The "Active" Program in Regent Award

Whenever a student changes their program of study, the school or system performs a Program Change. This document refers to the student's previous program as Program A. The new program is referred to as Program B. 

A student's program change in Regent Award needs all the following to occur: the SBL data is processed; the student has been packaged; the program change is processed in the Program Management Wizard (or automated by Regent Award); and the system marks the new program as Active.

The "Active" program flag in Regent depends on packaging the student relative to the current effective (packaging) date. If the student is changing from a previous Program A to a new Program B, when the student is packaged, Regent will only mark the new Program B as "Active" when the student is packaged for the following dates:

• The Program Completion Date of the prior Program A, as provided on the SBL <academicInformation> node, is in the past (prior to today's packaging date); or,
• The new Program B's start date, as provided on the SBL <academicInformation> node, is today or is a date in the past; or,
• (only if Pre-Start Program Change automation is enabled) The program change is occurring prior to the start of the student's academic plan in Regent Award, and the newly received Program B is replacing the prior Program A as the starting program in Regent Award.

Substantially Equal and Not Substantially Equal

Program Changes may be processed as Substantially Equal (SE) or Not Substantially Equal (NSE) depending on the characteristics of the programs and/or the school's policies. In general, a Substantially Equal program change will keep the student in the same Academic Year, while a Not Substantially Equal program change will start the new program in a new Academic Year.

For many more details, refer to Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance.

Programs with No Attendance

Note: If a Substantially Equal Program Change occurs, and there has been no attendance in the original program (e.g. the original program had only transfer courses without attendance and had no attempted units), when the Substantially Equal Program Change occurs, then Regent updates the Academic Plan to use the Program Start Date of the new program. When this scenario occurs for nonterm programs, Regent also sets the start date of the Academic Year to the new program's actual start date. 

The <academicInformation> node on the SBL

This section provides some guidance on the fields within the <academicInformation> node, as it pertains to performing a program change in Regent Award. The Academic Information node, <academicInformation>, is an optional node on the SBL. However, that node is required when providing program change data.

For reference, here is an example <academicInformation> node for an SBL for a student undergoing a typical "A to B" Program Change:

Example <academicInformation> SBL Data for A to B program change

<academicInformation externalProgramId="AA.ART" programStartDate="2021-09-05" programCompletionDate="2023-04-29" nextProgramExternalProgramId="BA.BUS" nextProgramStartDate="2023-09-03"/>

External Program ID

The External Program ID is a unique value configured for each program in Program Setup; see Program Setup Data Elements. The External Program ID value is also visible in the Program Management Wizard for the current active program. The external program ID field is required for program changes.

• In a program change, the externalProgramID value is the External Program ID for the student's prior Program A which is ending.
• The nextProgramExternalProgramId value is the External Program ID for the student's new Program B which will be starting.

Program Start Dates: Actual and Anticipated Program Start Dates

Regent Award uses two types of Program Start Dates: Actual and Anticipated.  The Actual Program Start Date ("Start Date") is set from actual non-transfer course data. The Anticipated program start date uses the value in the programStartDate or nextProgramStartDate field in the <academicInformation> node. Anticipated start dates do not use course data. Both types of program start dates (actual and anticipated) also display in the New Program Banner on the Academic Plan. Whenever an Actual (course-based) start date is present for a program, Regent ignores the program's Anticipated Program Start Date for packaging purposes.

Actual Program Start Date

The student's Actual program start date is set by non-transfer course data, outside of the <academicInformation> node. Non-transfer course data does not have transfer="Internal" or transfer="External" in the course data node. See below for more details about the course data.

For term-based programs, the Actual start date is the start date of the first term containing non-transfer course data, as specified by the course data's External Term Identifier (externalTermId). For nonterm programs, the Actual program start date is set to the first non-transfer course's start date in the program. The actual program start date is displayed on Regent Award's User Interface as the program's "Start Date."  

Whenever a student has non-transfer registered course data in a program, Regent Award sets the Actual Program Start Date. For these enrolled programs, Regent ignores the Anticipated Program Start Date for packaging purposes. Instead, Regent Award sets and uses the Actual program start date value, as follows:

• Term and nonstandard term programs: the actual program start date is the start date of the first term of the program containing actual non-transfer courses matching the term's external ID value.
  • The program's actual start date always matches the term's start date for the external term ID on the first term containing a valid non-transfer course.
    • If a non-transfer term-based course is withdrawn before the term's start date, Regent does not consider that course to be valid for setting the program's start date. Regent does not use that withdrawn term-based course for setting the actual program start date.
    • If a non-transfer term-based course is withdrawn on or after the term's start date, Regent does still use the course for setting the program start date.
  • If the first course in the term has a course start date that starts after the term (such as some modules), or if the course starts before the term's start date (such with some Subscription Period programs), the system still always uses the term start date as the Actual Program Start Date.
• Nonterm programs: once valid non-transfer courses exist in the nonterm program, the system sets the Actual program start date to match the start date of the first non-transfer course for the program, the courseStartDate.
  • A nonterm course withdrawn before its course start date is not considered valid for determining a nonterm program's actual program start date.

Anticipated Program Start Date

The <academicInformation> node has an Anticipated Program Start Date (programStartDate).  The Anticipated Program Start Date is primarily used in cases where a student does not yet have any registered, non-transfer course data. For example, new students planning to initially start in a new program (not undergoing a change from another program) will have their program's start date value (programStartDate) set to the date they are anticipated to be enrolled.

• The SBL programStartDate value becomes the Anticipated Program Start Date, the date when the student plans to start the new program.
  • The anticipated program start date allows Regent Award to create an Academic Plan for estimated packaging information when no course data is available.

Program Changes and Actual, Anticipated, and Next Program Start Dates in the SBL 

Once a student has enrolled, the student might change their major to a different program of study. In Regent, a common program change type from one program to another program is an "A to B" Program Change. The original, old program is "Program A." The next, new program is "Program B."

In a single SBL with a program change, the system needs data for both the old Program A and the new Program B. In an "A to B" Program Change, Regent uses the Actual program information from Program A as the old programStartDate. Regent also uses the Anticipated "next" Program start date, nextProgramStartDate.

• For a program change from a previous Program A into another Program B, the school would send the old program's programStartDate value to match the actual (course-based) program start date for the prior Program A. 

• The External Program ID and start date for the new program (referred to in this document as "Program B") are provided on the SBL in the nextProgramExternalProgramId and nextProgramStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node. Furthermore, when performing a program change to a program the student previously attended, the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields are required. See Section Returning to a Prior Program.
  • The programStartDate and nextProgramStartDate values are displayed on Regent Award's UI as the "Anticipated Start Date."
  • The program's start date details (actual and anticipated) also display in the New Program Banner on the Academic Plan.
• The Anticipated start date for the new program are provided on the SBL in the nextProgramExternalProgramId and nextProgramStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node.
  • When performing a program change back into a program the student previously attended (an "A to B to A" Program Change), the nextProgramExternalProgramId and the nextProgramStartDate fields are also both required. See Section Returning to a Prior Program. 

The program's start date details (actual and anticipated) also display in the New Program Banner on the Academic Plan.

• The SBL nextProgramStartDate value becomes the new Anticipated Program Start Date of the new Program, the date when the student plans to start the new program.

Program Completion Date

The Program Completion Date is the last day when Regent Award should package aid for the student's old program.

• The programCompletionDate is the Program Completion Date for the student's prior Program A. This value is the date when Regent Award should stop packaging a student in the specified program in the externalProgramId field on the <academicInformation> node.

The Program Completion Date is required when performing a program change in Regent Award. If a student is not ending their previous program, the Program Completion Date should not be included on the SBL file.

The Program Completion Date coincides with the school's official approval regarding the program change. The Program Completion Date value indicates when the student officially stops enrollment in their prior program. Regent Award ceases packaging Financial Aid for the prior Program A on the program completion date.

• Note: The program completion date does not need to be for the student's current, active program. Schools can provide a programCompletionDate value for programs that are no longer active. The SBL currently does not have validation on the programCompletionDate value itself. The SBL process will provide a note in the Process Log when the programCompletionDate value precedes the programStartDate of a given program, but the data will still be imported into Regent Award.

