Common Manual Interim Policy Updates

As you are aware, the Common Manual Governing Board periodically approves modifications to the Common Manual.  Recently, several policies were approved to modify the Common Manual. These changes will be incorporated into the Common Manual when the next annual update is published in July 2000.

Attached are interim updates to the Common Manual which address policy revisions approved on July 15, 1999.  Pay particular attention to the effective dates for these interim policy updates.

Any questions related to the attached Common Manual interim policy update should be directed to the UHEAA Policy and Training Department at (801) 321-7166 or by email at cjudd@utahsbr.edu.

Attachment

The nation's guarantors provide the following summaries to inform schools, lenders, and servicers of the latest Common Manual policy changes. These changes will appear in the manual's next annual update. However, some changes are effective before the next update is scheduled to be delivered.

School Reporting of Borrower Social Security Number Changes Clarified
Common Manual section 4.4 has been revised to distinguish between the process used by a school to report a social security number (SSN) change for a student versus the process used for a parent borrower.  The purpose of this clarification is to update the Common Manual to reflect the full implementation of Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) processing through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).

If a school becomes aware of any social security number (SSN) change, the school is expected to verify the correct SSN by obtaining a copy of an acceptable source document (listed below).  Changes to a student's  SSN must be reported to the guarantor through  NSLDS using the SSCR or an equivalent process.  If the change is to a parent borrower's SSN, the school must continue to notify the guarantor directly.  If the guarantor requires the supporting documentation for any SSN change, the school must provide it.

Acceptable Source Documents for Social Security Number Changes
Guarantors consider any of the following source documents acceptable for reporting an SSN change:

 . Social security card or other Social Security Administration document.
 . Income tax return or W-2 form.
 . Official military orders, documents, or papers.
 . Loan application (if the discrepancy resulted from a data input error).
 . State driver's license or state-issued identification card on which the SSN is listed.

Schools may contact individual guarantors for more information on procedures for reporting SSN changes.

Affected Sections:  4.4
Effective Date:   Student SSN changes identified by a school on or after March 1, 1997
Policy Information:  Reference  #329

Defining Student Enrollment Status
Common Manual policy has been updated to remove the incorrect definition of an academic year from subsection 5.7.B.  The correct definition is found in subsection 5.7.A.  Information regarding determining the student's enrollment status and grade level has also been enhanced.

Subsection 5.7.B. now clarifies that a school must define full-time enrollment status for each of its programs of study. The school may advance an undergraduate's grade level once the student completes the number of credit or clock hours specified by the school as the amount necessary for the student to advance in academic standing within the student's program of study (for example, from freshman to sophomore). At a minimum, the school's standards must require the student to complete at least 24 semester or trimester hours, 36 quarter hours, or 900 clock hours to advance the student to the next grade level.

Note: If a school's published academic standing requirements exceed the school-defined academic year, the school is required to use the published academic standing requirements to certify a student's grade level for loan purposes. For example, a  school defines its academic year as the completion of 24 credits in 30 weeks, but requires the successful completion of 30 credits for a student to advance from freshman to sophomore standing. In this case, if a student completes less than 30 credits during his or her first academic year, the student remains eligible for first-year undergraduate loan limits at the beginning of his or her second academic year.  The school may not certify a second-year undergraduate loan until the student successfully completes 30 credits, as required by the school to advance from freshman to sophomore standing.

Information pertaining to graduate and professional students has been enhanced to state the school is responsible for developing enrollment status and grade level advancement criteria for graduate students.

Affected Section: 5.7.B.
Effective Date: Effective retroactively to the implementation of the Common Manual
Policy Information: Reference  #330