@4) Detail Record for each alternative loan

application if this record type is included

If included, the @4 Detail Record must follow the corresponding Response (@1) Detail Record or related records (i.e., the @4 Detail Record must fall before the next unrelated @1 Detail Record).



• One or more Reference/Cosigner Send (@5) Detail Record for each loan or application with borrower reference or cosigner information if this record type is included

If included, the @5 Detail Record must follow the corresponding Application Send (@1) Detail Record or related records (i.e., the @5 Detail Record must fall before the next unrelated @1 Detail Record).

• One Supplemental Borrower Information Send (@7) Detail Record for each loan


If included, the @7 Detail Record must follow the corresponding Application Send (@1) Detail Record or related records (i.e., the @7 Detail Record must fall before the next unrelated (@1) Detail Record).

• One Supplemental Disbursement Send (@8) Detail Record for each loan


If included, the @8 Detail Record must follow the corresponding Application Send (@1) Detail Record or related records (i.e., the @8 Detail Record must fall before the next unrelated (@1) Detail Record).

NOTE Not all service providers can support more than four disbursements.

• One trailer (@T) record

You will find a description of each record and its fields in the appropriate section of this document: Header Record, Application Send (@1) Detail Record(s), Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record(s), and Trailer Record. In addition, descriptions of the following detail records can be found in their respective addenda: Alternative Loan Send (@4) Detail Record(s), Reference/Cosigner Send (@5) Detail Record(s), Supplemental Borrower Information Send (@7) Detail Record(s), and Supplemental Disbursement Send (@8) Detail Record(s). If you have not received the appropriate document, contact the NCHELP central office to request a copy.

Data representation

• Unless otherwise noted, all alphanumeric fields must be in uppercase A-Z or 0-9 only, left-justified, and padded with spaces. If there is no data in the field, it must be filled with spaces. Any exceptions to this are noted in the record layout tables and field descriptions.

• Unless otherwise noted, numeric fields must be right-justified and padded with

zeros. They must contain digits only (no blanks, hyphens, commas, slashes, etc.). If there is no data in the field, it must be filled with zeros. Any exceptions to this are noted in the record layout tables and field descriptions.



• Money amounts must have no commas, decimal points, or dollar signs. All fields appear as whole dollar amounts in this file (no decimal places). Refer to the layout table to determine the structure for each dollar amount field.

Example: 02500 ($2,500)

• Dates in the file must be in one of two formats:

CCYYMMDD

CC = Century YY = Year MM = Month DD = Day

Example: 20011105 (November 5, 2001)

CCYYMM

CC = Century YY = Year MM = Month

Example: 200111 (November 2001)

Single-digit years, months, and days must be padded with a leading zero. Hyphens or slashes must not be included in dates. The appropriate format for each date is indicated in the respective field description.

• All times in the file must be the sending organization’s local time in HHMMSS

format on a 24-hour clock, where:

HH = Hours MM = Minutes SS = Seconds

Examples: 013024 (1:30:24 a.m.)

133024 (1:30:24 p.m.)

Single-digit hours, minutes, and seconds must be padded with a leading zero.



• In the record layout table for each record type, the data type for each field is represented in COBOL format with X’s indicating alphanumeric characters and 9’s indicating numeric characters.

A number enclosed in parentheses immediately following the symbol X or 9 specifies the number of consecutive occurrences of that symbol. For example, X(005) indicates an alphanumeric field with five characters.

Example: 05000 ($5,000)

• Required statuses for each field are explained in the record layout tables and field

descriptions. The codes appearing in the record layout tables are:

R = Required S = Strongly recommended O = Optional — = Not applicable (provide default value)

NOTE

Some fields may be required, strongly recommended, or optional under certain conditions. These conditions are indicated by footnotes in the layout tables and explained in each field description.

File packaging

For purposes of facilitating record routing, file responses, and the use of encryption/decryption keys at the non-ED branch level, it is important that files be packaged appropriately. The source ID and source non-ED branch ID, if one exists, and the recipient ID and recipient non-ED branch ID, if one exists, must be used together to determine which records are to be grouped in a single file. For example, if the source of the file is a school and the school has a non-ED branch ID assigned to a particular campus or branch, only those records for borrowers associated with that particular campus or branch should be included in any given file. Records for borrowers attending different campuses that have been assigned non-ED branch IDs should be included in separate files which are properly designated in the header and trailer records with the school ID and school non-ED branch ID as the source ID and source non-ED branch ID, respectively. Further, records intended for different recipient non-ED branches of the same recipient must also be packaged separately.



For example, if the University of Learning, school ID 01234500, has been assigned a school non-ED branch ID of UVOL for one campus and ULRN for another campus, and if there are records to be sent on behalf of both campuses, the school must create separate Application Send Files, even if the records are intended for a single destination. One file will be created with a source ID of 01234500 and source non-ED branch ID of UVOL and will include the records for borrowers associated with that campus. Detail records will reflect a lender ID of 881882, a school ID of 01234500, and a school non-ED branch ID of UVOL. The second file will be created with a source ID of 01234500 and source non-ED branch ID of ULRN and will include the records for borrowers associated with the second campus. Detail records will reflect a lender ID of 881882, a School ID of 01234500, and a school non-ED branch ID of ULRN. In cases where a single organization provides services for multiple organizations, such as multiple schools serviced by a school servicer or multiple lenders serviced by a lender servicer, it is appropriate to package records for more than one organization together and to encrypt the file with a single encryption key—provided that any response to these records would be returned to the source of the file.

Data verification

There are six fields in the trailer record used to verify the data in the file. The number in these fields must represent exactly what is in the file. Any discrepancy may prevent processing of the file.

• APPLICATION SEND (@1) DETAIL RECORD COUNT (field 2) — The count of

all Application Send (@1) Detail Record(s) in the file.

• UNIQUE SUPPLEMENTAL (@2) DETAIL RECORD COUNT (field 3) — The count of all Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record(s) in the file.

• ALTERNATIVE LOAN SEND (@4) DETAIL RECORD COUNT (field 15) — The

count of all Alternative Loan Send (@4) Detail Record(s) in the file.

• REFERENCE SEND/COSIGNER (@5) DETAIL RECORD COUNT (field 16) — The count of all Reference/Cosigner Send (@5) Detail Record(s) in the file.

• SUPPLEMENTAL BORROWER INFORMATION SEND (@7) DETAIL RECORD

COUNT (field 17) — The count of all Supplemental Borrower Information Send (@7) Detail Record(s) in the file.

• SUPPLEMENTAL DISBURSEMENT SEND (@8) DETAIL RECORD COUNT

(field 20) — The count of all Supplemental Disbursement Send (@8) Detail Record(s) in the file.





NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Header Record Application Send File

HEADER RECORD

A single header record must be the first record in the file.

The Layout table in this section lists all of the fields to be contained in the header record. Each field’s start position, length, data type, justification, padding, and required status are also included. A definition of each field is provided after the table.

NOTE

The codes listed in the Layout table are:


Layout

Field

Field Name

Start Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Required Status

1 Record Code 1 2 X(002) R

2 Software Product Code 3 4 X(004) Left Spaces R

3 Software Version 7 4 X(004) Left Spaces R

4 Batch ID 11 12 X(012) Left Spaces O

5 File Creation Date (CCYYMMDD) 23 8 9(008) R

6 File Creation Time (HHMMSS) 31 6 9(006) O

7 File Transmission Date (CCYYMMDD) 37 8 9(008) R

8 File Transmission Time (HHMMSS) 45 6 9(006) O

9 File Identifier Name 51 19 X(019) R

10 File Identifier Code 70 5 X(005) R

11 Source Name 75 32 X(032) Left Spaces R

12 Source ID 107 8 X(008) Left Spaces R

13 Filler2 115 2 X(002) —

14 Source Non-ED Branch ID 117 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1

15 Source Type Code 121 1 X(001) R

16 Recipient Name 122 32 X(032) Left Spaces R

17 Recipient ID 154 8 X(008) Left Spaces R

18 Filler2 162 2 X(002) —

19 Recipient Non-ED Branch ID 164 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1

20 Media Type Code 168 1 X(001) R

21 Filler2 169 9 X(009) —

22 Filler2 178 9 X(009) —



Field Field Name

Start Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Required Status

23 Filler 187 773 X(773) —

24 Record Terminator 960 1 X(001) R

NOTE: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed characters) will follow each physical record. This end-of-record indicator will not be included in determining the fixed length of the record. (Please note that this end-of-record indicator must be included in addition to Record Terminator [field 22].)

1This data is required based on condition(s) listed in the field description. 2This field is reserved for future use.

Field descriptions

1 RECORD CODE — The value identifying the header record. This field must contain the constant: @H

This data is required for all loan programs and processes.

2 SOFTWARE PRODUCT CODE — A code (maximum of 4 characters) indicating

the software product used to generate the file. The software product indicated must participate in the CommonLine Network.

If the sending organization is using proprietary software, fill this field with the value PS. Other codes will be used if the sending organization is not using its own software to generate this file.

NOTE

The NCHELP central office maintains a list of all software product codes. Contact this office or visit the NCHELP Web site (www.nchelp.org) if you would like to obtain a current code list.


3 SOFTWARE VERSION — The value (maximum of 4 characters) indicating the

version of the software identified in Software Product Code (field 2). If you are using proprietary software, fill this field with the year the software was developed.



http://www.nchelp.org/


4 BATCH ID — The identification code (maximum of 12 characters) assigned to the batch.

This data is optional for all loan programs and processes. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

Because the structure of the batch ID is not dictated by CommonLine, this ID is only valid for use in controlling the transmission of this file. The batch ID will not necessarily be returned in the Response File.

5 FILE CREATION DATE — The date the file was created. This date must match

File Creation Date (field 4, Trailer Record).

The date must be in CCYYMMDD format with single-digit years, months, and days padded with a leading zero.

Example: 20010130 (January 30, 2001)


6 FILE CREATION TIME — The time the file was created. This must be the sending organization’s local time. This time must match File Creation Time (field 5, Trailer Record).

The time must be in HHMMSS format on a 24-hour clock. Single-digit hours, minutes, and seconds must be padded with a leading zero.

Examples: 013024 (1:30:24 a.m.)

133024 (1:30:24 p.m.)

This data is optional for all loan programs and processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

7 FILE TRANSMISSION DATE — The date the file was transmitted.


Example: 20010131 (January 31, 2001)




8 FILE TRANSMISSION TIME — The time the file was transmitted. This must be the sending organization’s local time.


Examples: 013024 (1:30:24 a.m.)

133024 (1:30:24 p.m.)


9 FILE IDENTIFIER NAME — A short description of the data in the file. This field

must contain the constant: COMMON APPLICATIONS


10 FILE IDENTIFIER CODE — A 5-character code indicating the type of data in the file and the version of the file layout. This code must match File Identifier Code (field 6, Trailer Record).

FOR PRODUCTION FILES: This field must contain the constant: A005P

FOR TEST FILES: This field must contain the constant: A005T


11 SOURCE NAME — The name of the organization (guarantor, guarantor servicer,

lender, lender servicer, school, or school servicer) identified in Source ID (field 12) and Source Non-ED Branch ID (field 14). This data must match Source Name (field 7, Trailer Record).




12 SOURCE ID — The unique identification code assigned to the organization creating this file. This data must match Source ID (field 8, Trailer Record).

For guarantors, this is the 3-digit number as shown in Appendix A, Valid Guarantor ID’s. For lenders and servicers, this is the 6-digit number assigned by the U.S. Department of Education. For schools, this is the 8-digit ED-assigned school ID. The last 2 digits identify the branch campus.

For those organizations that do not have a numeric ED-assigned ID, this field may contain alphabetic (uppercase only) characters.

NOTE

If you are a servicing organization and you have not been assigned an ED number, contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-, 6-, or 8-character value.


13 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces.

14 SOURCE NON-ED BRANCH ID — The unique identification code (maximum of 4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the branch office or campus creating this file. This ID is unique to the entity that assigned it and can be used by the receiving organization. This data must match Source Non-ED Branch ID (field 10, Trailer Record).

This data is required for all loan programs and processes if a branch ID has been assigned by an entity other than ED. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

15 SOURCE TYPE CODE — A 1-character code indicating the type of organization creating this file.

G = Guarantor L = Lender O = Lender servicer or guarantor servicer S = School or school servicer

NOTE

A school acting as a lender will identify itself as a lender and use its ED-assigned lender ID for identification purposes.




16 RECIPIENT NAME — The name of the organization identified in Recipient ID (field 17), and Recipient Non-ED Branch ID (field 19). This data must match Recipient Name (field 11, Trailer Record).


17 RECIPIENT ID — The unique identification code assigned to the organization that

is the direct recipient of this file. This data must match Recipient ID (field 12, Trailer Record). Schools and service providers who use Internet mail for file transmissions use this field to identify the recipient of the e-mail file. Because the CommonLine e-mail process includes encrypting (locking) the file with the recipient’s information, it is critical that this field identify the direct recipient of this file transmission. For example, if a service provider is transmitting a file to a routing agent who will then transmit the information to the school, this field should contain the routing agent’s code and not the school’s code.

For guarantors, this is the 3-digit number as shown in Appendix A, Valid Guarantor ID’s. For lenders and servicers, this is the 6-digit number assigned by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). For schools, this is the 8-digit ED-assigned school ID. The last 2 digits identify the branch campus.