When a student has terms or payment periods occurring after Program A's Program Completion Date, but before the student's next Program B starts, the Academic Plan marks those in-between terms/PPs with the "Historic" marker because they cannot be packaged for a program. See Historic Terms and Payment Periods.

Next Program External ID, Next Program Anticipated Start Date, Next Program Actual Start Date

The nextProgramExternalId and nextProgramStartDate identify Program B and that program's planned (anticipated) start date.

When the SBL is loaded with non-transfer, registered course data for Program B, the system will also set the Actual Program Start Date for Program B based on the Program B course data. The course-based logic for setting the Actual Program Start Date for Program B is the same as setting the Actual Program Start Date value for Program A, above.  

Impact on AY Start Dates

If a Substantially Equal Program Change occurs for a nonterm program, and there has been no attendance in the original Program A (e.g. the original Program A had only transfer courses and had no attempted units), when a Substantially Equal Program Change occurs, then Regent also updates the start date of the Academic Year to match the Actual Program Start Date of the new Program B. 

The <courseData> node on the SBL

As noted above, the courses taken in the program (non-transfer registered courses) will set the Actual Program Start Date.

Internal and External Transfer Courses

For program changes, all completed coursework from previous terms or payment periods in Program A which are program applicable to the new Program B, must also be sent and designated as transfer courses for the new program (Program B).

• Program changes within the same Regent Institution: transfer="Internal"
• Receipt of coursework taken at another school: transfer="External"
  • Program changes between two different Regent Institutions are also marked as transfer="External" (used when the student is moving from Regent Institution A to another Regent Institution B).

Transfer Course Data

All courses sent on the SBL as "transfer" courses are matched to the program they are associated with based on the externalProgramId in the <courseData> node.

Use the following guidance when providing a transfer course in the SBL:

• Create a copy of the course data records with the same <externalCourseId> value as the non-transfer version of the original course (from the program in which the course was actually originally taken).
  • The copied course will have an externalProgramId value matching the external program ID for the new program.
• The transfer flag should be set to a value of "Internal" or "External" as appropriate. For example:
  • transfer="Internal"
  • transfer="External"

Internal Transfer courses are always applied to the actual start date of the program receiving the course, regardless of the internal transfer course's dates.

External Transfer courses are applied based on each course's end date.

• If a student has a program change, special attention is needed for course dates for External Transfer courses. For example, the student might have External Transfer units that are setting the student's initial grade level. Those External Transfer courses need to have each course's end date value set to a date on or before the new program's actual start date, in order to count toward the initial grade level in the new program's first term or first AY. If an external transfer course's end date is after the new program's actual start date will only count toward grade-level increases for the next enrollment. 

For a term-based program, all completed coursework that is program applicable to the new program must be copied as transfer courses into the first term of the new program (externalTermID value will be the first term in the new program). Internal transfer courses will still always count from the new program's start date. Any external transfer course with a course end date ending after the new program's actual start date will still only count toward grade level increases for the term following the end date of that external transfer course.

For a nonterm program, all completed coursework that is program applicable to the new program, must simply be marked as a transfer to count towards the student's new program.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Transfer courses that count toward Progression are automatically included in Regent's quantitative SAP calculations (i.e., completion ratio for cumulative attempted units) unless the course is specifically marked to be excluded from SAP. See Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Also refer to Institution Setup settings, 'Exclude Internal Transfers Courses with 0 Quality Points Towards Progression' and 'Exclude External Transfer Courses with 0 Quality Points From Progression' on Institution Setup Data Elements.

Detailed Steps for Transfer Courses for Program Changes

1. Create a copy of the course data records with the same externalCourseId value as the non-transfer version of the course (from the program in which the course was actually taken).
   • The course's externalCourseId value must be the same for each instance of the course across all programs.
   • The new copy of the course must use the externalProgramId value for the new Program B.
2. Add or update the transfer flag to a value of "Internal" or "External" depending on whether the coursework occurred at the Regent Institution.
   For example:
   • transfer="Internal"
   • transfer="External"
3. Add or update the externalTermId for term-based programs only.
   • If the new Program B is term-based, set the externalTermId value on the copied course data record, to use the first term that the student will be enrolled in the new program. For example, if the student took a course in Fall 2022 in Program A, and the student starts a new Program B in Spring 2023, if the Fall 2022 course is applicable to the student's new Program B, then the Spring 2023 externalTermId value must be provided in the <courseData> node of the SBL for that transfer course. In that example, the term-based transfer course would have externalTermId="SP23" and transfer="Internal" in the courseData node.
   • If Program B is a nonterm program, the externalTermId field should not be included in the <courseData> node. Nonterm transfer courses do not require any update to the courses' dates in order for them to be properly associated to the new program.

In-Progress Courses

In the context of this document, an "in-progress course" is a course where the course start date is in the past and the course end date is in the future. The student has not completed or withdrawn from the course. In-progress courses should be provided in the SBL as follows:

• Create a copy of these course data records with the same externalCourseId value as the non-transfer version of the course (from the program in which the course was actually taken).
  • The course's externalCourseId value must be the same for each instance of the course across all programs.
  • The new copy of the course must use the externalProgramId value for the new Program B.
• If the student withdraws from the in-progress course before completion, send the course with a <withdrawalDate> on the SBL under both the Program A version of the course and the Program B version of the course.

In the following examples, today's date is August 10, 2016:

Program A in-progress course:

<courseData completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2016-10-04" courseId="556495" courseName="Fundamentals of Accounting" courseStartDate="2016-07-01" enrolledDate="2017-06-10" externalCourseId="1155-1111" <externalProgramId>="BUSADM" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="1.5" withdrawalDate="2016-08-10" />

Program B copy of the in-progress course:

<courseData completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2016-10-04" courseId="556495" courseName="Fundamentals of Accounting" courseStartDate="2016-07-01" enrolledDate="2017-06-10" externalCourseId="1155-1111" <externalProgramId>="ACCT" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="1.5" withdrawalDate="2016-08-10" /> 

The programApplicable flag defaults to a value of "true" during SBL import. If the SIS does not send this field as "false" when needed, it could cause ineligible units to be used in determining financial aid eligibility. The programApplicable flag designates the coursework that is applicable to the degree the student is currently pursuing. This information is used for financial aid eligibility. For example, if a student has a full-time course load but only half of those classes are Program Applicable, their financial aid eligibility is that of a half-time student.

Updating Courses after the Program Change

Coursework for a past program can be updated at any time, regardless of the program listed in the academic info node; as long as a <courseData> node contains the correct externalCourseId and externalProgramId for the course being updated. If a student has attended the same program during two separate time periods (such as an A-B-A Program Change), only the latest "instance" (the active program or the program with the most recent start date for the program) of that program will have its courses updated.

If a course is provided to Regent Award in the SBL, that contains an <externalProgramId> for a program that has never previously been provided to Regent Award on the current or any prior SBL import, Regent Award will create a new program record for the <externalProgramId> (which may in turn generate a program change task).

Returning to a Prior Program

It is common for a student to change programs during their college career. The student enrolls in and attends Program A for a period of time. The student then has a program change into Program B. Students may or may not have attended Program B, but Program B has become the active program in Regent Award. The student then changes programs back to Program A.

The "A to B to A" or "A-B-A" program change needs special attention to dates. To address this scenario, schools must provide A-B-A program changes using the following guidance. 

For multiple Program Changes involving returning to a previous program, Regent uses the programStartDate field to identify the specific instance of the previous Program A.

Scenario: Student is returning to a program which they previously attended.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A for Summer 2016.
• Student changes programs to Program B for Fall 2016 is also within Campus A.
• Student changes programs again for Winter 2016, moving back to Program A in Campus A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the programCompletionDate for Program B in the <academicInformation> node.
• In order to change from Program B, back to Program A, provide the externalProgramId and start date of Program B in the externalProgramId and programStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node. Provide the externalProgramId and start date of Program A in the nextProgramExternalProgramId and nextProgramStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node.

