Open in new tab: (print)

Release Notes: Item 2604-01

2026-2027 ADD Import/ADD Load

This release is required to support updates to various fields that have been added or modified as part of the ISIR changes announced under the OBBBA modifications.

Additional materials from the Department of Education (DoE) materials and/or WolffPack (WP) generated materials can be found on the 2026–27 FAFSA Specifications Guide (April 2026 Update) page.

File change notes:

Incoming ISIR record layout

The ISIR record layout has been updated for all ISIRs delivered on or after April 26, 2026.

Although the overall ISIR record length (7,944 bytes) remains unchanged, the format has been modified to introduce new fields and expand the length of certain existing fields. The ISIR layout can be found (in .xslx format) at the DoE link for Volume 4 of the Specifications Guide. Previously delivered ISIR records will not be reissued in the new format; however, all new ISIRs (whether generated automatically or through corrections) will conform to the updated layout.

As an alternative resource, WolffPack has created its own Google Sheet which cross-references the ISIR layout and various FINANCIER files/layouts. The Google Sheet: New Draft 2026-2027 ISIR (March 2026 ISIR tab) lists the ISIR layout, while the (Cross reference tab) details ISIR field names (as defined on the WF27FEDL file) vs FINANCIER "file" field names. Finally, the (All changed fields tab) details fields changed since the original release of the 2026-2027 Regs.

COD driven changes

Due to the upcoming COD Schema release, and in an effort to keep all database changes together, the CPS file for the 2026-2027 year needs to be modified to support a three byte Year in College field, because, well why not?

Functional change notes:

Note: While a small number of new fields have been introduced in the core ISIR data, the majority of changes occur within the NSLDS segment. The FINANCIER updates address the addition of new fields and the resizing of certain existing fields; however, they do not incorporate the expansion of previously defined amount fields from 6 bytes to 15 bytes.

This decision reflects the significant level of effort required to fully support such an increase. Given that existing data is not expected to approach the maximum capacity of the current 6-byte fields, FINANCIER has been modified to handle exceptions by reporting any values that exceed 999,999 and capping those values at 999,999.

It is expected that few, if any, student records will contain data exceeding this threshold.

New fields and length changes are detailed below:

FINANCIER has been enhanced to evaluate a newly delivered field, WF-IS-ISIR-VERSION-FLAG (formerly designated as FILLER). When this flag indicates that the ISIR is in the new format, the ADD Import process will set a corresponding indicator in the WF-ADD-FILE record. This ensures that the ISIR is routed through the updated data loading routines within the ADD Load process.

During execution, the ADD Load process will invoke the newly delivered routines, which are designed to process the revised ISIR layout.

FINANCIER File changes:

Updated Files:

Implementation Notes

To implement the 2026-2027 Regulatory release, complete the following steps:

    1. Unload the SYSOBJH file in the attached zip file into a temporary library.

    2. SYSMAIN the new and updated modules from your temporary library into your development library.

      The updated modules are:

    3. Execute a CATALL against your development library to pick up all data area changes.

    4. Load the Dictionary Import file (dc260401.txt) from the zip file into the FINANCIER Dictionary using the Dictionary Import program (WCDICIMB).

    5. Perform institutional testing. When testing is complete, you may move the released modules to your test and production environments.