NOTE

If the receiving organization is a servicing organization, which has not been assigned an ED number, contact the receiving organization to determine the value for this field. The receiving organization will contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-, 6-, or 8-character value.






19 RECIPIENT NON-ED BRANCH ID — The unique identification code (maximum of 4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the branch office receiving this file. This ID is unique to the entity that assigned it and can be used by the receiving organization. This data must match Recipient Non-ED Branch ID (field 14, Trailer Record.)

Schools and service providers who use Internet mail for file transmissions use this field to identify the recipient of the e-mail file. Because the CommonLine e-mail process includes encrypting (locking) the file with the recipient’s information, it is critical that this field identify the direct recipient of this file transmission. For example, if a service provider is transmitting a file to a routing agent who will then transmit the information to the school, this field should contain the routing agent’s code and not the school’s code.


20 MEDIA TYPE CODE — A 1-character code indicating the method used to submit

this file.

D = Diskette M = Mainframe transmission P = PC/Internet transmission T = Magnetic tape (9-track reels or 18-track cartridges)

This data is required for all loan programs and processes. The media types available will vary depending upon the receiving organization.


22 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces. 23 FILLER — A field used to pad the record to the appropriate length. It must be

filled with spaces.

24 RECORD TERMINATOR — The value identifying the end of the record. This field must contain the constant: *


IMPORTANT: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed

characters) must follow each physical record. This end-of-record indicator should not be included in determining the fixed length of the record. (Please note that this end-of-record indicator must be included in addition to Record Terminator [field 24].)




NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application Send (@1) Application Send File Detail Record(s)

APPLICATION SEND @1 DETAIL RECORD(S)

This file may be used for several basic processes, some additional services, and any number of unique services. The following items need to be addressed when submitting this file:

• There must be one Application Send (@1) Detail Record in the file for each

application. You must provide data elements required for the desired processing option (i.e., CO, CP, GO, GP, PG, or PO) when submitting the initial @1 Detail Record or when submitting an @1 Detail Record with correction information.

If you are submitting an application for guarantee, the loan(s) will not be guaranteed until the data elements required for guarantee are received in an error-free state.

• When you are submitting new applications and/or correction applications in this

file, all @1 Detail Records should be created at the application level (i.e., one @1 Detail Record per application).

However, if you are using certain unique services, you may need to create @1 Detail Records at the loan level.

• Fields 116–118 reflect data unique to the data entry software used to collect it. It

allows organizations to exchange data used to provide unique services. Service providers may collect data in the filler portion of this area to meet the needs of their customers. The format and description of elements collected in the filler portion (field 118) are defined by the service provider.

The unique data area of the record is optional. The school-based software (SBS) may bypass any unnecessary unique data depending on your agreement with your receiving organization. If your receiving organization provides any unique services, contact the receiving organization for the requirements of using these services. If organizations receive unique information for which they have no agreement to accept, they should ignore this information, and should not produce a fatal processing error.




The Layout table in this section lists all of the fields to be contained in the @1 Detail Record(s). Each field’s start position, length, data type, justification, padding, and required status are also included. A definition of each field is provided after the table.

NOTE

There are five columns in the Layout table indicating each field’s required status for the desired process:

Req CO or CP = Required for pre-approval

credit check only or credit check to include printing, if approved

Req CR, GO, or GP = Required for school certification requests guarantee only or guarantee and print processing

Req PG = Required for print and guarantee processing

Req Disb = Required for disbursement processing

Req PO = Required for print only processing

Each of the columns has three categories indicating the field’s required status for the following loan programs:

S = Federal Stafford loans (subsidized and

unsubsidized) P = Federal PLUS /Federal Graduate/Professional

PLUS loans A = Alternative loans

The codes appearing in the above columns are:


NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application Send (@1) Detail Record(s) Application Send File

Layout

Field

Field Name

Start

Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Req CO or

CP

Req GO, GP, or CR

Req PG Req Disb Req PO

S P A S P A S P A S P A

1 Record Code 1 2 X(002) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

2 Record Type Indicator Code 3 1 X(001) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

3 Borrower Last Name 4 35 X(035) Left Spaces R R R R R R R R R R R R R

4 Borrower First Name 39 12 X(012) Left Spaces R R R R R R R R R R R R R

5 Borrower Middle Initial 51 1 X(001) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

6 Borrower SSN 52 9 9(009) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

7 Permanent Borrower Address (line 1) 61 30 X(030) Left Spaces R R R R R R R R R R R R R

8 Permanent Borrower Address (line 2) 91 30 X(030) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

9 Permanent Borrower City 121 24 X(024) Left Spaces R R R R R R R R R R R R R

10 Filler2 145 6 X(006) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

11 Permanent Borrower State 151 2 X(002) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

12 Permanent Borrower Zip Code 153 5 9(005) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

13 Permanent Borrower Zip Code Suffix 158 4 9(004) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

14 Borrower Telephone Number 162 10 X(010) * * S R R R O O O R R R O O O

15 Borrower Lender ID 172 6 X(006) R R R R R1 R1 R1 R R R O O O

16 Borrower Date of Birth (CCYYMMDD) 178 8 9(008) R R R R O O O R R R O O O

17 Loan Type Code 186 2 X(002) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

18 Requested Loan Amount 188 6 9(006) Right Zeros O R R1 R O O O R R1 R O O O

19 Deferment Request Code 194 1 X(001) — — S3 S — O4 O4 — S3 S3 — O4 O

20 Borrower Interest Indicator 195 1 X(001) — S3 S3 — O4 O — S3 S3 — O4 O4 —

21 EFT Authorization Code 196 1 X(001) — S3 S O O O O S3 S O O O O

22 Borrower Signature Code 197 1 X(001) — S S S O O O R R R O O O

23 Borrower Signature Date (CCYYMMDD)

198 8 9(008) — O O O O O O O O O O O O

24 CommonLine Unique Identifier 206 17 X(017) R R R R R R R R R R — — —

25 CommonLine Loan Sequence Number 223 2 9(002) — R1 R1 — — — — — — — — — —

26 @8 Record Indicator Code 225 1 X(001) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1




Field

Field Name

Start

Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Req CO or

CP

Req GO, GP, or CR



27 PLUS/Alternative Borrower U.S. Citizenship Status Code

226 1 X(001) S — R1 R — O4 O4 — R1 R — O4 O4

28 PLUS/Alternative Borrower State of Legal Residence

227 2 X(002) S — R1 R — O4 O — R1 R — O4 O

29 PLUS/Alternative Borrower State Resident Since Date (CCYYMM)

229 6 9(006) — — O4 O — O4 O — O4 O — O4 O

30 PLUS/Alternative Borrower Default/Refund Code

235 1 X(001) — — S3 S — O4 O — S3 S — O4 O

31 PLUS/Alternative Borrower Outstanding Loans Code

236 1 X(001) — — S3 S — O4 O — S3 S — O4 O

32 Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code

237 1 X(001) R1 — — R — — R — — R — — O

33 Filler2 238 9 X(009) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

34 PLUS/Alternative Borrower Alien Registration Number

247 10 X(010) Left Spaces O — S S — S S — S S — S S

35 PLUS/Alternative Student Last Name 257 35 X(035) Left Spaces R1 — R R1 — R R1 — R R1 — R R1

36 PLUS/Alternative Student First Name 292 12 X(012) Left Spaces R1 — R R1 — R R1 — R R1 — R R1

37 PLUS/Alternative Student Middle Initial 304 1 X(001) R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1

38 PLUS/Alternative Student SSN 305 9 9(009) R1 — R R1 — R R1 — R R1 — R O

39 PLUS/Alternative Student Date of Birth (CCYYMMDD)

314 8 9(008) R1 — R R1 — O O — R R1 — O O

40 PLUS/Alternative Student U.S. Citizenship Status Code

322 1 X(001) S3 — R1 R1 — O4 O4 — R1 R1 — O4 O4

41 PLUS/Alternative Student Default/Refund Code

323 1 X(001) — — S3 R1 — O4 O — S3 R1 — O4 O

42 PLUS/Alternative Student Signature Code

324 1 X(001) — — S3 O4 — O4 O — R1 R1 — O4 O4

43 Filler2 325 20 X(020) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

44 School ID 345 8 9(008) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

45a Termination Reason 353 1 X(001) — — — R1 — — R1 — — — — — —

45b Filler2 354 1 X(001) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

46 Loan Period Begin Date (CCYYMMDD) 355 8 9(008) — R R R R R R R R R O O O

47 Loan Period End Date (CCYYMMDD) 363 8 9(008) — R R R R R R R R R O O O



Field

Field Name

Start

Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Req CO or

CP

Req GO, GP, or CR



48 Grade Level Code 371 1 X(001) — R R R R R R R R R O O O

49 Borrower Electronic Signature Indicator Code

372 1 X(001) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

50 Enrollment Status Code 373 1 X(001) — R R R1 R R R1 R R R1 O O O

51 Anticipated Completion Date (CCYYMMDD)

374 8 9(008) — R R R R R R R R R O O O

52 Cost of Attendance 382 5 9(005) Right Zeros — O O R1 O O R1 O O R1 O O O

53 Expected Family Contribution Amount 387 5 9(005) Right Zeros — O O R1 O O R1 O O R1 O O O

54 Estimated Financial Aid Amount 392 5 9(005) Right Zeros — O O R1 O O R1 O O R1 O O O

55 Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount

397 5 9(005) Right Zeros — R1 — — R1 — — R1 — — O4 — —

56 Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount

402 5 9(005) Right Zeros — R1 — — R1 — — R1 — — O4 — —

57 Federal PLUS Certified Amount 407 5 9(005) Right Zeros — — R1 — — R1 — — R1 — — O4 —

58 Recommended Disbursement Date 1 (CCYYMMDD)

412 8 9(008) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 O O O


420 8 9(008) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 O4 O4 O4


428 8 9(008) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 O4 O4 O4


436 8 9(008) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 O4 O4 O4

62 School Certification Date (CCYYMMDD)

444 8 9(008) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 O O O

63 Filler2 452 16 X(016) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

64 Alternative Loan Certified Amount 468 5 9(005) Right Zeros — — — R — — R — — R — — O

65 Alternative Loan Application Version Code

473 4 9(004) O — — O — — O — — O — — O

66 Filler2 477 2 X(002) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

67 E-Signature Source Type Code 479 9 X(009) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 — — —

68 Lender ID 488 6 X(006) R1 R1 R1 R1 O O O R1 R1 R1 O O O

69 Subsidized Federal Stafford Approved Amount

494 5 9(005) Right Zeros — R1 — — S3 — — R1 — — — — —


Field

Field Name

Start

Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Req CO or

CP

Req GO, GP, or CR



70 Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Approved Amount

499 5 9(005) Right Zeros — R1 — — S3 — — R1 — — — — —

71 Federal PLUS Approved Amount 504 5 9(005) Right Zeros — — R1 — — S3 — — R1 — — — —

72 Alternative Loan Approved Amount 509 5 9(005) Right Zeros — — — S3 — — S3 — — S3 — — S3

73 Filler2 514 9 X(009) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

74 Filler2 523 6 X(006) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

75 Guarantor ID 529 3 X(003) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

76 Federal Application Form Code 532 1 X(001) R1 R R — R R — R R — R R —

77 Filler2 533 9 X(009) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

78 Filler2 542 2 X(002) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

79 Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code

544 1 X(001) — R1 R1 — — — — — — — — — —

80 Lender Blanket Guarantee Approval Date (CCYYMMDD)

545 8 9(008) — R1 R1 — — — — — — — — — —

81 Borrower Driver's License State 553 2 X(002) — S S R1 O O O R R R O O O

82 Borrower Driver's License Number 555 20 X(020) Left Spaces — S S R1 O O O R R R O O O

83 Borrower References Code 575 1 X(001) — S S R1 O O O R R R O O O

84 School Use Only 576 23 X(023) R1 O O O O O O O O O O O O

85 Disbursement 1 Hold/Release Indicator Code

599 1 X(001) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1


600 1 X(001) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1


601 1 X(001) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1


602 1 X(001) — R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

89 Permanent Foreign Postal Code 603 14 X(014) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

90 Requested Serial Loan Code 617 1 X(001) — R R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1 —

91 Borrower Credit Authorization Code 618 1 X(001) R — O O — O O — O O — — —

92 Lender Non-ED Branch ID 619 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 O4 O4 O4

93 Lender Use Only 623 20 X(020) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 — — —



Field

Field Name

Start

Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Req CO or

CP

Req GO, GP, or CR



94 PLUS/Alternative Student Electronic Indicator Code

643 1 X(001) — — R1 R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1 — R1 R1

95 Processing Type Code 644 2 X(002) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

96 Guarantor Use Only 646 23 X(023) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 — — —

97 Promissory Note Delivery Code 669 1 X(001) R1 R1 R1 R1 R R R R R R R R R

98 Alternative Loan Program Type Code 670 3 X(003) R1 S3 S3 R S3 S3 R S3 S3 R S3 S3 R

99 Alternative Borrower Total Student Loan Debt

673 7 9(007) Right Zeros — — — R1 — — R1 — — R1 — — O

100 Disbursement Amount 1 680 5 9(005) Right Zeros — R1 R1 O — — O — — O — — O

101 Disbursement Amount 2 685 5 9(005) Right Zeros — R1 R1 R1 — — R1 — — R1 — — R1



104 Date Permanent Address Last Updated (CCYYMMDD)

700 8 9(008) S S S S S S S S S S O O O

105 Temporary Borrower Address (line 1) 708 30 X(030) Left Spaces O4 O O O O O O — — — O O O

106 Temporary Borrower Address (line 2) 738 30 X(030) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

107 Temporary Borrower City 768 24 X(024) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

108 Direct Disbursement to Borrower Indicator 1

792 1 X(006) X(001)