For example:
SBL placing the student in Program A for the first occurrence of Program A:
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2016-07-25" />

SBL moving the student from Program A to Program B 
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2016-07-25" programCompletionDate="2016-09-11" nextProgramExternalProgramId="B" nextProgramStartDate="2016-09-11"/>

SBL moving the student from Program B to Program A for the second time:
<academicInformation externalProgramId="B" programStartDate="2016-09-11" programCompletionDate="2017-01-04" nextProgramExternalProgramId="A" nextProgramStartDate="2017-01-05"/>

• Coursework for Program B and Program A should be updated following the guidance outlined in this document for the specific program change scenario.

Automated Program Changes

Regent Award automatically performs program changes in specific scenarios. An automatic program change requires no intervention from the user. The following section describes when Regent Award automatically processes a program change.

Automated Anticipated Program Changes

Regent Award will automatically process a program change when the student's current active program ("Program A") is anticipated, meaning it has no courses of any kind associated to it, and the new program ("Program B") is provided on the SBL in the nextProgramExternalProgramId and nextProgramStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node.  Program B must not have any courses associated with it in this scenario.  There is no need for any configuration options to be in place or user intervention in this scenario and a Program Change Task will not be generated.  Program B will automatically become the student's new active program.  If Program B had actual enrollment, a Program Change task would be generated and the Program Change would be processed manually, or in an automated manner if configured to do so as described by the following section.

Automated Substantially Equal Program Changes

See also: Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance; Institution Setup Data Elements

Via Regent Award configuration, a school may opt to automate substantially equal program changes. The Institution Setup screen provides configuration options that determine whether or not the Automated Program Change functionality will be in effect in a given customer instance.

Regent Award offers a configuration area called "Program Groups" which allows schools to group programs together for specific functionality or processing within Regent Award. Program Groups allow schools to designate one or more programs as substantially equal to one another. The Program Group Name and Description can be customized by the school. The school can choose from the list of "Available Programs," to create a customized group. The "Available Programs" list contains all of the programs available at all campuses within a chosen institution.

A few business rules apply to Program Groups:

• Programs cannot be grouped if the programs are at different campuses with different attending and reporting IDs.
  • If the programs are at different campuses and both campuses have the same attending and reporting IDs, the programs can be grouped.
• If the programs are at the same campus, the programs can be grouped.
• The programs must be configured with a Site and a default Site.

Substantially equal programs should be grouped together using the following criteria:

• The payment period definitions are substantially equal in length in weeks of instructional time, as applicable;
• The two programs have the same values in Regent Award Program Setup for Academic Calendar Type, Academic Period Type, Academic Unit Type, Units in Academic Year, and Weeks in Academic Year.
• For nonterm, the coursework in the payment period the student is transferring out of is substantially similar (program applicable) to the coursework the student will be taking when he or she first transfers in the new program.

Therefore, the following validation checks are also in place on the Program Group setup screen:

1. Validation that the External Program Group ID value is unique within the Institution.
2. Validate that grouped programs contain the same value on Program Setup for Academic Calendar Type, Academic Period Type, and Academic Unit Type.

When the Program Group is "saved," Regent Award will identify students with outstanding program change tasks involving a program that was updated (programs added to or removed from a given Program Group). Regent Award will then execute the Course Enrollment Roll-up Process to re-validate whether the two programs involved in the program change are substantially equal or not substantially equal as a result of the change made to Program Groups.
When the SBL data is imported, Regent Award will recognize the existence of a new <externalProgramId> for the student, and will trigger the creation of a new program record for the student. When program changes are NOT automated, packaging will then produce a program change task which would be manually processed by the FAA end-user. When automated, substantially equal program change functionality is in use, Regent Award will recognize that a new program record exists for the program and will perform several checks in order to determine whether or not the program change can be automated.

• Have the current ("Program A") and next ("Program B") programs been placed into the same Program Group?
  • Yes.
    • Do the following fields have the same value on Program Setup for both programs: Academic Calendar Type, Academic Period Type, Academic Unit Type, Units in Academic Year, and Weeks in Academic Year.
      • Yes.
        • Is the program term (or non-standard term) or nonterm?
          • Term or Non-standard term: Regent Award will automate the program change as Substantially Equal, designating the next ("Program B") program as the program to become active.
          • Nonterm:
            • Is there a "Finalized" R2T4 on the current ("Program A") program?
              • Yes; Regent Award will generate a program change task to be completed manually by the end user. The end user will have the option to manually process this program change as substantially equal.
              • No; Regent Award will automate the program change as Substantially Equal, effectively designating the next ("Program B") program as the program to become active.
      • No. Regent Award will generate a program change task to be completed manually by the end user. The end user will have the option to manually process this program change as substantially equal.
  • No; Regent Award will generate a program change task to be completed manually by the end user.

Nonterm Abbreviated Periods

See also: Managing Abbreviated Periods

If a school chooses to use the Automated Program Change functionality and is also using Regent's nonterm Abbreviated Period functionality, the school can further customize their Regent Award setup by choosing whether or not to automate program changes during an Abbreviated Period. The "Automated SE Program Changes in Abbreviated Periods" setup option will be available only if the "Enable Abbreviated Periods (Nonterm Only)" and the "Automate Program Changes for SE Program Groups" options are set to a value of "Yes." The Abbreviated Periods configuration option is in the General Settings section of Institution Setup. See Institution Setup Data Elements.

Institution Setup – General Tab – Automated Program Change Settings Section

Pre-start and Post-start Program Changes

Schools often allow students the flexibility of changing programs multiple times prior to their start date at the school. Schools also allow a student to change programs within a certain number of days of the start of the student's Academic Plan in Regent Award. When the appropriate configuration options are in place, Regent Award will automate these program changes, essentially replacing the student's starting program in Regent Award. The student's starting academic year in Regent Award will remain AY1.

Configuration Options

The Institution Setup screen will allow a customer to choose whether or not to use the Automated Pre-Start Program Change functionality. If a school chooses to use the Automated Pre-start Program Change functionality, Regent Award will attempt to automate program changes occurring prior to the start of the student's Academic Plan in Regent Award if the student has no paid awards (other than paid rebuild awards that would exist in AY0) on the existing program. If a school chooses "Yes" in the "Automated Pre-start Program Changes" field, the "Automate Program Changes within X days of Plan Start" field will become available (field will remain inactive if "No" is chosen in the "Automated Pre-start Program Changes" field). The value entered in the "Automate Program Changes within X days of Plan Start" field will determine how many days after the start of the student's Academic Plan in Regent Award, that a program change can be automated as of the start date. A negative value is not a valid entry for this field. Regent Award will attempt to automate program changes occurring within the first X days of the start of the student's Academic Plan in Regent Award if the student has no paid awards (other than paid rebuild awards that would exist in AY0) on the existing program. Access to both of these configuration options are controlled by permissions.

Institution Setup – General Tab –Automated Pre-Start Program Change Configuration Settings

SBL Import Process

When the SBL data is imported, Regent Award will recognize the existence of a new <externalProgramId> for the student. If the program start date for the student's current, active program is today or a date in the future or if the program change is occurring within the configured number of days from the start of the student's Academic Plan in Regent Award, Regent Award will automatically switch the student's active program to the newly received <externalProgramId> (making the new program the starting program for the student). When the actual start date (backed by course data) is available, Regent Award will use that date to determine whether the active program's start date is today, or a future date. When the actual start date is not available, Regent Award will use the anticipated start date (<programStartDate> provided on the SBL).

When the student's "starting program" has been updated, the Academic Plan will be updated with the new program information, and the starting Academic Year will be AY1. If the student does not have paid awards (other than paid rebuild awards that would exist in AY0) on the existing program, and those awards have been originated at COD, Regent Award will update the awards with the new program data and re-export the award data to COD. If a student changes both programs and start dates, such that the new program start date now falls into a different FAY in which funds were originally originated, the awards must be cancelled, and new awards with a new Financial Award ID must be created by Regent Award. In this case, the student will have to re-accept the new awards on the portal. If the student has paid awards (other than paid rebuild awards that would exist in AY0) on the existing program, the pre-start program change will not be automated by Regent Award. These program changes will be processed manually using the Program Management Wizard in Regent Award.

