Global Financial Aid Services Connection

Owned by Robert Lenk
Last updated: Aug 19, 2024
6 min read

About Global Financial Aid Services

Global Financial Aid Services (GFAS) is a third-party financial aid servicer. Campus Cafe offers a method of transferring data to and from GFAS.

Please note there is a monthly cost associated with this integration.

GFAS Integration Components

There are two components of the GFAS integration. Generation of the student extract, which is exported from Campus Cafe to GFAS and the import of GFAS awards into Campus Cafe.  Both processes are run manually by the user as needed. Both the import and export components are run from the same page.

  1. Log in to Campus Cafe

  2. Navigate to Financials > GFAS Integration

  3. Use the upper half of the page to build a student extract file and send it to the GFAS SFTP server

  4. Use the lower half of the page to import Awards from GFAS into a billing batch

Student Extract Export

The student extract sends the status of all students active for the extract terms. An extract can be run for two terms, each with a begin and end semester. If your terms only have one module, then use the same semester value for both the first and second module. If you only have one extract term, then leave the second set of term fields empty. If you have two active terms for the extract job, then the first set of semester fields on the Export Student Extract page will be the semester with the earliest begin date.

The student extract can be run multiple times. Only check the Export Extract to GFAS box when you are ready to send an extract to GFAS for processing. Run the extract without this box checked to determine if there are any errors that need to be corrected. GFAS will pick up extracts daily. If you export more than one file, it will not overlay the previous file. You can manually sign on to the GFAS SFTP and delete and extract file. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Academic progress for a student is flagged as unsatisfactory in the extract, if a semester status code exists for the extract semester that is listed in the FA_SAP custom control.

Attendance Status

Attendance status for a student is sent as attended, if the student is marked as attended for any enrollment in the extract semester prior to the end of the last drop date, as defined in semester data maintenance for the extract semester. (Please note if a Last Drop Date is not defined in the semester date maintenance you will receive an error).

Enrollment Status

Enrollment status for extract is calculated using the FT/HT thresholds as defined in semester date maintenance for the extract semester. If the extract term is made up of two semesters, then thresholds from both semesters are added to determine the threshold values of the term.

Clock to Credit Conversion Majors

Custom control FA_CONVMAJ lists majors that are clock to credit conversion for student extract. These majors are reported as clock hours instead of credit hours. Transfer clock hours are taken from the scheduled hours override from its enrollment record. Enrollment scheduled hours come from the Contact Hours field of the related course.

Current Degree Row Values

The student extract uses the following values from the student's current degree row. If these values are missing, they may not be included in the extract. An email of all students excluded from the extract for missing data is sent to the email list of Web App Config GFAS_EMAIL.

  • degree status, status date, begin semester, student site, major, degree level, start date override, end date override

Future Unenrolled Students

Custom control FA_FUTSTU controls if future unenrolled students shall be included in the extract. If the students should be included, admissions entering semester must be greater than the begin semester of term B (term A if term B has no value) for the extract run.

Custom Control Configurations

Program ID

Seq

Parm

Description

FA_FUTSTU

1

1

(Y/N) Include future unenrolled students in extract

Example: Y

FA_EXCLPC

1

1-10

Future students with progress code to exclude from extract

Example: I (would exclude all progress codes that start with I)

FA_SITE

1

1-10

Map Campus Café student site to GFAS school code

Example: 1|0555 (students assigned site 1 would be assigned school code 0555 in the extract)

FA_SAP

1

1-10

Semester status codes used to note that the student is failing Satisfactory Academic Progress

FA_CONVMAJ

1

1-10

Campus Café major codes that are to be treated as clock to credit conversion majors

FA_EXCLMAJ

1

1-10

Campus Café major codes to be excluded from extract

FA_USE_LOA_CODES

1

1

(Y/N) Use LOA Semester Status Codes when determining student status. This would override current degree row status.

FA_QPTOVER

1

1-10

Grades that override the quality points Adds To Credits Taken flag to N for extract purposes only.

FA_STUTYPE_SEMSFX_MAP

1

1-10

Map student types* (set under a Student Codes page) to semester suffix with a comma separated value in the MSPARM. CSV list of types mapping to one suffix value.

Example: 1,J||5  (Student types 1,J values default to student types for Student Extract Job when begin semester ends with 0)

 * Students must have a Student Type associated with their record for this report.

FA_STUTYPE_SEMSFX_MAP:

CCDetail.png

 

Award Import

The award import process will add student payments and refunds to billing batches.

Define Award Codes in Campus Cafe

Award codes used by GFAS must be defined in Campus Cafe.  If an award is imported for an award code that has not be defined in Campus Cafe, an error record is generated. An email of import details is sent to the email list of Web App Config GFAS_EMAIL.

  1. Log in to Campus Cafe

  2. Navigate to Student Financials > F/A Code Maintenance

  3. Add codes for each GFAS Award Code

    1. FDP, FDS, FDU, PEL, SEO

    2. Complete the following code fields

      1. Transaction Code

      2. Description

      3. Award Type

  4. Separate refund codes may be set up if you would like to use a different transaction code or description for refunds. This is done by using the GFAS Award Code and appending the string _RE

    1. FDP_RE, FDS_RE, FDU_RE, PEL_RE, SEO_RE

Configure Campus Cafe for Access to the GFAS SFTP

Files between Campus Cafe and GFAS are exchanged using the secure GFAS SFTP server. These configuration values are provided by GFAS. 

  1. Log in to Campus Cafe

  2. Navigate to Admin > Web App Config

  3. Use the search box to filter on "GFAS" and configure the below parameter

Parameter

Value

GFAS_EMAIL

String of comma separated email addresses to receive integration notifications

GFAS_REMOTE_HOST

Remote IP address from GFAS

GFAS_REMOTE_IMPORT_PATH

Folder on remote that contains import files.

Needs to be the exact folder path

Example 1: /ScheduledAidFiles/

Example 2: /school name/ScheduledAidFiles/

GFAS_REMOTE_KNOWN_HOST_KEY

Ask Campus Café support to update this value.

GFAS_REMOTE_PASSWORD

Password received from GFAS

GFAS_REMOTE_PORT

Port received from GFAS

GFAS_REMOTE_STUDENT_EXTRACT_PATH

Folder on remote to contain student extracts. Needs to be the exact folder path

Example 1: /Academic Extracts/

Example 2: /school name/Academic Extracts/

GFAS_REMOTE_USERNAME

Username received from GFAS

 Running Export

GFASExport.png

Note: If you are running an export for two different student groups that are enrolled under different terms, you must separate out the Semesters from the top fields and the bottom fields as shown in the screenshot above.

If you put both semesters for the two groups in the top e.g. (202320 and 202322 side by side) the student load (full-time, 3/4th time) will be calculated incorrectly.

You will only input two separate semesters side by side if the student is enrolled in both of those semesters and taking those courses concurrently at the same time.

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