— R1 R1 O R1 R1 O R1 R1 O -- -- --

108a Direct Disbursement to Borrower Indicator 2

793 1 X(001) — R1 R1 O R1 R1 O R1 R1 O -- -- --

108b Direct Disbursement to Borrower Indicator 3

794 1 X(001) — R1 R1 O R1 R1 O R1 R1 O -- -- --

108c Direct Disbursement to Borrower Indicator 4

795 1 X(001) — R1 R1 O R1 R1 O R1 R1 O -- -- --

108d Filler2 796 2 X(002) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

109 Temporary Borrower State 798 2 X(002) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

110 Temporary Borrower Zip Code 800 5 9(005) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

111 Temporary Borrower Zip Code Suffix 805 4 9(004) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

112 Borrower Foreign Telephone Number Prefix

809 10 X(010) * * S R1 R1 R1 O O O R1 R1 R1 O O O

113 Temporary Foreign Postal Code 819 14 X(014) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1




Field

Field Name

Start

Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Req CO or

CP

Req GO, GP, or CR



114 School Non-ED Branch ID 833 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

115 Filler2 837 52 X(052) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

UNIQUE FIELDS

116 Unique Layout Vendor Code 889 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

117 Unique Layout Identifier Code 893 2 X(002) R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

118 Filler2 895 65 X(065) — — — — — — — — — — — — —

119 Record Terminator 960 1 X(001) R R R R R R R R R R R R R

NOTE: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed characters) must follow each physical record. This end-of-record indicator should not be included in determining the fixed length of the record. (Please note that this end-of-record indicator must be included in addition to Record Terminator [119].)

1This data is required based on condition(s) listed in the field description. 2This field is reserved for future use. 3This data is strongly recommended based on condition(s) listed in the field description. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error.

4This data is optional based on condition(s) listed in the field description. *Justification and padding are determined by field content; see field description for details.


Field descriptions

1 RECORD CODE — The value identifying the Application Send (@1) Detail Record. This field must contain the constant: @1


2 RECORD TYPE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating if this

detail record contains a new application submitted for processing.

A = New application submitted for processing, may also have additional services data

C = Correction application submitted for processing (prior to guarantee), in response to an SCR request, or for pre-approval credit requests where the information contained in the original request has been modified prior to credit approval (35 in Credit Status Code [field 153, Response File]); may also have additional services data

R = Reprint of application T = Terminate request. Once an application is terminated it

cannot be reinstated it must be submitted as a new application with a new CL Unique ID (This is a withdrawal of the application prior to guarantee, not a loan cancellation. A cancellation of the application after guarantee is submitted via the Change Transaction Send File).

This field controls how the record is processed and is used in conjunction with Processing Type Code (field 95). The following table illustrates the possible code combinations for these fields:

This field contains...

Processing Type Code (field 95) contains...

A CO, CP, GO, GP PG, or PO C CO, CP, CR, GO, GP, or PG R CP, GP or PG T CO, CP, CR, GO, GP, or PG

NOTE

You cannot submit a reprint request for an application that has received a Response File with a Guarantor Status Code (field 150) of 35, a Lender-Servicer Status Code (field 151) of 30, or a Promissory Note Status Code (field 152) of 60.



For termination (T) and reprint (R) requests, the sending organization should provide all required fields as defined by the Processing Type Code (field 95) with the exception of SCR requests. Termination requests for SCR requests should return the data received in the original certification request file.


3 BORROWER LAST NAME — The last name of the borrower identified in

Borrower SSN (field 6).

Examples: SMITH JR (John W. Smith, Jr.) JONES (Mark Jones, M.D.) ST THOMAS (Susan H. St. Thomas) JOHNSON-HALL (Laura Johnson-Hall) O’CONNER (Patrick O’Conner)

NOTE

Hyphens, apostrophes, and spaces are acceptable data. Periods and commas should not be used.

Professional and educational titles should not be considered part of the name.

The first character of the last name must be alphabetic and cannot be blank.

This data is required for all loan programs and processes. If the borrower’s first name is provided and there is no last name given, populate this field with NLN (no last name). If this field contains, NLN, Borrower First Name (field 4) must contain a valid first name.



4 BORROWER FIRST NAME — The first name of the borrower identified in Borrower SSN (field 6).

Examples: JOHN (John W. Smith, Jr.)

MARK (Mark Jones, M.D.) SUSAN (Susan H. St. Thomas) LAURA (Laura Johnson-Hall) PATRICK (Patrick O’Conner)

NOTE


Professional and educational titles should not be considered part of the name. The first character of the first name must be alphabetic and cannot be blank.

This data is required for all loan programs and processes. If the borrower’s last name is provided and there is no first name given, populate this field with NFN (no first name). If this field contains, NFN, Borrower Last Name (field 3) must contain a valid last name.

5 BORROWER MIDDLE INITIAL — The middle initial of the borrower identified in

Borrower SSN (field 6).

This data is required for all loan programs and processes if the borrower has a middle initial. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

6 BORROWER SSN (Social Security Number) — The borrower’s 9-digit Social Security Number. This must be a valid SSN (001-01-0001

to 799-99-9999) for Stafford and PLUS loans.

NOTE 800-00-0000 to 999-99-9999 is optional to support for service providers for alternative loans when the student does not have a valid SSN. Please

contact your service provider for additional information.




7 PERMANENT BORROWER ADDRESS (line 1) — The first line of the borrower’s permanent home address.


NOTE

If a PO Box is submitted, it is recommended a valid street address t also be submitted.

8 PERMANENT BORROWER ADDRESS (line 2) — The second line of the

borrower’s permanent home address.

NOTE Only one address line will print on a common application.

This data is required for all loan programs and processes if necessary for continuation of the borrower’s permanent address. The second address line should be used in conjunction with Permanent Borrower Address (line 1) (field 7) for mailing purposes, if provided. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

9 PERMANENT BORROWER CITY — The city of the borrower’s permanent home

address.

If the address is in a territory or foreign country, both the city and the territory or country name should appear in this field, separated by a comma and a single space.

Examples: INDIANAPOLIS

CRUZ BAY, ST JOHN PANAMA CITY, PANAMA





11 PERMANENT BORROWER STATE — The 2-character state abbreviation of the borrower’s permanent home address.

If the address is in a territory or foreign country, the 2-character abbreviation for that location or FC should appear in this field. See Appendix B, Valid State and Territory Abbreviations for a list of state and territory abbreviations.

Example: IN (Indiana) VI (Virgin Islands)

FC (Foreign country)

NOTE FC is not valid for printing mailing addresses. When FC is used, the name of the country should still appear in Permanent Borrower City (field 9).


12 PERMANENT BORROWER ZIP CODE — The 5-digit zip code of the borrower’s

permanent home address.

NOTE Do not print all 9’s or 0’s for mailing addresses.

This data is required if the address is in the United States or a territory. If the address is in a foreign country, indicated by an FC in Permanent Borrower State (field 11), this field is filled with nines (99999) and Permanent Foreign Postal Code (field 89) may be populated. See Appendix B, Valid State and Territory Abbreviations for a list of state and territory abbreviations.

13 PERMANENT BORROWER ZIP CODE SUFFIX — The 4-digit zip code extension of the borrower’s permanent home address.

NOTE

Do not print all 9’s or 0’s for mailing addresses.

This data is required if the zip code has a suffix and the address is in the United States or a territory. If the suffix is not available, the field is filled with zeros. If the address is in a foreign country, indicated by an FC in Permanent Borrower State (field 11), the field is filled with nines (9999) and Permanent Foreign Postal Code (field 89) may be populated. See Appendix B, Valid State and Territory Abbreviations for a list of state and territory abbreviations.



14 BORROWER TELEPHONE NUMBER — The borrower’s permanent home telephone number. This includes the 3-digit area code and 7-digit telephone number.

If the area code is unavailable, the field must be right-justified and padded with zeros.

Example: 0001238678

If the borrower indicates on the application that he/she does not have a telephone number, enter the value N/A, left-justified and padded with spaces.

Example: N/A

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. This data is strongly recommended for pre-approval credit requests. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for all loan programs; in these cases, fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

15 BORROWER LENDER ID — The unique 6-character identification code assigned

by ED to the lender associated with the requested loan(s), as reported by the borrower.

This data is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is required for print and guarantee processing if sending this file to a lender or lender servicer. It is optional for print and guarantee processing if sending this file to an organization other than a lender or lender servicer. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

16 BORROWER DATE OF BIRTH — The borrower’s date of birth.


Example: 19830102 (January 2, 1983)

This data is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for all loan programs; in these cases, fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



17 LOAN TYPE CODE — A 2-character code indicating the type of loan(s).

AL = Alternative loan CS = Subsidized/unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan GB = Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loan PL = Federal PLUS loan SF = Subsidized Federal Stafford loan SU = Unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan

NOTE

For Federal Stafford applications, Application Send (@1) Detail Records may be prepared at the application or loan level. If the record is being prepared at the application level and both a subsidized and an unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan are being requested, then both Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 55)and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 56) must be populated and this field must contain CS. If the record is at the application level but only one Federal Stafford loan type is being certified or if the record is at the loan level, then either Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount or Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount must be populated, and this field must contain either SF or SU, as appropriate. Records submitted by lenders or lender servicers to report blanket guarantees must be prepared at the loan level.

This data is required for all processing types for all loan programs.

18 REQUESTED LOAN AMOUNT — The total loan amount requested by the borrower. If Loan Type Code (field 17) contains CS, this field includes both subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan amounts.

Example: 002500 ($2,500)

NOTE

For print requests, print the amount entered by the borrower. If the borrower did not indicate an amount, leave the field blank.

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of Stafford loans. For Stafford loans, fill this field with nines (999999) if the borrower requested the maximum amount available, did not indicate an amount or if you are not providing this data.



For Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, and for alternative loans this field must be filled with a valid loan amount or with zeros (000000). Fill this field with zeros if you want your service provider to collect the requested loan amount. Completion of this field, with other than all zeros, will be considered as official confirmation the borrower specifically requested the amount indicated. This field is optional for print and guarantee and print only for all loan programs.

19 DEFERMENT REQUEST CODE — A 1-character code indicating if the borrower

requests immediate deferment alternative loan(s), where applicable.

Y = Yes, the borrower requests immediate deferment N = No, the borrower does not request immediate deferment

This data is strongly recommended for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error.

This data is not used for pre-approval credit requests. It is optional for all other processes. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

20 BORROWER INTEREST INDICATOR — A 1-character code indicating if the

borrower intends to pay the interest on the unsubsidized Federal Stafford or Federal PLUS loan while in school and when the loan is in grace or deferment.

Y = Yes, the borrower intends to pay the interest on the loan

while in school and when the loan is in grace or deferment N = No, the borrower does not intend to pay the interest on the

loan while in school and when the loan is in grace or deferment

if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) is… …use “Y” in this field if… …use “N” in this field if…

M (Federal Stafford MPN) on Line 12, borrower marked the Interest Payments box

on Line 12, borrower did not mark the Interest Payments box

P (Federal PLUS) on Line 16, borrower either checked the “f” box or did not mark box “e” or “f”

on Line 16, borrower checked the “e” box

Q (Federal PLUS MPN) This field is not used if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains Q



This data is strongly recommended for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of unsubsidized Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans where Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. This data is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for unsubsidized Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans where Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P. This field is not used if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains Q. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

21 EFT AUTHORIZATION CODE (Electronic Funds Transfer) — A 1-character code

indicating if the borrower has authorized the school to transfer the loan proceeds received by EFT to the appropriate student account or school requests delivery by check.

Y = Yes, transfer of loan proceeds has been authorized N = No, transfer of loan proceeds has not been authorized or

school requests delivery by check

NOTE This field may also be used to indicate that the school wishes to have the funds of a Federal Stafford loan, Federal PLUS, or Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loan delivered by check if they have made an agreement with their disbursing agent and/or lender originator.

Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

22 BORROWER SIGNATURE CODE — A 1-character code indicating a valid

promissory note has been signed by the borrower.

Y = Yes, the sender has a valid, signed promissory note N = No, the sender does not have a valid, signed promissory note

This data is required for disbursement of all loan programs. It is strongly recommended for guarantee only and guarantee and print processing of all loan programs. For guarantee only and guarantee and print processing, provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for all loan programs. This data is not used for pre-approval credit requests. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



23 BORROWER SIGNATURE DATE — The date the borrower signed the valid promissory note.


Example: 20010110 (January 10, 2001)

This data is not used for pre-approval credit requests. It is optional for all other loan programs and processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

24 COMMONLINE UNIQUE IDENTIFIER — The 17-character unique code

identifying the application. This code is assigned by the organization that transmitted the first electronic record containing information about the application. If the CommonLine unique identifier is not yet assigned by the school or another service provider, the file creator must assign it.