Manual Academic Years

Manual academic years might exist on the student's Academic Plan prior to the pre-start program change. The Academic Plan could have system generated manual academic years, or non-system generated (user created) manual academic years. For both types of manual academic years, regardless of whether or not the student's program's start date changes at the time of the program change, Regent Award will update manual academic year records with the new program data, and they will remain on the student's Academic Plan post-program change.

Additional functionality is in place when the start date of the prior program and new program differ and user created manual academic years (including Abbreviated Periods) exist on the student's Academic Plan. As stated above, Regent Award will update the manual academic years with the new program information, and they will remain on the student's Academic Plan post-program change. However, these user-created manual academic years may now require updates due to the change in the start date of the student's Academic Plan. Regent Award will alert the end user when this scenario occurs by generating the "Review Automated Program Change with Manual AY" task advising the user to review the student's manual academic year data, post-program change.

Scenario: Student is enrolled to begin Program A on 07/01/2017. Prior to the program A start date, the student changes their starting program to Program B.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Program B is also within Institution A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Course data may or may not be present in these pre-start program change scenarios, and should be supplied per the guidance in the scenarios outlined in this document.
• Upon completion of the SBL import process, the student's starting program of Program A will be replaced by Program B, in academic year 1.

Scenario: Student is enrolled to begin Program A on 01/01/2017. On 01/05/2017, the student changes their starting program to Program B.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Program B is also within Institution A.
• The "Automate Program Change Within X Days of Start" setup option must be set to a value of four or more.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Course data may or may not be present in these pre-start program change scenarios, and should be supplied per the guidance in the scenarios outlined in this document.
• Upon completion of the SBL import process, the student's starting program of Program A will be replaced by Program B, in academic year 1.

Graduate to Undergraduate Program Changes - Nonterm

See also: Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance; Graduate and Undergraduate ISIRs

Scenario: Nonterm student is moving from a graduate program to an undergraduate program as a junior level during an academic year. The program change creates an overlapping situation.

Student Details            

• The loan period is from 1/3/2015 – 8/30/2015 for $10,000 DL Unsub. The student was paid $5,000.
• Student's program change begins on 4/1/2015.
• Undergraduate ISIR (Field 70 "Working on Masters or Doctorate Program" is set to "2" or is blank) is received and made Active.
  • If Graduate ISIR is still active at the time of the Program Change, Regent Award will issue an alert and allow manually setting the correct ISIR as Active.

Awarding Guidance

• R2T4 is performed by the FAA for the first PP since it has not ended.
• Loan is cancelled for the remainder of the LP for the graduate program.
• New loan period for the new program would be 4/1/2015 – 11/25/2015.
• Student can borrow 12,500 – 5,000 = 7,500.
• Student can become eligible for Pell and Sub loans
• Annual Loan Limit Formula:
  • Applying only undergraduate loan amounts against the annual loan limit for the undergraduate grade level, and
  • Ensuring the undergraduate amount plus the graduate amounts within the AY do not exceed the graduate limits.

Undergraduate to Graduate Program Changes - Nonterm

See also: Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance; Graduate and Undergraduate ISIRs

Undergraduate to graduate program changes for nonterm are normally processed as NSE. Note: Term-based undergraduate-to-graduate program changes, where both programs share the same terms and term length, may be processed as SE or NSE depending on the school's policies.

Scenario: A nonterm student completed an undergraduate Program A at 28 weeks in the last AY. The student will start the new nonterm graduate Program B, which is Not Substantially Equal (NSE).

Student Details

• The student's final AY in the undergraduate Program A was four weeks away from completing the standard AY of 32 weeks.
• The student will start the new Program B before 32 weeks have elapsed from the start of the last AY in the undergraduate program.
• Graduate ISIR (Field 70 "Working on Masters or Doctorate Program" is set to "1") is received and made Active.
  • If the undergraduate ISIR is still active at the time of the program change, Regent Award will issue an alert and allow manually setting the correct ISIR as Active.

Awarding Guidance

• When going from an undergraduate to a graduate program in an overlap scenario, the student is eligible for the graduate maximum minus amount awarded as an undergraduate in the student's first graduate loan period.
  • Annual Loan Limit Formula: New (higher) GL amount minus amounts already received during the AY.

• The FAA prorates the undergraduate's loans if it was known the student was going to have fewer credits than a full AY in that final period.
• Regent Award will cancel Pell and truncate existing sub and unsub loans.
• New unsub loans must be awarded at the grad AY limit for the remainder of the AY due to a GL increase.
• The user may choose one of the following for this scenario:

1. A short initial loan period for the remainder of the original AY – can borrow graduate limit minus Sub/Unsub already received for the AY (as with external transfer from another institution – this is a manual process with the PMW).

2. New overlapping full AY loan period for the full graduate levels less undergraduate Sub/Unsub amounts already received.

   FSAH 2014-15, page 3-33 - Loan periods for a student starting a new program at the same school in the same academic year

• When completing a program, when the student's last loan to complete that program was for coursework less than an academic year in length, and the student then begins a new program at the same school, the school may originate a loan for the remainder of the academic year.

In this case, the school may originate a loan for an amount that does not exceed the remaining balance of the student's annual loan limit at the loan level associated with the new program. You must determine the new payment periods for that reduced loan period. The payment periods may not coincide with the payment periods for grants and Perkins Loans.
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Additional Topics

See also: Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance

Nonterm: New Programs and Starting a New Nonterm AY

New nonterm programs will normally continue an AY in progress if they are processed as Substantially Equal. However, if a student had a previous Program A (term or nonterm), and changes to a new nonterm Program B that starts after the previous AY ended for the first Program A, then the new Program B will start in a new Academic Year that starts with the Program B start date. The previous AY dates are frozen for the previous Program A. 

If the new nonterm program would have overlapping AY dates (the previous program A's AY was not ended), normally the school would process the program change as Not Substantially Equal. The system will need course data (for an Actual Program Start Date). The system creates a new AY that starts with the Program B Actual program start date. Because the AYs overlap, the school is responsible for manually adjusting any aid as needed to prevent overawarding. See more details on Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance.

For nonterm programs, Regent can continue the new Program B using the same preexisting payment period and AY from Program A. The continuing payment period logic applies to "open" payment periods where the payment period did not yet have enough course registration to fulfil all the required units and weeks for a full nonterm PP in Program A. If the previous nonterm Program A course enrollment was still "open," and the new nonterm program B started during the previous nonterm program A's anticipated AY dates when the previous Program A course enrollment was still open, when the program change is processed as Substantially Equal, then the system will continue the same payment period in program B.  For example, if a student in Program A had completed only some of the units and weeks in NT_1_PP_1 and then had a SE PC to Program B before the end date of AY1, Regent would extend NT_1_PP_1 and continue that same NT_1_PP_1 payment period for the Program B courses.

Removing a program change

In the case that a new program has been imported into Regent Award on the SBL, by mistake or is no longer needed, the end user can choose to "remove" this program from consideration for the student.

1. Package the student in order to generate a program change task.
2. In Regent Award's PMW, select "Program Change" – and then choose "Remove" next to the program that you do NOT want to be considered for this student.
   • 
3. Finish the wizard. The end user will see that the student remains in the old program.
4. On the next SBL, be sure to REMOVE the <programCompletionDate>, <nextProgramExternalProgramID> and <nextProgramStartDate> from the academicInformation node.

Transfers in the Courses tab of Regent Award

Internal Transfers (provided as transfer=Internal on the SBL) do not display an associated payment period or term name in the "Payment Pd" column of the course grid. These units are associated to the program at the beginning of the program, and are therefore not associated to a specific payment period.

External Transfers (provided as transfer=External on the SBL) will display an associated payment period or term name in the "Payment Pd" column of the course grid. These units can be associated to a specific payment period based on course start and end dates, and Regent Award will apply the proper grade level progression for the student. Example:

Term-to-Term Program Changes

Regent Award supports term-based program changes that occur between terms and between academic years. A term-based student can have only one program per term. Mid-term program changes are not supported. Also, term-based students cannot be enrolled in two overlapping terms simultaneously; the enrolled term dates cannot overlap.

