You may be wondering what Common Origination & Disbursement (COD) are and why does it matter? Generally speaking, anyone who works for a school that accepts Federal Student Aid (FSA) will need to know what COD is and use it for the sending and receiving of money.
COD is a Federal Student Aid (FSA) system which contains award and payment information for FSA grants and Direct Loans. COD enables your school to set disbursement amounts and dates for students eligible for FSA grants (Pell and FSEOG) and Direct Loans.
COD Features:
• View Master Promissory Notes
• View Entrance Counseling
• Credit Check Search for Parent Plus & Grad Plus Loans
• View, update, and create award and disbursement data
• View reconciliation and drawdown information
• Calculate Return of Title IV (R2T4)
• Access eCampus-Based Awards and complete Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP)
• Add and edit messages along with transmitting various data to the U.S. Department of Education (ED)
Enrolling in COD:
The primary Destination Point Administrator (DPA) enrolls in COD during the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) sign-up. After that, they can create new user profiles through the SAIG Enrollment site to give access to other users at your school and your 3rd party servicer.
The primary DPA can set different user levels for COD website users and is the only one who can add and update processing options, create new users, update user profiles, lock/unlock users, reset user
passwords, and add, edit, and delete school messages. The primary DPA can also update the Pell Grant Officer and Direct Loan Officer contact information/mailing address(es). However, updates to the school’s name, address (including any additional locations), and school officials’ (President, Chief Financial Officer, and Financial Aid Administrator) information must be made through an update to the E-App.
COD is a critical system that allows schools to manage and distribute FSA grants and Direct Loans to eligible students. With COD, schools can easily set disbursement amounts and dates and access important award and payment information. By understanding the importance of COD in the FSA system, you can appreciate its numerous functions and how it streamlines the financial aid process.
This material is presented for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered to be giving legal advice.
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About:
AUTHOR
Christal Carson
Software & Financial Aid Trainer, FAME
Christal brings the knowledge and experience from our Customer Service and Financial Aid Processing teams to her latest role on our Training team at FAME. She has 12 years of experience in the Financial Aid field with an extensive focus on Title IV Regulatory matters including the packaging of Pell and Direct Loans.
EDITOR
Sally Samuels
Director of Compliance, FAME
Sally is one of the country’s leading authorities on Federal financial aid administration with 42 years of “in the trenches” experience. As a respected Industry leader, she is frequently called upon to speak at School, Accrediting, Regional, and State conferences as well as to act as school liaison during program reviews and compliance audits. Having processed, reviewed, and taught financial aid for 42 years Sally’s experience includes representation at over 300 program reviews and certification visits for postsecondary institutions.