NOTE

For this field, the term “application” references either the application from the borrower or the certification from the school.

In the blanket guarantee process, guarantors must be able to accept a subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan with the same CommonLine Unique ID, but with different loan sequence numbers, even if transmitted in separate batches from lender to guarantor.

This field must contain both numeric/alphabetic (uppercase only) characters; however, it must not contain spaces.

See Appendix C for additional information regarding the composition of the CommonLine unique identifier.

This data is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, school certification requests, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. For print only processing, fill this field with spaces.



25 COMMONLINE LOAN SEQUENCE NUMBER — A unique 2-digit identification number assigned by the lender or lender’s agent at the time of a blanket guarantee. This number is used in conjunction with CommonLine Unique Identifier (field 24) to identify the loan.

NOTE

If the loan is Blanket Guaranteed valid values are 01 to 99.

This data is required if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

26 @8 RECORD INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating if an @8

record has been included in the file for this loan.

Y = Yes, an @8 record has been included for this loan.

This data is required if an @8 record is included in the file for this loan. Fill the field with a space if you are not providing this data.

27 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE BORROWER U.S. CITIZENSHIP STATUS CODE — A 1-

digit code indicating the Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative borrower’s citizenship status.

1 = The borrower is a citizen as defined by the Higher Education

Act of 1965, as amended.

2 = The borrower is an eligible non-citizen as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

3 = Non US Citizen, not eligible for Title IV funds.

Use this field for the borrower's citizenship status code even if the borrower is the student.

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of Federal PLUS loans, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans, and alternative loans. It is strongly recommended for pre-approval credit requests. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for Federal PLUS loans, and for alternative loans. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

Proof of citizenship status requirements may vary for different alternative loan programs. For successful processing, additional information may be required.



28 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE BORROWER STATE OF LEGAL RESIDENCE — The 2-character abbreviation for the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower’s state of legal residence.


Example: CA (California) VI (Virgin Islands)


NOTE FC is not valid for printing mailing addresses.

For Federal PLUS loans where Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P, this data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing. It is strongly recommended for pre-approval credit requests. It is optional for Federal PLUS loans where Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P, for print and guarantee and print only processing and optional for alternative loans for all processes. This field is not used if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains Q. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

29 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE BORROWER STATE RESIDENT SINCE DATE — The

date the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower became a legal resident of the state identified in PLUS/Alternative Borrower State of Legal Residence (field 28).

The date must be in CCYYMM format with single-digit years and months padded with a leading zero.

Example: 200101 (January 2001)

This data is optional for Federal PLUS/alternative loans for all processes where Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P. This field is not used if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains Q. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



30 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE BORROWER DEFAULT/REFUND CODE — A 1-character code indicating if the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower is currently in default on a student loan received under the Federal Perkins Loan Program (including NDSL loans), the Federal Direct Loan Program, or the Federal Family Education Loan Program or owes a refund on a federal or state grant

Y = Yes, the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower is currently in

default or owes a refund N = No, the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower is not currently in

default and does not owe a refund

This data is strongly recommended for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing for alternative loans. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

31 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE BORROWER OUTSTANDING LOANS CODE — A 1-

character code indicating if the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower has any outstanding Federal Stafford, Federal SLS, Federal PLUS, or Federal Consolidation loans disbursed before July 1, 1993.

Y = Yes, the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower does have

outstanding loan(s) N = No, the Federal PLUS/alternative borrower does not have

outstanding loan(s)

This data is strongly recommended for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of Federal PLUS/alternative loans where Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for Federal PLUS/alternative loans if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains P. This field is not used if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains Q. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



32 ALTERNATIVE STUDENT/BORROWER INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating if the alternative borrower is also the student indicated on the application.

Y = Yes, the alternative borrower is the student N = No, the alternative borrower is not the student

This data is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of alternative loans. It is optional for print only processing for alternative loans. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

33 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces. 34 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE BORROWER ALIEN REGISTRATION NUMBER —An 8,

9 or 10 character code indicating the PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative borrower’s Alien Registration number.

Example = A1234567 Example = A12345678

Example = A123456789

NOTE This field must begin with an “A” followed by 7, 8 or 9 characters.

This data is strongly recommended for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, and alternative loans when the PLUS/Alternative Borrower U.S. Citizenship Status Code (field 27) contains 2. This data is optional for print and guarantee and print only of Federal PLUS and alternative loans when the PLUS/Alternative Borrower U.S. Citizenship Status Code (field 27) contains 2. Otherwise, fill this field with spaces.

Start Position = 247 Field length = 10 Field type = alpha numeric Left justified and padded with spaces



35 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT LAST NAME — The last name of the Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative student identified in the PLUS/Alternative Student SSN (field 38).

Examples: SMITH JR (John W. Smith, Jr.)

JONES (Mark Jones, M.D.) ST THOMAS (Susan H. St. Thomas) JOHNSON-HALL (Laura Johnson-Hall) O’CONNER (Patrick O’Conner)

NOTE


Professional and educational titles should not be considered part of the name.

The first character of the last name must be alphabetic and cannot be blank.

This data is required for Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans for all processes. It is also required for alternative loans for all processes if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. If the Federal PLUS/Alternative student’s first name is provided and there is no last name given, populate this field with NLN (no last name). If this field contains, NLN, Borrower First Name (field 36) must contain a valid first name.

NOTE

For Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans, this field must contain the same value as in Borrower Last Name (field 3).

36 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT FIRST NAME — The first name of the Federal

PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative student identified in the PLUS/Alternative Student SSN (field 38).

Examples: JOHN (John W. Smith, Jr.)

MARK (Mark Jones, M.D.) SUSAN (Susan H. St. Thomas) LAURA (Laura Johnson-Hall) PATRICK (Patrick O’Conner)

NOTE




Professional and educational titles should not be considered part of the name. The first character of the first name must be alphabetic and cannot be blank.

This data is required for Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans for all processes. It is also required for alternative loans for all processes if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. If the Federal PLUS/Alternative student’s last name is provided and there is no first name given, populate this field with NFN (no first name). If this field contains, NFN, Borrower Last Name (field 35) must contain a valid last name.

NOTE

For Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans, this field must contain the same value as in Borrower First Name (field 4).

37 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT MIDDLE INITIAL — The middle initial of the Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative student identified in PLUS/Alternative Student SSN (field 38).

This data is required for Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans for all processes if the student has a middle initial. It is also required for alternative loans for all processes if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N and the student has a middle initial. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

For Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans, this field must contain the same value as in Borrower Middle Initial (field 5).



38 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT SSN — The Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative student’s 9-digit Social Security Number. This must be a valid SSN (001-01-0001 to 799-99-9999) for PLUS loans.

NOTE

800-00-0000 to 999-99-9999 is optional to support for service providers for alternative loans when the student does not have a valid SSN. Please contact your service provider for additional information.

NOTE For Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans, this field must contain the same value as in Borrower SSN (field 6).

This data is required for all processes except print only processing for Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, and alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. It is optional for print only processing for alternative loans. Fill the field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

39 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT DATE OF BIRTH — The Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, or alternative student’s date of birth.


Example: 19830102 (January 2, 1983)

NOTE

For Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans, this field must contain the same value as in Borrower Date of Birth (field 16).

This data is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans. It is also required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, and alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



40 ALTERNATIVE STUDENT U.S. CITIZENSHIP STATUS CODE — A 1-digit code indicating the Federal PLUS/alternative student’s citizenship status.

1 = The student is a citizen as defined by the Higher Education

Act of 1965, as amended.

2 = The student is an eligible non-citizen as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

3 = Non US Citizen, not eligible for Title IV funds.

NOTE

Proof of citizenship status requirements may vary for different alternative loan programs. For successful processing, additional information may be required.

Use this field for the student's citizenship status code when the borrower is not the student.

It is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N (No, the alternative borrower is not the student.) This data is strongly recommended for pre-approval credit requests for Federal PLUS loans and for pre-approval credit requests where Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

41 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT DEFAULT/REFUND CODE — A 1-character

code indicating if the Federal PLUS/alternative student is currently in default (has failed to pay) on a student loan received under the Federal Perkins Loan Program (including NDSL loans), the Federal Direct Loan Program, or the Federal Family Education Loan Program or owes a refund on a federal or state grant.

Y = Yes, the Federal PLUS/alternative student is currently in

default or owes a refund N = No, the Federal PLUS/alternative student is not currently in

default and does not owe a refund

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and disbursement processing of alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error.

It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



42 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT SIGNATURE CODE — A 1-character code

indicating if the alternative student signed the application.

Y = Yes, the alternative student signed the application N = No, the alternative student did not sign the application

This data is required for disbursement of alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for alternative loans if Alternative Student/Borrower Indicator Code (field 32) contains N for all loan processes. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.


44 SCHOOL ID — The unique 8-digit Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)

identification number assigned by ED to the school associated with the loan(s). The last 2 digits identify the branch campus.


45a TERMINATION REASON – A 1-character code indicating why the school is

submitting an alternative loan request termination. A = Student received additional aid (lower cost) B = Borrower’s request D = Deceased (borrower or student) E = Student no longer eligible (satisfactory academic progress) F = Identity theft/fraud G = Student no longer meets program guidelines H = Student dropped below half time L = Student on leave of absence N= Student never enrolled/attended P = Duplicate request W= Student no longer enrolled/withdrew This data is required when requesting terminations of alternative loans in order for the lender to determine if the termination is permissible. Otherwise, fill the field with a space.

45b FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with a space.



46 LOAN PERIOD BEGIN DATE — The beginning date, as reported by the school, of the period covered by the requested loan(s).


Example: 20010901 (September 1, 2001)

NOTE

This field, when completed, should always contain the school-certified loan period begin date. If the day of the month on which the loan period will begin is unknown, the first day of the month should be entered.

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs; in this case, fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

47 LOAN PERIOD END DATE — The ending date, as reported by the school, of the

period covered by the requested loan(s).

The date must be in CCYYMMDD format with single-digit years, months, and days padded with a leading zero. This date must be later than Loan Period Begin Date (field 46).

Example: 20011230 (December 30, 2001)

NOTE This field, when completed, should always contain the school-certified loan period end date. If the day of the month on which the loan period will end is unknown, the first day of the month should be entered.




48 GRADE LEVEL CODE — A 1-character code indicating the student’s grade level during the requested loan period.

Undergraduate 1 = 1st year (freshman) 2 = 2nd year (sophomore) 3 = 3rd year (junior) 4 = 4th year (senior) 5 = 5th year (undergraduate)

Graduate or professional A = 1st year B = 2nd year C = 3rd year D = Beyond 3rd year

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs; in this case, fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

When transmitting a Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loan, grade levels A, B, C, or D must be provided.

49 BORROWER ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character

code indicating if the borrower electronically signed the promissory note.

Y = Yes, the promissory note was electronically signed.

NOTE Only the service provider capturing the electronic signature should populate this field; however, if it receives this data, it must pass it on in a subsequent Application Send or Response File.

If this field contains Y, Borrower Signature Code (field 22) must also contain Y. This field is not used for pre-approval credit requests. It is required for all other loan programs and processes if the borrower signed electronically. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



50 ENROLLMENT STATUS CODE — A 1-character code indicating the student’s enrollment status during the loan period.

F = Full-time H = At least half-time L = Less than half-time (alternative loans only)

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans and required if needed for alternative loans. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs; in this case, fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

51 ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE — The anticipated date the student will

complete the program at this school.


Example: 20010530 (May 30, 2001)


52 COST OF ATTENDANCE — The estimated cost of attending school during the

requested loan period before subtracting any financial aid or expected family contribution.

Example: 04500 ($4,500)

NOTE

The calculation used to derive Cost of Attendance for alternative loans may differ from the calculation used for FFELP loans.

This data is optional for Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS, and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans. For alternative loans, it is required if needed for the alternative loan program (with the exception of print only processing). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



53 EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT — The amount the student’s family is expected to contribute toward the cost of education for the requested loan period.

Example: 00900 ($900)

NOTE

The calculation used to derive Expected Family Contribution Amount for alternative loans may differ from the calculation used for FFELP loans.

If the field is required for an alternative loan program, but is filled with zeros, it should be assumed that the estimated financial aid amount is zero.

This data is optional for Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans. For alternative loans, it is required if needed for the alternative loan program (with the exception of print only processing). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

54 ESTIMATED FINANCIAL AID AMOUNT — The estimated amount of financial

aid that has been or will be awarded to the student for the loan period. This does not include the current requested loan amount.

This amount includes all financial aid awarded by all federal, state, or privately-supported sources for the loan period. This includes college work-study programs, Pell Grants, Social Security Educational Benefits, Veteran’s Educational Benefits, and other educational loans for the loan period.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

NOTE

If Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL, this figure may include Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS, and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans.

If the field is required for an alternative loan program, but is filled with zeros, it should be assumed that the estimated financial aid amount is zero.

This data is optional for Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans. For alternative loans, it is required if needed for the alternative loan program (with the exception of print only processing). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



55 SUBSIDIZED FEDERAL STAFFORD CERTIFIED AMOUNT — The amount, as specified by the school, that the borrower is eligible to receive for a subsidized Federal Stafford loan.