Schools are strongly encouraged to process program changes promptly, prior to the new program's starting term. For compliance reasons, Regent does not officially support "retroactive" changes between programs after a term's start date. A retroactive program change would start a new program for a current term after the term's start date is in the past. If a student is enrolled in a term in another program, but a program change is processed after that current term's start date, then the student must generally formally withdraw from the old program (likely needing an R2T4 calculation) before formally starting the new program in the same term. Such a program change could affect the student's awards and Academic Plan. 

For example, if the Fall term starts in September, and a student has their first course in Program A in a Module starting in October, then the student's Program A start date in Regent is still the Fall term's September start date. The student is considered to be enrolled in Program A for the full Fall term, and loan periods are based on the Fall term's start and end dates. During the Fall term, if the student changes their mind and wants to switch to a new Program B, the student cannot change to the new Program B until after the Fall term ends.

Substantially Equal Term-to-Term Program Changes

For term-based program changes, two programs may be considered substantially equal if they both have the same academic calendar type, same academic year length, and share the same set of terms. For example, a SAY school might have an undergraduate-to-graduate program change where a student finishes an undergraduate Bachelor's degree in the Fall semester, and immediately starts a graduate-level Master's degree in the Spring semester. If both programs use the same set of Fall, Spring, Summer terms, then the program change could be processed as SE or NSE depending on the school's policies. If processed as NSE, Regent would create two overlapping Academic Years with the same SAY AY dates and separate loan periods for each program.

If the program type is changing between undergraduate and graduate, the student would also need an updated ISIR for the new program; see Graduate and Undergraduate ISIRs.

See also: Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance; Loan Automation for Overlapping Academic Years (OAYs).

Appendix A: Term and Nonstandard Term Scenarios

Future Program Changes within the Same Campus

Scenario A-1: The student is currently in Program A, and is not yet registered for the future term or the future program

Regent will create a Program Change using the anticipated programStartDate for Program B.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in the Fall term. 
• The student has not yet registered for the Spring term and has not yet finished Fall term. 
• The student wants to move to Program B for the Spring term.

Required SBL Information

• Provide the programCompletionDate for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the externalProgramId and start date of Program B in the nextProgramExternalProgramId and nextProgramStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Any completed courses from prior terms that are program applicable to Program B should be sent on the SBL as new Internal Transfer course data records with:
  • Copy the Program A <courseData> records 
  • Keep the same externalCourseId
  • Update the externalTermId to Spring
  • Update the externalProgramId to that of Program B
  • Add the Transfer flag transfer="Internal"
• Any in-progress Fall courses for Program A that are also program applicable to Program B should be sent on the SBL as new Internal Transfer course data records with:
  
  • Copy the Program A <courseData> records 
  • Keep the same externalCourseId
  • Update the externalTermId to Spring
  • Update the externalProgramId to that of Program B
  • Add the Transfer flag transfer="Internal"

Continue sending updates for both sets of in-progress Fall courses for grades, quality points, completion flag, etc. Keep updating the original courses that apply to Program A on the SBL, using the Fall externalTermId and externalProgramId (for Fall term and Program A). The same updates also need to be made to the copied transfer course records for Program B with the Spring externalTermId and Program B externalProgramId. 

Scenario A-2: The student is registered for the future term in both Program A and Program B

The SBL needs to withdraw all Program A courses in the future term. Regent will create a Program Change using the Actual start date from the Program B course data.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Fall term. 
• The student has already registered for courses for Spring in Program A, but the student wants to move to Program B in the Spring term. 
• The currently registered Program A courses are for Fall and Spring. The courses might or might not be program applicable to Program B. 

Required SBL Information

<academicInformation> node:

• Provide the programCompletionDate for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
  • The programCompletionDate for Program A must be before the Program B actual start date (before the Spring term's start date).
• Add the External Program ID and anticipated start date of Program B in the nextProgramExternalProgramId and nextProgramStartDate fields of the <academicInformation> node.
  • Note, because the student has registered non-transfer course data for Program B, Regent will automatically set the Actual start date of Program B to match the start date of the first term with a Program B non-transfer course (Spring).

<courseData> records:

• For the future <courseData> records for which the student has future enrollment in Program A - in this example, Spring courses carrying the externalProgramId for Program A:
  • Add a withdrawalDate to the Spring course data for Program A.  The withdrawalDate values must be before the Spring term's start date.
• If any future <courseData> records in Program A will also apply to Program B:
  • Make a copy of the original Program A course data
  • Keep the same externalCourseId value
  • Update each copied course's externalProgramId to Program B
  • Do not include the withdrawalDate 
• Add any additional new <courseData> records for Program B.
• For completed courses from prior terms in Program A before the Fall term, if those courses are also program applicable to Program B, send those courses as separate Internal Transfers:
  • Copy the <courseData> record
  • Keep the same externalCourseId
  • Update the externalTermId to the Spring term
  • Update the externalProgramId to that of Program B
  • Add transfer="Internal" 

Continue sending the Fall courses that apply to Program A on the SBL, using the <externalTermId> and <externalProgramId> that is appropriate (in this example, updating the current Fall term courses in Program A). If any Fall courses will also transfer into Program B, update both sets of Fall courses as appropriate for grades, quality points, completion flag, etc. 

Transfers from an External Institution to the Regent Institution

Scenario A-3:  Student has external transfer credits from another non-Regent institution

• Note: The student will begin the new program in a new academic year in Regent Award.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Student has (external) transfer credits from another Institution.

SBL Requirements

Additional SBL field details are on the Attributes Document (SBL Data Dictionary).

For the TRANSFER courses taken at another institution that are program applicable to the student's current program in Regent Award:

• Send these courses on the <courseData> node of the SBL (same as current registered courses).
• Mark as transfer="External"
• Include Quality Points and mark as countTowardProgression="true"
• Send the Course Start Date and Course End date. These are important for Grade Level Progression.
  • If the units are to apply from the very beginning of the program, set the course end date to end on or before the program start date. 
  • If possible, leave the <courseStartDate> and <courseEndDate> as-is from the school where the course was taken.
  • If the school does not have the <courseStartDate> and <courseEndDate> data for the courses taken at another school, the recommended approach is to use a date for the course end date that aligns with the point in the student's Academic Plan where the units are earned. If the course end date is after the program start date, those units will be used for awarding (such as grade level calculation) in the following term after they are earned.
  • Once the course start and end dates are determined, they should not be updated on subsequent SBL loads. If the dates change, especially the course end date for nonterm, the system might reallocate the courses and change the Academic Plan, and potentially could also change awards. 
• For term-based programs, add the <externalTermId> value.
  • The <externalTermId> should match the term when the units were earned.
    • For example, Mary goes to school for a year at a SAY College, and she comes home for the Summer. She takes courses at a Community College while at home. She takes her transcript from the Community College back to the SAY College in the Fall. Mary has external transfer courses now. The school would want to use the Summer term as the external term ID when importing these transfer courses into Regent Award.
  • If the external transfer course's end date is on or before the program start date, set the externalTermId to the first term in the program.
  • If the external transfer course's end date is after the program start date, set the course to apply to the external term ID containing the course's end date. If the course end date is in a break between two terms, use the earlier term.
• Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.

Program Changes within the Same Regent Institution, at different Campuses

Scenario: Campus-to-Campus PC. Student is moving to a program offered at a different Campus then their current Campus, but both Campuses are located within the same Regent Award Institution

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A, under Institution A in Regent Award.
• Student plans to move to Program B in Campus B, under Institution A in Regent Award

SBL Requirements

• Send final course updates for all programs under Program A prior to performing the program change via SBL load. Add a <withdrawalDate> for any non-completed <courseData> records under Program A (this would include courses that were registered in the future under Program A, that the student will not actually attend in Program A).
• In a subsequent SBL load:
  • Update the <student> node with the <externalCampusId> and <externalSiteId> of the student's new campus (the campus that Program B is associated to) and site.
  • Update the <academicInformation> node with the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <externalProgramId> and <programStartDate> fields.
  • Courses that the student has completed, that are program applicable to Program B, should be updated as follows:
    • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId,
    • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course,
    • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> nodes to reflect the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course,
    • Update the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.

