Schools needing to report Federal Work Study (FWS) wages are encouraged to send a test file prior to sending data for real.
In a recent Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education announced that the FSA Partner and School Relations Center will conduct Campus-Based school testing from May 21 through September 30, 2025, for reporting Federal Work Study wages.
The Campus-Based Common Record XML Schema Version 1.0b (Campus-Based schema) will be used and the testing will provide schools, third-party servicers, and software providers an opportunity to do a test with the COD System, thus allowing them to make any corrections or enhancements to software applications and processes before sending data to the live production environment.
More information on the testing process can be found in Volume 4 of the 2025–26 COD Technical Reference in the Knowledge Center. A future Electronic Announcement will provide information regarding the implementation of the Campus-Based schema and the reporting of 2024 calendar year FWS wages.
The Campus-Based school testing will be in two phases and Phase 1 testing must be completed before starting Phase 2 testing. Test student data will be provided by the FSA Partner and School Relations Center.
Phase 1 – Common Record Manual Verification – testing available from 05/19/2025 to 09/01/2025. This is designed to make sure that an organization’s Campus-Based Common Record is well formed and properly structured.
Phase 2 – Structured Application Testing – testing available from 07/14/2025 to 09/30/2025. This is designed to make sure an organization can send, receive, and process batches of records.
Schools and organization interested in participating in the Campus-Based school testing must submit the “Campus-Based School Testing Sign-Up Document” to the FSA Partner and School Relations Center and is found on the COD website under the “COD Resources” link or in Volume 4 of the COD Technical Reference. Organizations can register to participate in Phase 1 testing or in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 testing and must register no later than August 1, 2025.
The completed sign-up document can be submitted to the FSA Partner and School Relations Center by fax at 1-877-623-5082 or by email to CODSupport@ed.gov with “Campus-Based School Testing Sign-up” in the subject line. The School Relations Center will then contact the organization via email to obtain school-specific information and to schedule specific test dates.
Questions about the Campus-Based School Testing or signing up for testing, can be directed to the FSA Partner and School Relations Center at 1-800-848-0978 or by sending an email to CODSupport@ed.gov.