Example: 02500 ($2,500)

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of subsidized Federal Stafford loans if certified by the school. It is optional for print only processing for subsidized Federal Stafford loans. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data. If this field and/or Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 56) is completed, Federal PLUS Certified Amount (field 57) must be filled with zeros. If this field is completed and the Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y, Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount and Federal PLUS Certified Amount must be filled with zeros.

56 UNSUBSIDIZED FEDERAL STAFFORD CERTIFIED AMOUNT — The amount,

as specified by the school, that the borrower is eligible to receive for an unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan.

Example: 02500 ($2,500)

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of unsubsidized Federal Stafford loans if certified by the school. It is optional for print only processing for unsubsidized Federal Stafford loans. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data. If this field and/or Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 55) is completed, Federal PLUS Certified Amount (field 57) must be filled with zeros. If this field is completed and the Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y, Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount and Federal PLUS Certified Amount must be filled with zeros.



57 FEDERAL PLUS CERTIFIED AMOUNT — The amount, as specified by the school, that the borrower is eligible to receive for a Federal PLUS or Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loan.

Example: 02500 ($2,500)

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans if certified by the school. It is optional for print only processing for Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data. If this field is completed, Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 55) and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 56) must be filled with zeros.

58 RECOMMENDED DISBURSEMENT DATE 1 — The date recommended by the school for disbursement one of a multiple-disbursement loan, or the only disbursement of a single-disbursement loan.



NOTE

If the Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y, this field represents the actual disbursement date if the disbursement has been made, or the scheduled disbursement date if not yet made.

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs, unless the receiving organization will calculate the disbursement dates. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

If the school and the receiving organization have agreed that the receiving organization will calculate the disbursement dates, fill the field with zeros.



59 RECOMMENDED DISBURSEMENT DATE 2 — The date recommended by the school for disbursement two of a multiple-disbursement loan.



NOTE


This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs for loans with at least two disbursements, unless the receiving organization will calculate the disbursement dates. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs for loans with at least two disbursements. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE If the school and the receiving organization have agreed that the receiving organization will calculate the disbursement dates, fill the field with zeros.

60 RECOMMENDED DISBURSEMENT DATE 3 — The date recommended by the

school for disbursement three of a multiple-disbursement loan.



NOTE


This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs for loans with at least three disbursements, unless the receiving organization will calculate the disbursement dates. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs for loans with at least three disbursements. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.




61 RECOMMENDED DISBURSEMENT DATE 4 — The date recommended by the

school for disbursement four of a multiple-disbursement loan.



NOTE


This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs for loans with four disbursements, unless the receiving organization will calculate the disbursement dates. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs for loans with four disbursements. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.


62 SCHOOL CERTIFICATION DATE — The date the school certified eligibility, or

the date the application was electronically certified (school signature is on file).


Example: 20010111 (January 11, 2001)

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs if the school certification date is different than File Transmission Date (field 7, header record). It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data, and File Transmission Date will be used as the school certification date (except for print only, where no certification date is needed).




64 ALTERNATIVE LOAN CERTIFIED AMOUNT — The amount that the borrower is eligible to receive for an alternative loan, as determined by the school. Some alternative loan programs require this amount to be less than or equal to Cost of Attendance (field 52) minus Estimated Financial Aid Amount (field 54), if these fields are provided. Other alternative loan programs allow the school to certify an eligibility amount for a loan that is not tied to cost minus aid figures.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of alternative loans. It is optional for print only processing for alternative loans. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data. NOTE If a loan amount is needed that is greater than $99,999 it is recommended that schools certify two applications for the combined total. Some trading partners may accommodate amounts exceeding $99,999 in a proprietary method, please contact your service provider for further information.

65 ALTERNATIVE LOAN APPLICATION VERSION CODE — A 4-digit code

indicating the version of the alternative loan application.

This data is optional for alternative loans for all processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.


67 E-SIGNATURE SOURCE TYPE CODE — A 9-byte code that includes the type of

organization that captured the electronic signature and that organization’s OPE ID or NCHELP assigned ID. Allowable codes are L for Lender, O for Guarantor or Lender Servicer and G for Guarantor.

Example: L888888 = Lender and Lender OPE ID

NOTE

This field will be used to determine the organization that captured the e-sign note to assist entities that perform servicing and disbursing functions. Only the service provider capturing the electronic signature should populate this field; however, if an organization receives this data, it must pass it on in a subsequent Application Send, Disbursement or Response File.

This data is not used for pre-approval credit requests. It is required for all other loan programs and processes if the borrower signed electronically. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.



68 LENDER ID — The unique 6-character identification code assigned by ED to the lender associated with the requested loan(s).

NOTE

If this data is provided, it must match Borrower Lender ID (field 15).

This data is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, and guarantee and print processing of all loan programs if available. It is optional for print only and print and guarantee processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

69 SUBSIDIZED FEDERAL STAFFORD APPROVED AMOUNT — The amount

approved by the lender for a subsidized Federal Stafford loan.

NOTE This amount should be provided by a lender only.

Example: 01200 ($1,200)

This data is required for subsidized Federal Stafford loans if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y. This data is strongly recommended for subsidized Federal Stafford loans for all processes (with the exception of print only processing) if a lender is submitting this file. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. If this data is not provided, the loan will be considered for the lesser of the following two amounts: Requested Loan Amount (field 18) or Subsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 55). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE The sum of the blanket guarantee disbursement amounts must equal the lender approved amount for the appropriate loan type.



70 UNSUBSIDIZED FEDERAL STAFFORD APPROVED AMOUNT — The amount approved by the lender for an unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan.

NOTE

This amount should be provided by a lender only.

Example: 01200 ($1,200)

This data is required for unsubsidized Federal Stafford loans if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indictor Code (field 79) contains a Y. This data is strongly recommended for unsubsidized Federal Stafford loans for all processes (with the exception of print only processing) if a lender is submitting this file. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. If this data is not provided, the loan will be considered for the lesser of the following two amounts: Requested Loan Amount (field 18) or Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Certified Amount (field 56). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.


71 FEDERAL PLUS APPROVED AMOUNT — The amount approved by the lender

for a Federal PLUS or Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loan.

NOTE This amount should be provided by a lender only.

Example: 01200 ($1,200)

This data is required for Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains a Y. This data is strongly recommended for Federal PLUS and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans for all processes (with the exception of print only processing) if a lender is submitting this file. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. If this data is not provided, the loan will be considered for the lesser of the following two amounts: Requested Loan Amount (field 18) or Federal PLUS Certified Amount (field 57). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.




72 ALTERNATIVE LOAN APPROVED AMOUNT — The amount approved by the lender for an alternative loan.

NOTE

This amount should be provided by a lender only.

Example: 01200 ($1,200)

This data is strongly recommended for alternative loans for all processes if a lender is submitting this file. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. If this data is not provided, the loan will be considered for the lesser of the following two amounts: Requested Loan Amount (field 18) or Alternative Loan Certified Amount (field 64). Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.


74 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces. 75 GUARANTOR ID — The 3-digit code used to identify the guarantor associated

with the requested loan(s). See Appendix A, Valid Guarantor ID’s, for a complete list of valid values.

NOTE

For alternative loans, the terms “guarantor” and “guarantee” are equivalent to “insurer” and “insurance”.

For non-FFELP guarantors that have not been assigned an ED number, contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-character value.

This data is required.



76 FEDERAL APPLICATION FORM CODE — A 1-character code indicating the version of the application and promissory note. The codes listed below represent the common application and promissory notes in use at the time of this document’s publication.

G = Master Promissory Note for Federal Graduate/Professional

PLUS Loans M = Master Promissory Note for Federal Stafford Loans

(subsidized and unsubsidized) Q = Master Promissory Note for Federal PLUS Loans

NOTE

If this field contains G, M or Q, Requested Serial Loan Code (field 90) must be used in conjunction with the G, M or Q to determine if a new or serial Master Promissory Note is to be processed.

For print requests, this field is used to determine the type of form to print.

This data is required for Federal Stafford, Federal PLUS, and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans for all processes. It is filled with a space for alternative loans.

77 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces. 78 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces. 79 LENDER BLANKET GUARANTEE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code

indicating if the lender is submitting a blanket guarantee.

Y = Yes

Only a lender or lender’s agent can submit blanket guarantee records to a guarantor.

This data is required for a blanket guarantee loan. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



80 LENDER BLANKET GUARANTEE APPROVAL DATE — The date the blanket guarantee was approved by the lender. The date must be in CCYYMMDD format with single-digit years, months, and days padded with a leading zero.

Example: 20011201 (December 1, 2001) This data is required if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

This field should be used by the guarantor as the Guarantee Date.

81 BORROWER DRIVER’S LICENSE STATE — The 2-character abbreviation for

the state that issued the borrower’s driver’s license.

If the driver’s license was issued in a territory or foreign country, the 2-character abbreviation for that location or FC should appear in this field. See Appendix B, Valid State and Territory Abbreviations for a list of state and territory abbreviations.

Example: MO (Missouri) VI (Virgin Islands) FC (Foreign Country)

For alternative loans, this data is required for guarantee only and guarantee and print processing if needed for the alternative loan program. It is also required for disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is strongly recommended for guarantee and guarantee and print processing of Federal Stafford, Federal PLUS, and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans. In these cases, provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.



82 BORROWER DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER — The borrower’s driver’s license number (maximum of 20 characters).

Example: 15A31R

If the borrower indicates on the application that he/she does not have a driver’s license, enter the value N/A.

Example: N/A

For alternative loans, this data is required for guarantee only and guarantee and print processing if needed for the alternative loan program. It is also required for disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is strongly recommended for guarantee only and guarantee and print processing of Federal Stafford, Federal PLUS, and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans. In these cases, provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

This field must be completed if Borrower Driver’s License State (field 81) is completed.

83 BORROWER REFERENCES CODE — A 1-character code indicating if the

borrower reference information on the application is complete.

Y = Yes, reference information is complete N = No, reference information is not complete

For alternative loans, this data is required for guarantee only and guarantee and print processing if needed for the alternative loan program. It is also required for disbursement processing of all loan programs. It is strongly recommended for guarantee only and guarantee and print processing of Federal Stafford, Federal PLUS, and Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loans. In these cases, provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for print and guarantee and print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



84 SCHOOL USE ONLY — A field reserved for school information only. Schools may use the field to store information not otherwise tracked, such as campus activity or a school-assigned application ID.

NOTE This data is loan-level information and must be treated as such by sending and receiving organizations. Values sent or received in the School Use Only, Lender Use Only, and Guarantor Use Only fields are intended to be maintained throughout the entire loan origination and disbursement process. If this data is provided in an Application Send File or a loan- or disbursement-level change transaction record, it must not be manipulated by the receiving organization. It must be returned in subsequent Response Files as originally submitted. For Response records responding to multiple change transactions, the value returned in this field reflects the value contained in the last applied transaction. This data may be updated by the school at any time; however, if a non-blank value was ever supplied in an Application Send File or in a loan- or disbursement-level Change Transaction Send File record, any subsequent Response and/or Disbursement Information files must contain the most recent non-blank value for that loan.

Due to the nature of this field, it is possible that an organization may send multiple data elements within the 23 bytes allotted. For this reason, receiving organizations should capture the entire 23-bytes as transmitted and not justify or pad the data received.

This data is optional for schools. For all other organizations this data is required if a non-blank value was previously provided for this loan. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.



85 DISBURSEMENT 1 HOLD/RELEASE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating the school has requested that disbursement one be held or released by the disbursing agent.

NOTE

Not all service providers support disbursement holds and releases using this field. Schools should consult with their service providers to determine if this service is supported.

H = Hold disbursement until release notification is given R = Release the disbursement as scheduled.

This data is required if you are using disbursement holds and releases. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

86 DISBURSEMENT 2 HOLD/RELEASE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating the school has requested that disbursement two be held or released by the disbursing agent.

NOTE



This data is required if there is a disbursement two and you are using disbursement holds and releases. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

87 DISBURSEMENT 3 HOLD/RELEASE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating the school has requested that disbursement three be held or released by the disbursing agent.

NOTE



This data is required if there is a disbursement three and you are using disbursement holds and releases. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



88 DISBURSEMENT 4 HOLD/RELEASE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating the school has requested that disbursement four be held or released by the disbursing agent.

NOTE



This data is required if there is a disbursement four and you are using disbursement holds and releases. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

89 PERMANENT FOREIGN POSTAL CODE — A 14-character field indicating the foreign postal code of the borrower’s permanent or temporary address.

NOTE

Do not print all 9’s or 0’s for mailing addresses.

This data is required if a foreign postal code is available and there is an FC in Permanent Borrower State (field 11). Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

90 REQUESTED SERIAL LOAN CODE — A 1-character code used to indicate how

the school intends to use the Master Promissory Note for this certification.

N = New; school is requesting a new Master Promissory Note for this certification prior to disbursement

S = Serial; school is requesting serial loan processing—service provider(s) will determine if a new Master Promissory Note is necessary

If Record Type Indicator Code (field 2) contains C, you must complete Requested Serial Loan Code with the original serial loan code submitted in the first electronic transmission of the Application Send File. For school certification requests (SCRs), this field must be completed for the first electronic transmission of the Application Send File in response to the certification request submitted by the service provider, and this field must be populated with the value that was provided in Requested Serial Loan Code (field 101, Response File).

This data is required for Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans if Federal Application Form Code (field 76) contains G, M or Q. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.