Campus to Campus Program Change using a Single SBL file

• Update the <academicInformation> node with the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and NextProgramStartDate fields.
• Update Completed courses, that are program applicable to Program B, as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId,
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> nodes to reflect the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course,
  • For term-based program changes, update the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> for any non-completed <courseData> records under Program A (this would include courses that were registered in the future under Program A, that the student will not actually attend in Program A).
• Once the program change is complete, update the <student> node with the <externalCampusId> and <externalSiteId> of the student's new campus (the campus that Program B is associated to) and site.

Future Program Change Across Institutions Within Regent

Scenario: The student is not yet registered for a future term at new Institution

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A at Institution A in Fall 2016. 
• The student has not yet registered for the Spring 2017 and has not yet finished Fall 2016. 
• The student knows now that in the Spring, they will want to move to Program B at Institution B. 

SBL Requirements

• A <programCompletionDate> needs to be sent on the <academicInformation> node of the SBL for Program A at Institution A. DO NOT provide the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields for this scenario.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> on any current / future Program A courses at Institution A that the student will not attend or is dropping.
• Load the student at Institution B in Program B.
• Any courses that the student has already taken, that are program applicable to Program B at Institution B should be sent in the SBL as follows: 
  • Create a copy of these course data records with the same externalCourseId,
  • Update the <externalTermId> to Spring 2017,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> to that of Program B,
  • Add transfer="External."

This scenario will not generate a program change task in Regent Award. Continue sending the courses that apply to Program A on the SBL, using the <externalTermId> and <externalProgramId> that is appropriate (in this example, Fall 2016, Program A), and update the courses as appropriate (grades, completion flag, etc.).  These updates will need to be made to the course record for the courses that are sent under the <externalTermId> and <externalProgramId> for the term in which the program change will occur (as external transfers into Program B in Spring 2017).

Scenario: The student is registered for future term at another Institution

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A at Institution A in Fall 2016. 
• The student has already registered for courses for Spring 2017 in Program A at Institution A.  The student then decides to move to Program B at Institution B. 
• The courses in which the student registered for Spring 2017 are program applicable to Program B at Institution B. 

SBL Requirements

• Add a <programCompletionDate> for Program A at Institution A in the <academicInformation> node. DO NOT provide the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields for this scenario.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> on the Spring 2017 courses that exist under Program A at Institution A.
• Load the student at Institution B in Program B.
• Any courses that the student has already taken, that are program applicable to Program B at Institution B, should be sent in the SBL as follows:
  • Add a new <courseData> record with the same externalCourseId,
  • Update the <externalTermId> for Spring 2017,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> for Program B,
  • Add transfer="External." 
• For courses in which the student will be enrolled for Spring 2017 at Institution B:
  • Add new <courseData> records with the same externalCourseId,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> for Program B.

This scenario will not generate a program change task in Regent Award. Continue sending the courses that apply to Program A on the SBL, using the <externalTermId> and <externalProgramId> that is appropriate (in this example, Fall 2016, Program A), and update the courses as appropriate (grades, completion flag, etc.).  These updates will need to be made to the course record for the courses that are sent under the <externalTermId> and <externalProgramId> for the term in which the program change will occur (as external transfers into Program B in Spring 2017).

Appendix B: Nonterm Scenarios

The following section describes the nonterm program to nonterm program changes supported within Regent Award.

Program Changes within the Same Campus

Scenario: Student is changing programs during the middle of a payment period. The student does not have future registration beyond the current payment period.

• For example, PP is 2/3/16 – 8/30/16; student changes programs on 6/15/16; student has completed courses, in-progress courses, and non-completed courses in the current PP.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A.
• The student has completed courses in Program A in the current PP.
• The student does not have future registration.
• Program B is in Campus A.

SBL Requirements

 Additional SBL field details are on the Attributes Document (SBL Data Dictionary).

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• COMPLETED COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
    • The units and weeks of courses completed in the current payment period, that are sent as transfer courses into the new program, will count towards completion of the current payment period for a substantially equal program change.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
• IN-PROGRESS COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses using the same externalCourseId,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B.
  • If the student withdrawals from the in-progress course before completion, send the course with a <withdrawalDate> on the SBL under Program A. There is no need to send this course under Program B.
• IN-PROGRESS COURSES that are NOT program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • If the student is withdrawing from the course, add a <withdrawalDate> for this <courseData> record under Program A,
  • If the student plans to finish out the course, despite the fact that the course is not program applicable to Program B,
    • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
    • Update the <externalProgramId> in the course nodes to reflect the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
    • Ensure that the programApplicable flag on the <courseData> record is set to "false."
• FUTURE COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be added to the SBL as the student registers for those courses.

Scenario: Student is changing programs during the middle of a payment period. The student has future registration beyond the current payment period.

• For example, PP is 2/3/16 – 8/30/16; student changes programs on 6/15/16; student has completed courses, in-progress courses, and non-attended courses in the current PP.  Student also has future registration beyond the current PP.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A.
• The student has completed courses in Program A in the current PP.
• The student has future registration.
• Program B is in Campus A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• COMPLETED COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be provided as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
    • The units and weeks of courses completed in the current payment period, that are sent as transfer courses into the new program, will count toward completion of the current payment period for a substantially equal program change.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the course nodes to reflect the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
• IN-PROGRESS COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses using the same externalCourseId,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B,
  • If the student withdrawals from the in-progress course before completion, send the course with a <withdrawalDate> on the SBL under both Program A and Program B.
• IN-PROGRESS COURSES that are NOT program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • If the student is withdrawing from the course, add a <withdrawalDate> for this <courseData> record under Program A.
  • If the student plans to finish out the course, despite the fact that the course is not program applicable to Program B,
    • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
    • Update the <externalProgramId> in the course nodes to reflect the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
    • Ensure that the programApplicable flag on the <courseData> record is set to "false."
• FUTURE COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId,
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.

Scenario: Student is changing programs during the middle of a nonterm payment period. The program change is Substantially Equal. At the time of program change, there are no in-progress courses.

• For example, PP is 2/3/16 – 8/30/16; student changes programs on 6/15/16; student has completed courses, and non-completed courses in the current PP.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A.
• The student has completed courses in Program A in the current PP.
• The student does not have future registration.
• Program B is in Campus A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• COMPLETED COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses using the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
    • The units and weeks of courses completed in the current payment period, that are sent as transfer courses into the new program, will count towards completion of the current payment period for a substantially equal program change.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
• FUTURE COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be added to the SBL as the student registers for those courses.
• Once the program change has been completed in Regent Award, and the new <programStartDate> has arrived, the <academicInformation> node of the SBL should be updated to provide the <externalProgramId> and <programStartDate> of the NEW program in the <externalProgramId> and <startDate> fields.

Program Changes within the Same Institution, at different Campuses

Scenario:  Student is moving to a nonterm program offered at a different Campus then their current Campus, but both Campuses are located within the same Regent Award Institution.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A, under Institution A in Regent Award.
• Student plans to move to Program B in Campus B, under Institution A in Regent Award.

SBL Requirements

• Add a <withdrawalDate> for any non-completed <courseData> records under Program A (this would include courses that were registered for in the future under Program A, that the student will not actually attend in Program A).
• Add the <programCompletionDate> for Program A to the <academicInformation> node of the SBL.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node of the SBL.
• Courses that the student has completed, that are program applicable to Program B, should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
• In a subsequent SBL load:
  • Update the <student> node with the <externalCampusId> and <externalSiteId> of the student's new campus (the campus that Program B is associated to) and site.

Transfers from an External Institution to the Regent Award Institution

Scenario:  Student has external transfer credits from another institution.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in nonterm Program A in Institution A.
• Student has (external) transfer credits from another Institution.

SBL Requirements

 Additional SBL field details are on the Attributes Document (SBL Data Dictionary).

