Help - Glossary
The following glossary listing contains definitions/descriptions of terms that are related to Federal student aid Title IV programs and/or acronyms..
The terms are listed according to alphabetical order. You can select the All link to view a listing of all of the glossary terms, or you may select the letter equal to the first letter of the term.
Glossary
Data Assumptions
Assumptions the Central Processing System makes about certain data values the student reported on the FAFSA when the information appears inconsistent/contradictory. For example, if a FAFSA indicates that the student is married and it reports two incomes, but only one in the household, the CPS assumes that the value for number in the household should be two. If the CPS assumption is incorrect, the student or the FAA can make corrections. FAAs can also override the assumptions on an initial FAFSA transaction. Assumptions are noted on the SAR and ISIR. On an ISIR, a field containing an as-sumed value is highlighted with an asterisk (*).Data Rejects
Application data rejected by the CPS when required information is omitted, incomplete or inconsistent. Examples of reasons for rejects include: an application that is not signed by the student; and an application for a dependent student that omits parental information. When an application is rejected, the EFC is not calculated.Data Release Number (DRN)
Information on the Student Aid Report (SAR) found on the upper right corner of the first page. This number is required to accurately identify the appropriate FAFSA data for release to additional schools.Database Matches
CPS matches certain FAFSA information with other federal databases. As part of normal FAFSA processing, the CPS performs database matches to determine if an applicant meets certain eligibility criteria. These federal databases include the Social Security Administration (SSA), Selective Service (SS), Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)], and National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).Days Past Due
The number of days that have passed since the unsatisfied payment due date.Dear Colleague Letter (DCL)
ED posts Dear Colleague/Partner Letters related to various Title IV sub-jects to the IFAP website. These letters highlight important changes to, or clarification of, current regula-tions or requirements for the Title IV programs. IFAP includes the most recent three calendar years of DCLs as well as a history of DCLs dating back to 1995 at: http://ifap.ed.gov/IFAPWebApp/currentDPCLettersPag.jsp.Stored-value Card
Traditionally a prepaid debit card that can be used to withdraw cash from an ATM or to purchase goods from a merchant. However, unlike a traditional debit card, a stored-value card is not tied to a checking or savings account. Before a school that enters into an agreement with a financial institution to disburse Title IV credit balances to its students by making them available through bank-issued stored-value cards can transfer a student's funds to the financial institution, the school must first obtain the student's permission as it would for any EFT.Debt-Management Counseling
Counseling provided to a student about debt and accumulated indebtedness. Counseling is required both before the student receives the first disbursement of the first loan, often referred to as entrance counseling, and when the student is scheduled to complete an academic program, commonly referred to as exit counseling.Default
Failure to repay a student loan according to the agreed-upon terms of a promissory note. Default occurs at 180 days when the delinquency date is prior to 10/7/98, and 270 days when the delinquency date is on or after 10/7/98. The school, lender, and state and federal governments may take legal action against the borrower to recover defaulted loan funds.Default Reduction Assistance Program (DRAP)
A program established by ED wherein a school can ask the Department to send a borrower a letter warning the borrower of the seriousness of default.Deferment
A period during which a borrower, who meets certain criteria, may suspend loan payments. For some types of loans, the federal government pays the interest during a deferment. On others, the interest accrues and is capitalized and the borrower is responsible for paying it.Delinquency
Failure to make monthly loan payments when due. Delinquency begins with the first missed payment.Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
The federal agency that has oversight of Immigration. The CPS conducts a match of FAFSA data against this agency's database to confirm immigrant student identification and eligibility for federal student financial aid.Department, The (ED)
The United States Department of Education or an employee of The Department authorized to act on its behalf.Dependency Override
Action taken by a Financial Aid Administrator (FAA) that changes a student's dependency status from dependent to independent.Dependent Student
A student who must provide parent information on the FAFSA. A dependent student is an undergraduate who is not married, is under 24 years of age, has no legal dependents, is not an orphan or ward of the court, nor a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.Destination Point Administrator (DPA)
The key school person responsible for the security of access to the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG). The DPA is responsible for assigning and providing access to U.S. Department of Education systems for other employees of the school.DHS Secondary Confirmation Flag
An indicator on the ISIR reporting the results of subsequent CPS data matches with the DHS database (after the initial match fails) to confirm the status of an applicant for federal student aid as an eligible noncitizen.Direct Loan (DL)
A federal program, also called the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, through which the U.S. Government rather than a commercial lender provides four types of education loans to student and parent borrowers: Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for students, PLUS Loans for parents, and Consolidation Loans for all borrowers.Disabled
An individual who is unable to work and earn money or attend school, during a period of at least 60 days.Disbursement
The process through which FSA program funds are paid to a student (or parent for PLUS Loan funds).Disbursement Record
An electronic record sent from a school to COD notifying ED when a Pell or Direct Loan disbursement has been made to a student.Disbursement Release Indicator (DRI)
The Disbursement Release Indicator is a tag on the Common Record that designates a record as an Actual Disbursement Record. It signals the COD System to post the amount of disbursement to an award (loan/grant). Formerly referred to as the Payment Trigger Flag.Discharge
The release of a borrower from the obligation to repay their loan. See also Cancellation.Disclosure Statement
Summarizes the contents of a borrower's promissory note.Disposable Income
That part of a borrower's compensation from an employer and other income from any source that remains after the deduction of any amounts required by law to be withheld, or any child support or alimony payments that are made under a court order or legally enforceable written agreement. Amounts required by law to be withheld include, but are not limited to, federal and state taxes, social security contributions, and wage garnishment payments.Document Number
See Grant Award Number.Double-Entry Bookkeeping
The method of accounting in which each posted transaction involves a twoway, self-balancing journal entry with equal debit and credit amounts. This entry is then posted from the journal to the corresponding ledger accounts involved.Drawdown
A drawdown occurs when a school or COD, on behalf of a school, initiates a request for money through GAPS, and the funds are transmitted from the U.S. Treasury to the school’s bank account.Due Diligence
If a borrower fails to make payments on his or her loan according to the terms of the promissory note, the federal government requires the lender, holder, or servicer of the loan to make frequent attempts to contact the borrower (via telephone and mail) to encourage them to repay the loan and make arrangements to resolve the delinquency.D-U-N-S Number
The acronym for the Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System Number. The D-U-N-S number is a unique identification code that is assigned to an institution by Dun & Bradstreet, a nationally recognized credit rating bureau.
