National Student Loan Data System is the Department of Education’s central database of Title IV student aid, including grants, loans, enrollment status, and loan balances.
How it works
Each time an institution disburses Title IV aid or reports a change in enrollment status, the information is transmitted to NSLDS. Loan servicers update repayment status. Researchers and the Department use aggregated NSLDS data, with privacy protections, to produce public statistics. Individual records are accessible only to authorized users and to the student.
Example: a student who received Pell Grants and Direct Loans at two different online institutions sees the combined aid history in NSLDS. Scorecard’s median-debt figure for each institution is calculated from the subset of those records belonging to completers at that institution.
How it differs
IPEDS collects aggregate institutional data through surveys; NSLDS contains student-level aid records. A credit report shows private as well as federal debt; NSLDS shows only Title IV aid. The FAFSA is an application; NSLDS is the historical record of aid already received.
Common errors
Assuming NSLDS contains private loan balances. Using Scorecard debt figures without noting that they reflect only federal loans for Title IV recipients. Expecting real-time updates; institutional reporting and servicer updates can lag.
References
- 1. Federal Student Aid NSLDSCentral database of Title IV aid
- 2. College Scorecard NSLDS-derived metricsSource of debt and completion data
National Student Loan Data System is the Department of Education’s central database of Title IV student aid, including grants, loans, enrollment status, and loan balances.