• For the TRANSFER courses taken at another institution that are program applicable to the student's current program A in Regent Award:
  • Send these courses on the <courseData> node of the SBL (same as current registration).
  • Add the transfer="External" flag.
  • Include Quality Points and mark as countTowardProgression = true.
  • Send the course start and course end date.
    • If possible, send the <courseStartDate> and <courseEndDate> from the school where the course was taken.
      • If the Regent school does not have the <courseStartDate> and <courseEndDate> data for the courses taken at another school, the recommended approach is to use today's date (the date the courses are being loaded into Regent Award).
    • If the course end date is on or before the program start date, the course's external transfer units will apply to awards in the entire program, including the very first payment period.
    • If the course end date is after the program start date, the course's external transfer units will apply to the course enrollment as defined by the end date of that transferred course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program A.

Scenario:  Student is transferring from an External Institution (Institution A) to the Regent Award Institution (Institution B). There is an overlap in the academic years from Institution A to Institution B's Program B. Program B is nonterm.

• Note - Students who transfer into nonterm programs at an Regent Award school, from another school, might still have an open academic year (AY) at the prior school.   When this occurs, the open AY at the prior school / from the prior program must be maintained at the Regent Award school. Regent Award offers two tasks that will identify overlapping loan periods / academic years between the prior school, and the Regent Award school, using NSLDS and ISIR data imported into Regent Award:
  • Review Overlapping Academic Year from NSLDS
  • Review Overlapping Loan Period from ISIR
• See Regent Award Task Triggers for more information on these tasks.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Student has (external) transfer credits.
• A Nonterm Academic Year is complete when the weeks and credits/hours in the Academic Year are successfully completed.
• Institution B must use the start date of the overlapping academic year at Institution A as the beginning of the first academic year at Institution B.

SBL Requirements

 Additional SBL field details are on the Attributes Document (SBL Data Dictionary).

• For the TRANSFER courses taken at another institution that are program applicable to the student's current program in Regent Award:
  • Send these courses on the <courseData> node of the SBL (same as current registration).
  • Add the transfer="External" flag.
  • Include Quality Points and mark as countTowardProgression = true.
  • If possible, send the <courseStartDate> and <courseEndDate> from the school where the course was taken.
    • If the Regent school does not have the <courseStartDate> and <courseEndDate> data for the courses taken at another school, the recommended approach is to use today's date (the date the courses are being loaded into Regent Award).
    • If the course end date is on or before the program start date, the course's external transfer units will apply to awards in the entire program, including the very first payment period.
    • If the course end date is after the program start date, the course's external transfer units will apply to the course enrollment as defined by the end date of that transferred course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.

Student Details

• When there is an overlapping Academic Year loan period for a transfer student, the Academic Year at the new school begins with the start date of the Academic Year at the old school.
• Institution A:  Academic Year 1/1/2017 to 8/31/2017
  • Student attended 1 month, and withdrew.
• Institution B (the Regent Award school):
  • The student's first AY in Regent Award will begin on 1/1/2017 and end on 8/31/2017 (end date at Institution A). This AY will consist of only one payment period in Regent Award. The payment period start date will align with the student's program start date in Regent Award, 8/1/2017.
  • The AY ends on the end date of the academic year at Institution A regardless of credits attempted/completed at Institution B. The end date is date driven and it is not based on successful completion of credit.

Loan Period Guidance

• The abbreviated loan period starts when the student starts at Institution B.
• The abbreviated loan period ends when the AY would have ended at Institution A regardless of how many hours or weeks of instructional time the student has completed.
• The amount that can be borrowed in the abbreviated loan period is any remaining amount of the annual loan limit that was not disbursed at Institution A.
• The first disbursement of the remaining balance loan borrowed for attendance at Institution B would be disbursed at the beginning of the loan period. The loan must be multiplied and disbursed in at least two disbursements over the abbreviated loan period, with the second disbursement of the loan disbursed at the calendar midpoint of the abbreviated loan period (regardless of how many clock/credit hours or weeks of instructional time have been completed). The exception to this rule is if Institution B has a low CDR (Cohort Default Rate), in which case, only one disbursement is required.
  1. Schools that select "yes" for the Multiple Disbursement Requirement in Regent Award's Institution Setup are subject to the CDR Rule.
• The next loan period at Institution B would begin the day after the last day of the abbreviated loan period.
• The next loan period would be subject to the normal BBAY3 rules in that the student must complete hours and weeks of instructional time before qualifying for the second disbursement, and in order to progress to the next academic year for annual loan limit purposes.
• During the abbreviated period (abbreviated AY), the payment period is the loan period in Regent Award, not the full AY.

Appendix C: Program Change Scenarios across Academic Structures

Substantial Changes to Program Structure

See also: Substantially Equal vs Not Substantially Equal Guidance; Time Periods in Regent Award

Regent treats program changes between two programs with differing academic structures as not substantially equal (NSE):

• A transfer from, for example, a term SAY program to a nonterm BBAY3 program is a substantial change in the student's program structure.
• SAY to BBAY3 would require an R2T4 (if the term was not completed) and new loans for a new, full BBAY in the nonterm program. 
  • The annual loan limits for these loans would have to be reduced by the amounts disbursed during the overlapping period in the original SAY program.  
• Rationale:  While academic years could have the same definition (for example, 24 semester credits and 32 weeks), a student who has completed a SAY semester of 16 weeks will not necessarily have met the BBAY3 payment period requirement of also successfully completing 12 credits.

Program Changes within the Same Campus

Scenario: Student is moving from a term or nonstandard term program into a nonterm program.

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Campus A.
• Program B is also within Campus A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> to the <courseData> node for courses in Program A that are not complete (both current and future that the student will not be completing while enrolled in Program A).
• Courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
• FUTURE COURSES that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.

Scenario: Student is moving from a nonterm program to a term or non-standard term-based program.

See also: Loan Automation for Overlapping Academic Years (OAYs)

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Program B is also within Institution A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> to the <courseData> node for courses in Program A that are not complete (both current and future that the student will not be completing while enrolled in Program A).
• Courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
  • Add the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> nodes that reflects the identifier for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.
• FUTURE courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.
  • Add the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node that reflects the identifier for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.

Scenario: Student is moving from a term program to a nonstandard term program

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Program B is also within Institution A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> to the <courseData> node for courses in Program A that are not complete (both current and future that the student will not be completing while enrolled in Program A).
• Courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node to the <externalTermId> for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.
• FUTURE courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.
  • Update the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node to the <externalTermId> for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.

Scenario: Student is moving from a nonstandard term program to a term program

Pre-Conditions

• Student is enrolled in Program A in Institution A.
• Program B is also within in Institution A.

SBL Requirements

• Provide the <programCompletionDate> for Program A in the <academicInformation> node.
• Add the <externalProgramId> and start date of Program B in the <nextProgramExternalProgramId> and <nextProgramStartDate> fields of the <academicInformation> node.
• Add a <withdrawalDate> to the <courseData> node for courses in Program A that are not complete (both current and future that the student will not be completing while enrolled in Program A).
• Courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Add the transfer="Internal" flag on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node such that it reflects the identifier for Program B on the new copy of the course.
  • Update the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node to the <externalTermId> for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.
• FUTURE courses that are program applicable to Program B should be updated as follows:
  • Create a copy of these courses with the same externalCourseId.
  • Update the <externalProgramId> in the <courseData> node to reflect the identifier for Program B.
  • Update the <externalTermId> in the <courseData> node to the <externalTermId> for the first term of Program B on the new copy of the course.

Appendix D: Sample SBL Files

Please assume that all sblCreatedDate fields are also "today's date" in the following examples.