91 BORROWER CREDIT AUTHORIZATION CODE — A 1-character code indicating if the sending organization has obtained the borrower's authorization to perform a credit check.

Y = Yes N = No

This data is required for pre-approval credit processing. It is optional for guarantee only, guarantee and print, school certification requests, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of Federal PLUS, Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS, and alternative loans. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

NOTE A signed Federal PLUS or Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS loan promissory note constitutes one method of providing authorization to perform a credit check. In such a circumstance, populate this field with a Y. Contact your service provider for information regarding additional means of acceptable authorization to perform credit checks.

92 LENDER NON-ED BRANCH ID — The unique identification code (maximum of

4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the lender’s branch offce associated with the requested loan(s). This code is the suffix for Lender ID (field 68).

This data is required for disbursement of all loan programs if a non-ED branch ID has been assigned to the lender. It is required for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, and print and guarantee processing of all loan programs if a branch ID is assigned. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs if a branch ID is assigned. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.



93 LENDER USE ONLY — A field reserved for lender information only. Lenders may use the field to store information not otherwise tracked, such as branch activity, specific accounting needs, or a lender-assigned application ID.

NOTE

This data is loan-level information and must be treated as such by the receiving organization. Information sent or received in this field is intended to be maintained throughout the entire loan origination and disbursement process. If you have received this data in a Response File or a Disbursement Information File, it must not be manipulated. This data may be updated by the lender at any time; however, if a non-blank value was ever supplied in a Response or Disbursement Information File, any subsequent Application Send Files and/or loan- or disbursement-level Change Transaction Send File records must contain the most recent non-blank value received for that loan.

Do not overlay this field with spaces if this field previously contained a non-blank value.


This data is optional for lenders. For all other organizations, this data is required if a non-blank value was previously provided for this loan. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.



94 PLUS/ALTERNATIVE STUDENT ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE INDICATOR CODE — A 1-character code indicating if the PLUS/Alternative student electronically signed the promissory note.

Y = Yes, the promissory note was electronically signed.

NOTE Only the service provider capturing the electronic signature should populate this field; however, if it receives this data, it must pass it on in a subsequent Application Send or Response File.

If this field contains a Y, PLUS/Alternative Student Signature Code (field 42) must also contain Y. This data is not used for pre-approval credit requests. It is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, and print and guarantee processing for alternative loan programs if the student signed electronically. Fill this field with a space if you are not providing this data.

95 PROCESSING TYPE CODE — A 2-character code indicating the type of

processing that is requested for the application.

CO = Credit only request CP = Credit and print request CR = School certification request (SCR) (return of application

with certification data) GO = Guarantee loan(s) only GP = Guarantee loan(s) (prior to receipt of promissory note) and

print application/promissory note PG = Print application/promissory note and guarantee loan (after

receipt of promissory note) PO = Print application only

Print only requests should be originated by or at the request of the school only. No guarantee processing is required and no Response File @1 Detail Record will be sent.



This field controls how the record is processed and is used in conjunction with Record Type Indicator Code (field 2). The following table illustrates the possible code combinations for these fields:

This field contains...

Record Type Indicator Code (field 2) contains...

CO, CP, GO, GP, PG, or PO

A

CO, CP, CR, GO, GP, or PG

C

CP, CR, GP or PG R CO, CP, CR, GO, GP, or PG

T

Regardless of the value (with the exception of PO and CR) in Processing Type Code, Record Type Indicator Code should contain A for the first submission of an application, or C for the correction submission of an application. If Processing Type Code contains PO, Record Type Indicator Code must contain A. If Processing Type Code contains CR, Record Type Indicator Code must contain C when providing loan certification information in response to a school certification request response record.

With the exception of pre-approval credit requests, if Record Type Indicator Code contains C, R, or T, you must complete Processing Type Code with the original processing type code submitted during the first electronic transmission.

NOTE

Where applicable, you may request a reprint of an SCR request. Contact your service provider for more information.




96 GUARANTOR USE ONLY — A field reserved for guarantor information only. Guarantors may use the field to store information not otherwise tracked, such as loan activity or a guarantor-assigned application ID.

NOTE

This data is loan-level information and must be treated as such by the receiving organization. Information sent or received in this field is intended to be maintained throughout the entire loan origination and disbursement process. If you have received this data in a Response File or Disbursement Information File, it must not be manipulated. This data may be updated by the guarantor at any time; however, if a non-blank value was ever supplied in a Response or Disbursement Information File, any subsequent Application Send Files and/or loan- or disbursement-level Change Transaction Send File records must contain the most recent non-blank value received for that loan. Do not overlay this field with spaces if this field previously contained a non-blank value.


This data is optional for guarantors. For all other organizations, this data is required if a non-blank value was previously provided for this loan. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.



97 PROMISSORY NOTE DELIVERY CODE — A 1-character code indicating the preferred method of delivering the promissory note to the borrower.

E = E-mail P = Paper W = Web

NOTE

Some service providers may not support all delivery methods. Consult your service provider to determine their method(s) of promissory note delivery.

This data is required for pre-approval credit and print requests, guarantee and print and print and guarantee, processing. For print only processing, this field must contain P. For credit only, guarantee only processing, and school certification requests, fill this field with a space.

98 ALTERNATIVE LOAN PROGRAM TYPE CODE — A 3-character code indicating

the specific category of the alternative loan.

The NCHELP central office assigns a block of codes to each service provider that processes alternative loans. The service provider assigns one of these codes to each type of alternative loan it processes. It then registers all of these codes with the NCHELP central office and provides these codes to its customers.

This data is required for alternative loans. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

99 ALTERNATIVE BORROWER TOTAL STUDENT LOAN DEBT — The total

amount of outstanding education loan debt (undergraduate and graduate) for the alternative loan borrower prior to this application, as known by the sending organization. This amount includes federal and alternative loans.

Example: 0007500 ($7,500)

NOTE

This amount should include the borrower’s Federal Consolidation loans, if applicable.

This data is required for guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of alternative loans if the borrower has outstanding student loan debt. It is optional for print only requests for alternative loans. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



100 DISBURSEMENT AMOUNT 1 — This field may contain either recommended alternative loan disbursement information or blanket guarantee disbursement information.

Recommended Alternative Loan Disbursement Amount 1 — The amount

recommended by the school for disbursement one of a multiple-disbursement alternative loan, or the only disbursement of a single-disbursement alternative loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is optional for alternative loans for all processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

If Disbursement Amount 1–4 (fields 100–103) are not completed when Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL, Alternative Loan Approved Amount (field 72) will be evenly distributed among the recommended disbursement dates.

Schools may provide this information in order to designate uneven disbursements (i.e., all disbursements are not equal). If this information is provided, you must complete fields 100–103 as needed.

Blanket Guarantee Disbursement Amount 1 — The gross amount

submitted by the lender for disbursement one of a multiple-disbursement blanket guarantee loan, or the only disbursement of a single-disbursement blanket guarantee loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for blanket guarantee loans for all processes if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.





recommended by the school for disbursement two of a multiple-disbursement alternative loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for alternative loans for all processes if Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL and fields 58, 59, and 100 are completed. Otherwise, this data is optional for alternative loans for all processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

If Disbursement Amount 1–4 (fields 100–103 are not completed when Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL, Alternative Loan Approved Amount (field 72) will be evenly distributed among the recommended disbursement dates.


submitted by the lender for disbursement two of a multiple-disbursement blanket guarantee loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for blanket guarantee loans for all processes if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y and fields 58, 59, and 100 are completed. Fill the field with zeros if you are not providing this data.





recommended by the school for disbursement three of a multiple-disbursement alternative loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for alternative loans for all processes if Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL and fields 58, 59, 60, 100, and 101 are completed. Otherwise, this data is optional for alternative loans for all processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE

If Disbursement Amount 1–4 (fields 100–103) are not completed when Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL, Alternative Loan Approved Amount (field 72) will be evenly distributed among the recommended disbursement dates.


submitted by the lender for disbursement three of a multiple-disbursement blanket guarantee loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for blanket guarantee loans for all processes if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y and fields 58, 59, 60, 100, and 101 are completed. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.





recommended by the school for disbursement four of a multiple-disbursement alternative loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for alternative loans for all processes if Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL and fields 58, 59, 60, 61, 100, 101, and 102 are completed. Otherwise, this data is optional for alternative loans for all processes. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

NOTE If Recommended Disbursement Amount 1–4 (fields 100–103) are not completed when Loan Type Code (field 17) contains AL, Alternative Loan Approved Amount (field 72) will be evenly distributed among the recommended disbursement dates.


submitted by the lender for disbursement four of a multiple-disbursement blanket guarantee loan.

Example: 01500 ($1,500)

This data is required for blanket guarantee loans for all processes if Lender Blanket Guarantee Indicator Code (field 79) contains Y and fields 58, 59, 60, 61, 100, 101, and 102 are completed. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

104 DATE PERMANENT ADDRESS LAST UPDATED — The date the borrower’s

permanent address (fields 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13) was last updated.


Example: 20010111 (January 11, 2001)

This data is strongly recommended for pre-approval credit requests, guarantee only, guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and disbursement processing of all loan programs. Provision of this data facilitates processing of requests related to this record; however, failure to provide this data will not result in a fatal processing error. It is optional for print only processing for all loan programs. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



105 TEMPORARY BORROWER ADDRESS (line 1) — The first line of the borrower’s temporary address.

NOTE

This address will only be used for mailing the promissory note.

NOTE

If a PO Box is submitted, it is recommended a valid street address also be submitted.

This data is optional for guarantee and print, print and guarantee, and print only processing for all loan programs. If included, it is strongly recommended that the service provider use this temporary address information to mail the application. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

NOTE This field will be returned in the Supplemental Borrower Information Response (@7) Detail Record if this record type is supported by the service provider. This data will not be used if provided in a guarantee only or SCR request. The temporary borrower address is used only to mail the promissory note, which is not applicable to guarantee only or SCR requests.

106 TEMPORARY BORROWER ADDRESS (line 2) — The second line of the borrower’s temporary address.

NOTE


This data is required if Temporary Borrower Address(line 1) (field 105) is completed and this information is necessary for continuation of the borrower's temporary address. If included, it is strongly recommended that the service provider use this temporary address information to mail the application. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

NOTE This field will be returned in the Supplemental Borrower Information Response (@7) Detail Record if this record type is supported by the service provider. This data will not be used if provided in a guarantee only or SCR request. The temporary borrower address is used only to mail the promissory note, which is not applicable to guarantee only or SCR requests.



107 TEMPORARY BORROWER CITY — The city of the borrower’s temporary address.

NOTE


If the address is in a territory or foreign country, both the city and the territory or country name should appear in this field, separated by a comma and a single space.

Examples: INDIANAPOLIS

CRUZ BAY, ST JOHN PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

This data is required if Temporary Borrower Address (line 1) (field 105) is completed. If included, it is strongly recommended that the service provider use this temporary address information to mail the application. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

NOTE This field will be returned in the Supplemental Borrower Information Response (@7) Detail Record if this record type is supported by the service provider.

This data will not be used if provided in a guarantee only or SCR request. The temporary borrower address is used only to mail the promissory note, which is not applicable to guarantee only or SCR requests.

108 DIRECT DISBURSEMENT TO BORROWER INDICATOR 1 — A 1-character code indicating if the disbursement is for a borrower enrolled in a Study Abroad program and the lender or guarantor will be verifying enrollment prior to disbursement of the funds directly to the borrower.

Y= Yes the funds should be disbursed directly to the borrower

enrolled in a Study Abroad program If this field contains “Y”, verification of enrollment for TIV loans for a borrower in a Study Abroad program must be done by the originator of the disbursement prior to disbursing the funds to the borrower. If this field contains a Space, funds will be disbursed to the school.



108a DIRECT DISBURSEMENT TO BORROWER INDICATOR 2 — A 1-character code indicating if the disbursement is for a borrower enrolled in a Study Abroad program and the lender or guarantor will be verifying enrollment prior to disbursement of the funds directly to the borrower.

Y = Yes the funds should be disbursed directly to the borrower

enrolled in a Study Abroad program If this field contains “Y”, verification of enrollment for TIV loans for a borrower in a Study Abroad program must be done by the originator of the disbursement prior to disbursing the funds to the borrower. If this field contains a Space, funds will be disbursed to the school.

108b DIRECT DISBURSEMENT TO BORROWER INDICATOR 3 — A 1-character code indicating if the disbursement is for a borrower enrolled in a Study Abroad program and the lender or guarantor will be verifying enrollment prior to disbursement of the funds directly to the borrower.


enrolled in a Study Abroad program

If this field contains Y, verification of enrollment for TIV loans for a borrower in a Study Abroad program must be done by the originator of the disbursement prior to disbursing the funds to the borrower. If this field contains a Space, funds will be disbursed to the school.

108c DIRECT DISBURSEMENT TO BORROWER INDICATOR 4 — A 1-

character code indicating if the disbursement is for a borrower enrolled in a Study Abroad program and the lender or guarantor will be verifying enrollment prior to disbursement of the funds directly to the borrower.


enrolled in a Study Abroad program

If this field contains Y, verification of enrollment for TIV loans for a borrower in a Study Abroad program must be done by the originator of the disbursement prior to disbursing the funds to the borrower. If this field contains a Space, funds will be disbursed to the school.

