Publication Date: May 14, 2007

Author: Susan Szabo, Chief Business Operations Officer, Federal Student Aid

Summary: Access to NSLDS -- Update #3

Posted on 05-15-2007

This message is the third update to the community related to our April 17, 2007, decision to temporarily suspend NSLDS web access for certain program participants.

In our April 27, 2007, update we announced that all queries into NSLDS using web access will now require the user to provide, in addition to the borrower's social security number, the borrower's date of birth and first name. While this change does add increased security and protection to the data contained in NSLDS, it also creates challenges when institutions are attempting to resolve possible identifier errors. This is especially true when an institution receives, as Comment #138 on an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), an indication that the FAFSA applicant's social security number was found in NSLDS but the system could not confirm that it belonged to the applicant. Prior to the NSLDS access change announced on April 27, an institution could access NSLDS using just the social security number. It could then, in most instances, confirm whether the person whose information is contained in NSLDS is the same as the person who is identified on the ISIR.

While the number of Comment #138 issues is far fewer than when NSLDS was first brought up, there still are times when the school must have a way to determine whether the ISIR person and the NSLDS person are the same. Therefore, beginning immediately, our NSLDS Customer Service staff at 1-800-999-8219 will be available to assist schools in the resolution of these identifier problems. The Customer Service staff is available from 8 A.M to 9 P.M. eastern time.