ECM Connection

Owned by Robert Lenk
Last updated: Aug 07, 2024
3 min read

About ECM Connection

ECM is a third-party financial aid servicer. Campus Cafe provides a mechanism to produce the company's input sheet and then import to Campus Cafe the returned ECM file. The process assumes that the institution is importing ISIRs into Campus Cafe and packaging in Campus Cafe.

The ECM process supports only Pell, Direct Loans and FSEOG awards.

Set Servicer to ECM

  1. Navigate to Financials > F/A Control

  2. In the Export-Import Provider choose ECM Service Provider

  3. Click Update Control

Set Origination Fee Percentages

  1. Navigate to Financials > F/A links

  2. Click New Record

  3. Input any value for Fund Token

  4. Select Award Code

  5. Input Award Year

  6. Input origination fee percentage in decimal form into Percent and Cutover Percent fields and input a cutover date

  7. Select Direct Loan

  8. Create and Repeat for each Award Code

    image-20240807-205438.png

  9. Admin > Custom Control Maintenance

  10. Search for STMT_RNDUP

    1. Set 1-1 = Y to ALWAYS ROUND REMAINING FINANCIAL AID UP

Produce ECM Input Sheet

This sheet should be produced after students have been packaged in Campus Cafe. The file is sent to ECM.

  1. Navigate to Student Financials > F/A Disbursement Roster

  2. Use the filters to select the population of students

  3. Click the Export to ECM Serivce Provider button

    ExporttoECM.png

  4. Save the file to your computer and send to ECM

Award/Academic Year Dates

The when Exporting disbursements to the ECM file format, the Award and Academic Year dates are pulled from the student's degree start and end date by default.

ECM Export can use the Term Rule dates for Award/Loan and Academic Year dates through using the custom controls FA_ECMDATE 1-1 and 1-2

1-1 = Y will use Award Dates from the Award itself for Loan period dates instead of of degree begin/end dates.
1-2 = Y will use Academic Year Dates from the disbursement itself for the Academic Year field instead of degree begin/end dates.

 

Import ECM Funds Transfer Report

After drawing down funds from COD, ECM returns a Funds Transfer Report to the institution with disbursement information. This file can be imported to Campus Cafe.

  1. Navigate to Student Financials > F/A Funds Import

  2. Click Browse and select the file from ECM

  3. Click Import

  4. A list of data to import appears below

  5. Click Transfer Batch Selected to move the data to bill batch for posting to student ledgers

Error Resolution

Upload uploading a file, certain disbursements may be flagged for Error in the Error Column with a "Y". Error Exception descriptions can be viewed by scrolling to the right to view the "Exception" column. 

Once the error(s) have been corrected, the user should click the "X Clear Batch" button, and re-import the file to review all disbursements for any additional errors.

  • Scheduled amount can not be less than net amount:  This exception code means that ECM is disbursing the award at a greater amount than what is currently scheduled in Cafe.  The user will need to update the scheduled gross amount to match the gross amount listed in the ECM import file.

  • No Scheduled disbursement matched:  This exception code means that the disbursement is not found in Campus Cafe and would possibly need to be created.

  • Semester Column shows a "0":  If the Semester column shows a "0" semester, this possibly means that the student is missing a current listed program from their degree page, and should have one added.