108d FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It is filled with spaces.



109 TEMPORARY BORROWER STATE — The 2-character state abbreviation of the borrower’s temporary address.


Example: CA (California) VI (Virgin Islands)


NOTE This address will only be used for mailing the promissory note.

FC is not valid for printing mailing addresses. When FC is used, the name of the country should still appear in Temporary Borrower City (field 107).

This data is required if Temporary Borrower Address (line 1) (field 105) is completed. If included, it is strongly recommended that the service provider use this temporary address information to mail the application. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.





110 TEMPORARY BORROWER ZIP CODE — The 5-digit zip code of the borrower’s temporary address.

NOTE

This address will only be used for mailing the promissory note. Do not print all 9’s or 0’s for mailing addresses.

This data is required if Temporary Borrower Address (line 1) (field 105) is completed. If the address is in a foreign country, indicated by an FC in Temporary Borrower State (field 109), this field is filled with nines (99999) and Temporary Foreign Postal Code (field 113) may be populated. See Appendix B, Valid State and Territory Abbreviations for a list of state and territory abbreviations. If included, it is strongly recommended that the service provider use this temporary address information to mail the application. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



111 TEMPORARY BORROWER ZIP CODE SUFFIX — The 4-digit zip code extension of the borrower’s temporary address.

NOTE

This address will only be used for mailing the promissory note. Do not print all 9’s or 0’s for mailing addresses.

This data is required if Temporary Borrower Address (line 1) (field 105) is completed, the address is in the United States or a territory, and the zip code suffix is available. If the suffix is not available, fill the field with zeros. If the address is in a foreign country, indicated by an FC in Temporary Borrower State (field 109), this field is filled with nines (9999) and Temporary Foreign Postal Code (field 113) may be populated. See Appendix B, Valid State and Territory Abbreviations for a list of state and territory abbreviations. If included, it is strongly recommended that the service



provider use this temporary address information to mail the application. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.



112 BORROWER FOREIGN TELEPHONE NUMBER PREFIX — A supplemental field used for a foreign telephone number. This field may be used in conjunction with Borrower Telephone Number (field 14) to accommodate foreign telephone numbers which may exceed 10 digits. For foreign telephone numbers, populate Borrower Telephone Number with the last 10 digits of the foreign telephone number and use Borrower Foreign Telephone Number Prefix to accommodate any portion of the foreign telephone number which does not fit in the Borrower Telephone Number field. The field is right-justified and padded with zeros.

Example: 00000017035551234567

foreign telephone prefix number

NOTE International access code is not part of the Borrower Foreign Telephone Number Prefix.

This data is required for all loan programs if necessary for continuation of the borrower's telephone number. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

113 TEMPORARY FOREIGN POSTAL CODE — A 14-character field indicating the

foreign postal code of the borrower’s temporary address.

NOTE Do not print all 9’s or 0’s for mailing addresses.

This data is required if a foreign postal code is available and there is an FC in Temporary Borrower State (field 109). Fill the field with spaces if you are not providing this data.




114 SCHOOL NON-ED BRANCH ID — A unique identification code (maximum of 4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the school campus associated with the requested loan(s). This code is the suffix for School ID (field 44). This ID is unique to the entity that assigned it and must be used by the receiving organization.

NOTE If you have received this data in an Application Send File or Change Transaction Send File, it must remain associated with the loan. If a non-blank value was ever supplied, any subsequent records must contain the original value received.

Do not overlay this field with spaces if this field previously contained a non-blank value.



NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application Send (@1) Application Send File Detail Record(s) UNIQUE FIELDS

NOTE If organizations receive unique information for which they have no agreement to accept, they should ignore this information, and should not produce a fatal processing error.

116 UNIQUE LAYOUT VENDOR CODE — A code (maximum of 4 characters)

indicating the vendor that owns the unique field layout included in this record. The vendor indicated must participate in the CommonLine Network.

NOTE

The NCHELP central office maintains a list of all vendor codes. Contact this office if you would like to obtain a current code list.

This data is required for all loan programs and processes if completing the unique fields area as defined by your receiving organization. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

117 UNIQUE LAYOUT IDENTIFIER CODE — A 2-character code identifying the

unique fields layout included in this detail record. The code used to complete this field will be provided by the owner of the unique layout.

This data is required for all loan programs and processes if completing the unique fields area as defined by the receiving organization. Fill this field with spaces if you are not providing this data.

118 FILLER — An area reserved for information that is unique to certain receiving

organizations. If applicable, your receiving organization will provide you with documentation listing the fields to be included in this area.

119 RECORD TERMINATOR — The value identifying the end of the record. This field must contain the constant: *


IMPORTANT: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed


Issued: 5/7/2010 Page: 103 Revises:

NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Application Send (@1) Application Send File Detail Record(s) UNIQUE FIELDS (continued)



NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Appendix A Application Send File

UNIQUE SUPPLEMENTAL (@2) DETAIL RECORD(S)

There may be one or more Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record(s) in the file for each loan or application if you wish to use unique services provided by your receiving organization. If included, the @2 Detail Record(s) must immediately follow the corresponding Application Send (@1) Detail Record.

NOTE

All @2 Detail Record layouts must be registered with the NCHELP central office.

Most unique services are provided for in your receiving organization’s unique fields layout at the end of each @1 Detail Record. However, some unique services require the inclusion of an @2 Detail Record for each loan or application. If your receiving organization provides any unique services, contact the receiving organization for the requirements of using these services.

If organizations receive unique information for which they have no agreement to accept, they should ignore this information, and should not produce a fatal processing error.

The Layout table in this section lists all of the fields to be contained in the Unique Supplemental @2 Detail Record(s). Each field’s start position, length, data type, justification, padding, and required status are also included. A definition of each field is provided after the table.

NOTE The codes appearing in the Layout table are:


Issued: 5/7/2010 Page: 105 Revises:



Layout

Field

Field Name

Required Field

Start Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

1 Record Code R1 1 2 X(002)

2 Unique Supplemental Vendor Code

R1 3 4 X(004) Left Spaces

3 Unique Supplemental Layout Identifier Code

R1 7 2 X(002)

4 Filler — 9 951 X(951)

5 Record Terminator R1 960 1 X(001)

NOTE: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed characters) must follow each physical record. This end-of-record indicator should not be included in determining the fixed length of the record. (Please note that this end-of-record indicator must be included in addition to Record Terminator [field 5].)

1This data is required based on condition(s) listed in the field description.

Field descriptions

1 RECORD CODE — The value identifying the Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record. This field must contain the constant: @2.

This data is required if you are including this detail record.

2 UNIQUE SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR CODE — A code (maximum of 4

characters) indicating the vendor that owns the unique supplemental fields layout included in this record. The vendor indicated must participate in the CommonLine Network.

NOTE

The NCHELP central office maintains a list of all vendor codes. Contact this office of visit NCHELP's Web site (www.nchelp.org) if you would like to obtain a current code list.


3 UNIQUE SUPPLEMENTAL LAYOUT IDENTIFIER CODE — A 2-character code

identifying the unique supplemental fields layout included in this detail record. The code used to complete this field will be provided by the owner of the unique supplemental layout.


http://www.nchelp.org/

NCHELP CommonLineΚ Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Appendix A Application Send File

4 FILLER — An area reserved for information that is unique to certain receiving organizations. If applicable, your receiving organization will provide you with documentation listing the fields to be included in this area.

5 RECORD TERMINATOR — The value identifying the end of the record. If you

are including this record, this field must contain the constant: *

This data is required if you are including this detail record. IMPORTANT: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed






NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Trailer Record Application Send File

TRAILER RECORD

A single trailer record must be the last record in the file.

The Layout table in this section lists all of the fields to be contained in the trailer record. Each field’s start position, length, data type, justification, padding, and required status are also included. A definition of each field is provided after the table.

NOTE

The codes appearing in the Layout table are:


Layout

Field

Field Name

Start Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Required Status

1 Record Code 1 2 X(002) R

2 Application Send (@1) Detail Record Count

3 6 9(006) Right Zeros R

3 Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record Count

9 6 9(006) Right Zeros R1

4 File Creation Date (CCYYMMDD) 15 8 9(008) R

5 File Creation Time (HHMMSS) 23 6 9(006) O

6 File Identifier Code 29 5 X(005) R

7 Source Name 34 32 X(032) Left Spaces R

8 Source ID 66 8 X(008) Left Spaces R

9 Filler2 74 2 X(002) —

10 Source Non-ED Branch ID 76 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1

11 Recipient Name 80 32 X(032) Left Spaces R

12 Recipient ID 112 8 X(008) Left Spaces R

13 Filler2 120 2 X(002) —

14 Recipient Non-ED Branch ID 122 4 X(004) Left Spaces R1

15 Alternative Loan Send (@4) Detail Record Count


16 Reference/Cosigner Send (@5) Detail Record Count


17 Supplemental Borrower Information Send (@7) Record Count


18 Filler2 144 9 X(009) —

19 Filler2 153 9 X(009) —

20 Supplemental Disbursement Send (@8) Detail Record Count


21 Filler 168 792 X(792) —




Field

Field Name

Start Position

Length

Data Type

Justify

Padding

Required Status

22 Record Terminator 960 1 X(001) R

NOTE: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed characters) will follow each physical record. This end-of-record indicator will not be included in determining the fixed length of the record. (Please note that this end-of-record indicator must be included in addition to Record Terminator [field 22].)

1This data is required based on condition(s) listed in the field description. 2This field is reserved for future use.

Field descriptions

1 RECORD CODE — The value identifying the trailer record. This field must contain the constant: @T


2 APPLICATION SEND (@1) DETAIL RECORD COUNT — The count of all

Application Send (@1) Detail Record(s) in the file.

This number must equal the actual count of @1 Detail Record(s) in the file; any discrepancy may prevent processing of the file.

Example: 000948 (948 @1 Detail Records)


3 UNIQUE SUPPLEMENTAL (@2) DETAIL RECORD COUNT — The count of all

Unique Supplemental (@2) Detail Record in the file.

This number must equal the actual count of @2 Detail Record(s) in the file; any discrepancy may prevent processing of the file.


This data is required for all loan programs and processes if you are including @2 Detail Record(s) in the file. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

4 FILE CREATION DATE — The date the file was created. This date must match

File Creation Date (field 5, Header Record).


Example: 20010130 (January 30, 2001)



5 FILE CREATION TIME — The time the file was created. This must be the sending organization’s local time. This time must match File Creation Time (field 6, Header Record).


Examples: 013024 (1:30:24 a.m.)

133024 (1:30:24 p.m.)


6 FILE IDENTIFIER CODE — A 5-character code indicating the type of data in the

file and the version of the file layout. This data must match File Identifier Code (field 10, Header Record).

FOR PRODUCTION FILES: This field must contain the constant: A005P

FOR TEST FILES: This field must contain the constant: A005T


7 SOURCE NAME — The name of the organization identified in Source ID (field

11) and Source Non-ED Branch ID (field 14). This data must match Source Name (field 11, Header Record).


8 SOURCE ID — The unique identification code assigned to the organization

creating this file. This data must match Source ID (field 12, Header Record).

For guarantors, this is the 3-digit code as shown in Appendix A, Valid Guarantor ID’s. For lenders and servicers, this is the 6-digit number assigned by ED. For schools, this is the 8-digit ED-assigned school ID. The last 2 digits identify the branch campus.


NOTE

If you are a servicing organization and you have not been assigned an ED code, contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-, 6-, or 8-character value.





10 SOURCE NON-ED BRANCH ID — The unique identification code (maximum of 4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the branch office or campus creating this file. This ID is unique to the entity that assigned it and can be used by the receiving organization. This data must match Source Non-ED Branch ID (field 14, Header Record).


11 RECIPIENT NAME — The name of the organization identified in Recipient ID

(field 12) and Recipient Non-ED Branch ID (field 14). This data must match Recipient Name (field 16, Header Record).


12 RECIPIENT ID — The unique identification code assigned to the organization that

is the direct recipient of this file. This data must match Recipient ID (field 17, Header Record). Schools and service providers who use Internet mail for file transmissions use this field to identify the recipient of the e-mail file. Because the CommonLine e-mail process includes encrypting (locking) the file with the recipient’s information, it is critical that this field identify the direct recipient of this file transmission. For example, if a service provider is transmitting a file to a routing agent who will then transmit the information to the school, this field should contain the routing agent’s code and not the school’s code.

For guarantors, this is the 3-digit code as shown in Appendix A, Valid Guarantor ID’s. For lenders and servicers, this is the 6-digit number assigned by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The last 2 digits identify the branch office. For those organizations that do not have a numeric ED-assigned ID, this field may contain alphabetic (uppercase only) characters.

NOTE

If you are a servicing organization and you have not been assigned an ED code, contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-, 6-, or 8-character value.





14 RECIPIENT NON-ED BRANCH ID — The unique identification code (maximum of 4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the branch office receiving this file. This ID is unique to the entity that assigned it and can be used by the receiving organization. This data must match Recipient Non-ED Branch ID (field 19, Header Record).


15 ALTERNATIVE LOAN SEND (@4) DETAIL RECORD COUNT — The count of all Alternative Loan Send (@4) Detail Record(s) in the file.