Nonterm to Nonterm Program Change

SBL 1 – Establishing the student in Program A

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<students sblCreatedDate="2015-09-03T09:17:54.5800000" xmlns="http://www.regenteducation.com/re8/StudentBatchLoad">
<student externalStudentId1="1" socialSecurityNumber="999999949" birthDate="1986-01-16" lastName="Test" firstName="NT_Test" externalCampusId="A" externalSiteId="A" >
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2015-09-03" programComplete="false" />
<courseData courseId="101" courseName="Course_One" externalCourseId="1" courseStartDate="2015-09-03" courseEndDate="2016-03-06" registeredUnits="12.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" qualityPoints="0.00" enrolledDate="2015-08-22" attendance="true" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="A" programApplicable="true" />
<courseData courseId="201" courseName="Course_Two" externalCourseId="2" courseStartDate="2016-03-07" courseEndDate="2016-09-02" registeredUnits="12.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" qualityPoints="0.00" enrolledDate="2015-08-22" attendance="true" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="A" programApplicable="true" />
</student>
</students> 

SBL 2 – Program Change to Program B

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<students sblCreatedDate="2016-09-13T09:17:54.5800000" xmlns="http://www.regenteducation.com/re8/StudentBatchLoad">
<student externalStudentId1="1" socialSecurityNumber="999999949" birthDate="1986-01-16" lastName="Test" firstName="NT_Test" externalCampusId="A" externalSiteId="A" >
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2015-09-03" programCompletionDate="2016-09-12" nextProgramExternalProgramId="B" nextProgramStartDate="2016-09-13" />
</student>
</students>

 
<!-- Courses from Old Program A that TRANSFER into the NEW program B -->

<courseData courseId="101" courseName="Course_One" externalCourseId="1" courseStartDate="2015-09-03" courseEndDate="2016-03-06" registeredUnits="12.00" completed="true" countTowardProgression="true" qualityPoints="2.00" enrolledDate="2015-08-22" attendance="true" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" transfer="Internal" />
<courseData courseId="201" courseName="Course_Two" externalCourseId="2" courseStartDate="2016-03-07" courseEndDate="2016-09-02" registeredUnits="12.00" completed="true" countTowardProgression="true" qualityPoints="2.00" enrolledDate="2015-08-22" attendance="true" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" transfer="Internal" /> 

<!-- New Program B NON-TRANSFER courses-->

<courseData courseId="301" courseName="Course_Three" externalCourseId="3" courseStartDate="2016-09-13" courseEndDate="2017-03-17" registeredUnits="12.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2016-08-30" attendance="true" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" />
<courseData courseId="401" courseName="Course_Four" externalCourseId="4" courseStartDate="2017-03-18" courseEndDate="2017-09-20" registeredUnits="12.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2016-08-30" attendance="false" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" />
</student>
</students> 

Term-based to Term-based Program Change

(also covers Non-standard term-based to non-standard term based)

SBL 1 – Establishing the student in Program A

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<students sblCreatedDate="2016-11-12T13:49:20.98" xmlns="http://www.regenteducation.com/re8/StudentBatchLoad">
<student active="true" birthDate="1983-08-18" externalCampusId="A" externalSiteId="A" externalStudentId1="2" firstName="Test" lastName="Term_Test" socialSecurityNumber="121211121">
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2016-11-13" /> 
<courseData attendance="false" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2017-02-20" courseId="101" courseName="Course_One" courseStartDate="2016-11-13" enrolledDate="2016-09-10" externalCourseId="1" externalProgramId="A" externalSiteId="A" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="5" externalTermId="1111" />
<courseData attendance="false" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2017-02-20" courseId="201" courseName="Course_Two" courseStartDate="2016-11-13" enrolledDate="2016-09-10" externalCourseId="2" externalProgramId="A" externalSiteId="A" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="5" externalTermId="1111" /> 
</student>
</students>

SBL 2 – Program Change to Program B

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<students sblCreatedDate="2017-02-24T13:47:20.98" xmlns="http://www.regenteducation.com/re8/StudentBatchLoad">
<student active="true" birthDate="1983-08-18" externalCampusId="A" externalSiteId="A" externalStudentId1="2" firstName="Test" lastName="Term_Test" socialSecurityNumber="121211121">
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2016-11-13" programCompletionDate="2017-02-24" nextProgramExternalProgramId="B" nextProgramStartDate="2017-03-04"/> 

<!-- Courses from Old Program A that TRANSFER into the NEW program B -->

<courseData attendance="true" completed="true" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2017-02-20" courseId="101" courseName="Course_One" courseStartDate="2016-11-13" enrolledDate="2016-09-10" externalCourseId="1" externalProgramId="B" externalSiteId="A" lastAttendedDate= "2017-02-20" letterGrade="A" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="5" externalTermId="2222" transfer="Internal" />
<courseData attendance="true" completed="true" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2017-02-20" courseId="201" courseName="Course_Two" courseStartDate="2016-11-13" enrolledDate="2016-09-10" externalCourseId="2" externalProgramId="B" externalSiteId="A" lastAttendedDate= "2017-02-20" letterGrade="A" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="5" externalTermId="2222" transfer="Internal" />

<!-- New Program B NON-TRANSFER courses-->

<courseData attendance="false" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2017-05-26" courseId="301" courseName="Course_Three" courseStartDate="2017-03-04" enrolledDate="2017-02-24" externalCourseId="3" externalProgramId="B" externalSiteId="A" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="5" externalTermId="2222" />
<courseData attendance="false" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" courseEndDate="2017-05-26" courseId="401" courseName="Course_Five" courseStartDate="2017-03-04" enrolledDate="2017-02-24" externalCourseId="4" externalProgramId="B" externalSiteId="A" programApplicable="true" registeredUnits="5" externalTermId="2222" /> 

Nonterm to Term-based Program Change

SBL 1 – Establishing the student in Program A

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<students sblCreatedDate="2017-02-01T14:49:20.98" xmlns="http://www.regenteducation.com/re8/StudentBatchLoad">
<student externalStudentId1="3" socialSecurityNumber="111111111" birthDate="1961-04-14" lastName="Test" firstName="NT_to_Term" externalCampusId="A" externalSiteId="A" >
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2017-02-03" /> 
<courseData courseId="101" courseName="Course_One" externalCourseId="1" courseStartDate="2017-02-03" courseEndDate="2017-06-22" qualityPoints="0.00" registeredUnits="3.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2017-02-01" attendance="false" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="A" programApplicable="true" />
<courseData courseId="201" courseName="Course_Two" externalCourseId="2" courseStartDate="2017-02-03" courseEndDate="2017-06-22" qualityPoints="0.00" registeredUnits="3.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2017-02-01" attendance="false" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="A" programApplicable="true" /> 
</student>
</students> 

SBL 2 – Program Change to Program B

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<students sblCreatedDate="2017-07-03T14:49:20.98" xmlns="http://www.regenteducation.com/re8/StudentBatchLoad">
<student externalStudentId1="3" socialSecurityNumber="111111111" birthDate="1961-04-14" lastName="Test" firstName="NT_to_Term" externalCampusId="A" externalSiteId="A" >
<academicInformation externalProgramId="A" programStartDate="2017-02-03" programCompletionDate="2017-06-22" nextProgramExternalProgramId="B" nextProgramStartDate="2017-07-30" /> 

<!-- Courses from Old Program A that TRANSFER into the NEW program B -->

<courseData courseId="101" courseName="Course_One" externalCourseId="1" courseStartDate="2017-02-03" courseEndDate="2017-06-22" qualityPoints="3.00" registeredUnits="3.00" completed="true" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2017-02-01" attendance="true" letterGrade="A-" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" transfer="Internal" externalTermId="1111" />
<courseData courseId="201" courseName="Course_Two" externalCourseId="2" courseStartDate="2017-02-03" courseEndDate="2017-06-22" qualityPoints="3.00" registeredUnits="3.00" completed="true" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2017-02-01" attendance="true" letterGrade="A-" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" transfer="Internal" externalTermId="1111" /> 

<!-- New Program B NON-TRANSFER courses-->

<courseData courseId="301" courseName="Course_Three" externalCourseId="3" courseStartDate="2017-07-30" courseEndDate="2017-10-07" registeredUnits="3.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2017-06-07" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" externalTermId="1111" />
<courseData courseId="401" courseName="Course_Four" externalCourseId="4" courseStartDate="2017-07-30" courseEndDate="2017-10-07" registeredUnits="3.00" completed="false" countTowardProgression="true" enrolledDate="2017-06-07" externalSiteId="A" externalProgramId="B" programApplicable="true" externalTermId="1111" /> 
</student>
</students>