This data is required for all loan programs and processes if @4 Detail Record(s) are included in the file. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

16 REFERENCE/COSIGNER SEND (@5) DETAIL RECORD COUNT — The count

of all Reference/Cosigner Send (@5) Detail Record(s) in the file.


This data is required for all loan programs and processes if @5 Detail Record(s) are included in the file. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.

17 SUPPLEMENTAL BORROWER INFORMATION SEND (@7) DETAIL RECORD

COUNT — The count of all Supplemental Borrower Information Send (@7) Detail Record(s) in the file.


This data is required if @7 Detail Record(s) are included in the file. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.


19 FILLER — A field reserved for future use. It must be filled with spaces. 20 SUPPLEMENTAL DISBURSEMENT SEND (@8) DETAIL RECORD COUNT —

The count of all Supplemental Disbursement Send (@8) Detail Record(s) in the file.


This data is required if @8 Detail Record(s) are included in the file. Fill this field with zeros if you are not providing this data.




21 FILLER — A field used to pad the record to the appropriate length. It must be filled with spaces.

22 RECORD TERMINATOR — The value identifying the end of the record. This

field must contain the constant: *

This data is required for all loan programs and processes. IMPORTANT: A 2-character end-of-record indicator (i.e., carriage-return and line-feed



APPENDIX A Valid Guarantor ID’s

IMPORTANT: The layout table in this section lists the valid 3-digit codes used to identify guarantors in this file. For those organizations accommodating alternative loans, the valid guarantor ID may not be listed in this appendix. For a listing of non-Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) guarantor codes, access the NCHELP Web site at www.nchelp.org.

Please note that guarantors may guarantee loans for students attending schools and/or residing in states other than the ones for which the guarantor is designated.

NOTE

For non-FFELP guarantors that have not been assigned an ED number, contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-character value.

STATE/TERRITORY NAME DESIGNATED GUARANTOR NAME GUARANTOR ID

Alabama Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority 721

Alaska USA Funds 800

American Samoa USA Funds 800

Arizona USA Funds 800

Arkansas Student Loan Guarantee Foundation of Arkansas 705

California California Student Aid Commission 706

Colorado Colorado Student Loan Program 708

Connecticut Connecticut Student Loan Foundation 709

Delaware Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency - PHEAA

742

Federated States of Micronesia USA Funds 800

Florida Florida Department of Education, OSFA 712

Georgia Georgia Higher Education Assistance Corporation 713

Guam USA Funds 800

Hawaii USA Funds 800

Idaho Northwest Education Loan Association 753

Illinois Illinois Student Assistance Commission 717

Indiana USA Funds 800

Iowa Iowa College Student Aid Commission 719

Kansas USA Funds 800

Kentucky Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority 721

Louisiana Office of SFA, Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission

722





Maine Finance Authority of Maine 723

Marshall Islands USA Funds 800

Maryland USA Funds 800

Massachusetts American Student Assistance 725

Michigan Michigan Higher Education Assistance Authority 726

Minnesota Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation 755

Mississippi USA Funds 800

Missouri Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education 729

Montana Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program 730

Nebraska National Student Loan Program 731

Nevada USA Funds 800

New Hampshire New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation 733

New Jersey New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority 734

New Mexico New Mexico Student Loan Guarantee Corporation 735

New York New York State Higher Education Services Corporation 736

North Carolina North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority 737

North Dakota Student Loans of North Dakota 738

Northern Mariana USA Funds 800

Ohio Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation 755

Oklahoma Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education - GSLP 740

Oregon Oregon State Scholarship Commission 741

Palau USA Funds 800

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency - PHEAA

742

Puerto Rico Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation 755

Rhode Island Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority 744

South Carolina South Carolina Loan Corporation 745

South Dakota Education Assistance Corporation 746

Tennessee Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation 747

Texas Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation 748

Utah Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority 749

Vermont Vermont Student Assistance Corporation 750

Virgin Islands Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation 755

Virginia Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) 927

Washington Northwest Education Loan Association 753

Washington D.C. American Student Assistance 725

NCHELP CommonLineΚ Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Appendix A Application Send File


West Virginia Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency - PHEAA

742

Wisconsin Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation 755





NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Appendix B Application Send File

APPENDIX B Valid State and Territory Abbreviations

ABBREVIATION FULL NAME

STATES

AL Alabama

AK Alaska

AZ Arizona

AR Arkansas

CA California

CO Colorado

CT Connecticut

DE Delaware

DC District of Columbia

FL Florida

GA Georgia

HI Hawaii

ID Idaho

IL Illinois

IN Indiana

IA Iowa

KS Kansas

KY Kentucky

LA Louisiana

ME Maine

MD Maryland

MA Massachusetts

MI Michigan

MN Minnesota

MS Mississippi

MO Missouri

MT Montana

NE Nebraska

NV Nevada

NH New Hampshire

NJ New Jersey

NM New Mexico

NY New York


NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Appendix B Application Send File


ABBREVIATION FULL NAME

NC North Carolina

ND North Dakota

OH Ohio

OK Oklahoma

OR Oregon

PA Pennsylvania

RI Rhode Island

SC South Carolina

SD South Dakota

TN Tennessee

TX Texas

UT Utah

VT Vermont

VA Virginia

WA Washington

WV West Virginia

WI Wisconsin

WY Wyoming

ARMED FORCES

AA Armed Forces Atlantic

AE Armed Forces Europe

AP Armed ForcesA Pacific

TERRITORIES

AS American Samoa

FM Federated States of Micronesia

GU Guam

MH Marshall Islands

MP Northern Mariana Islands

PW Palau

PR Puerto Rico

VI Virgin Islands

COUNTRIES

FC1 Foreign country 1Code is not valid for printing mailing addresses; instead, use the full country name.

NCHELP CommonLine® Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans Appendix C Application Send File

APPENDIX C CommonLine Unique Identifier

The CommonLine unique identifier is composed as follows:

Positions 1–6 = Participant ID

The unique identification code for the organization assigning the CommonLine unique identifier to the application.

For guarantors, this is the 3-digit number as shown in Appendix A, Valid Guarantor IDs. For lenders and servicers, this is the 6-digit number assigned by ED. For schools, this is the first 6 digits of the 8-digit ED-assigned school ID. The last 2 digits of the school ID will appear in positions 7–10 (Participant Branch ID).

NOTE

If you are a servicing organization and you have not been assigned an ED number, contact the NCHELP central office to determine the appropriate 3-, 6-, or 8-character value.

The participant ID must be right-justified and padded with zeros.

Positions 7–10 = Participant Branch ID

If ED has assigned a branch ID: For schools, this is the last 2 digits of the 8-digit ED-assigned school ID. These 2 digits identify the branch campus assigning the CommonLine unique identifier.

If ED has not assigned a branch ID: The unique identification code (maximum of 4 characters) assigned by an entity other than ED to the branch office or campus assigning the CommonLine unique identifier.

The participant branch ID must be right-justified and padded with zeros. If no branch ID has been assigned, fill positions 7–10 with zeros.

Position 11 = System ID

A 1-character code indicating the computer system on which the original electronic application was created. The system ID is especially useful in environments where the same software product is loaded on multiple PC’s.

Positions 12–17 = Incremental Code

A unique 6-character code assigned by the software to the application.



CommonLine Unique Identifier Algorithm

The following information describes the algorithm for determining the Incremental Code (positions 12-17) portion of the CommonLine Unique Identifier. Use of this algorithm is required for school-based software and strongly recommended, but not required, for other CommonLine participants.

Positions 12-14 will represent the date code and positions 15-17 will represent the incremental counter. For consistency, it is recommended that the incremental counter begin with 001 (and not 000) as the first record.

This algorithm permits both the date code and an incremental (per record) counter to be compressed and stored in the 6-byte field. To accomplish this compression, the date and counter information is converted from Base 10 (0-9) to Base 36 (0-9 plus A-Z). A detailed explanation of the revised format of the Incremental Code and an explanation of the Base 36 algorithm is outlined in the sections that follow.

Layout

Positions 12-14 = Date Code (as converted to Base 36)

The date segment is comprised of the Julian date (numeric day of the year) with a maximum value of 366 (There are 365 days in a year; 366 for a leap year) and the two digit year with a maximum value of 99. The maximum date value is represented as 36699 in Base 10; when converted to Base 36, the date is shown as SBF.

Positions 15-17 = Incremental Counter

Like the date code, the incremental counter is converted from a Base 10 value to a Base 36 value. Since the maximum Base 36 value for a 3-byte field is ZZZ, this converts to a maximum incremental counter value of 46655. This means the total number of daily Unique ID records is a maximum of 46655 (46655 converted to Base 36 equals ZZZ). A further explanation of the Base 36 conversion method follows.

Base 36

The Base 36 numbering method uses 0-9 plus A-Z as the digits for each field. The Base 10 (0-9) numbering method that is commonly used is replaced with 36 digits. Examples of each are listed below:

Base 10 Counting 1, 2, 3, . . . 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Base 36 Counting 1, 2, 3, . . . 9, A, B, C, D

When 1 is added to 9 in Base 10, a 0 is placed in the ones’ position and 1 is placed in the ‘tens’ position. Adding 1 to 9 in Base 36 equals ‘A’. The ‘tens’ position is not realized until 1 is added to ‘Z’ (again, Z is the highest value for a Base 36 digit). Base 36 allows larger numbers to be compressed into fewer bytes as each base 36 digit holds more counters (0-9 plus A-Z) than the standard Base 10 (0-9) method.



To further explain this concept, the sample program code below converts a Julian date and year in Base 10 to a Base 36 equivalent. This program code is one example; there are numerous programming techniques that can accomplish the same calculation. The basic purpose of this algorithm is to convert the date segment and the incremental counter segment from Base 10 to Base 36 and retain the ASCII number/character equivalent. The conversion table shown at the end of this Appendix is for reference only.

Example:

Converting May 12, 2001 from Base 10 to Base 36. When converted to the date segment format, the date is shown as: 13201 (132nd day of 2001.) (The lines starting with ### are comment lines and are for explanation purposes only.)

### This program shows a loop statement that starts with 36 ### to the power of 1 and loops through this program until the ### conversion from Base 10 to Base 36 is complete.

for Power = 1 to 999999999 ### On the initial pass, the program sets the Power to 1; ### each successive loop increments the power by one.

Remainder = Modulus (Base_10_Number, 36^Power) ### Modulus is a computer function that solves solely for ### the remainder. ### The Modulus function uses the comma separator as ### “divided by” in standard math. ### The “^” indicates “to the power of” (e.g., 3^2 = 9). ### Calculation: 13201 / 36^1 = 366; Remainder = 25

Unit = Remainder / 36^ (Power - 1) ### To solve for “Unit,” Remainder is divided by Power - 1 ### (36^0 = 1). ### On the initial pass, Unit will equal Remainder as 36^0 equals 1 ### Calculation: 25 / 36^0 = 25

if Unit < 10 then Base_36_Number = char (Unit + 48) + Base_36_Number ### This step converts the Base 36 value into an ASCII value. ### If the number is less than 10, this step converts the number ### to the ASCII numeric equivalent by adding 48 to the number ### (see the table below) and skips to the “end if” statement. ### If the number is greater than or equal to 10 the program ### skips to the conversion step below

else Base_36_Number = char (Unit + 55) Base_36_Number

### By skipping to this step, the number is greater than or ### equal to 10.



### This step converts the number to the ASCII numeric ### equivalent by adding 55 to the number (see the table ### below). This special step is necessary as special ### characters exist in ASCII positions 58-64 that are not ### part of the Base 36 number/character set. ### Calculation: 25 + 55 = 80; ASCII value 80 equals “P.”

End if Base_10_Number = Base_10_Number - Remainder

### This step subtracts the Remainder from the ### Base 10 number.

If Base_10_Number = 0 then exit for loop ### If the Base 10 number equals 0, the program ends; ### if not, the program loops to the top and increments ### the power to the next higher value.

This program solves for the Base 36 digits from right to left. Therefore, the first pass of this program yields a base 36 value of “P”; the second pass of this program yields a base 36 value of ‘6’; the final pass of the program yields a base 36 of ‘A’. The conversion of the base 10 date code of 13201 yields a base 36 conversion of ‘A6P.’

The Incremental Code for the first application of May 12, 2001 would be ‘A6P001’; the 35th application would be ‘A6P00Z,’ and the 36th would be ‘A6P010.’ Again, the two segments are converted separately, but both use the same conversion algorithm.



Reference Table:

This table is not part of the program; it is shown to provide a cross-reference among the Base 10, Base 36, and ASCII values.

Base 10 Base 36 ASCII Base 10 Base 36 ASCII

0 0 48 18 I 73

1 1 49 19 J 74

2 2 50 20 K 75

3 3 51 21 L 76

4 4 52 22 M 77

5 5 53 23 N 78

6 6 54 24 O 79

7 7 55 25 P 80

8 8 56 26 Q 81

9 9 57 27 R 82

10 A 65 28 S 83

11 B 66 29 T 84

12 C 67 30 U 85

13 D 68 31 V 86

14 E 69 32 W 87

15 F 70 33 X 88

16 G 71 34 Y 89

17 H 72 35 Z 90





Documents

NCHELP CommonLine Network for FFELP and Alternative Loans … · 2018-04-04 · Send (@1) Detail Record containing the necessary data to obtain a credit check (The “Req CO or CP”