2014-003
Canadian student loan records - case files
Student Services
| Records | Active retention (in office) | Semi-active (records centre) | Total retention | Final disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.C. loans and part-time loan case files | CY loan awarded + 1 year | 6 years | CY loan awarded + 7 years | Destruction |
| Out of province (OOP) loan case files | CY loan awarded + 1 year | Nil | CY loan awarded + 1 year | Destruction |
CY = Current calendar year; CFY = Current fiscal year; CS = Current semester; S/O = Superseded or obsolete; OPR = Office of Primary Responsibility; Non-OPR = All other departments.
Records relating to the disbursement of undergraduate and graduate student loans through externally-administered loan programs, including Canada Student Loan Program, StudentAid BC, Part-Time Studies Assistance Programs, and other provincial loan programs of provinces outside of British Columbia. Federal and provincial funding may be delivered through integrated funding programs, depending on the student's province of residence. Records consist of the case files of all students receiving funding through a particular external loan program. Students must apply each term for loan funding.
The Financial Aid and Awards unit of Enrolment Services within Student Services confirms and monitors the eligibility of the student for a given loan program, administers the financial details of the loan, and liaises between the student and the loan program(s) to assist the student in providing the correct information to the loan authority. Financial Aid and Awards does not distribute loan money, and original records of the loan are kept with the loan originators/authority.
Student loan case files, including loans administered by Canada Student Loan programs, StudentAid BC, Part-Time Studies Assistance Programs, and other provincial loan administrators, may include, but are not limited to: loan program information; cost of attendance information; copies of the Appendix 3 and other related StudentAid BC appendices; copies of all student loan documents including the Confirmation of Enrolment, Certificate and Schedule 2’s, etc.; documentation verifying withdrawals, dismissal or voluntary leaving; appeal packages; documents relating to the transfer, split, or cancellation of the loan; unsuccessful completion reports; requests for changes to data entered into loan orginator's database; and correspondence.
Electronic records include reports generated by external databases and stored in shared drive and email correspondence. Most of the electronic records created during the administration of a student loan are stored on external databases hosted by the loan originator.
See also:
This series is a Personal Information Bank; click here for PIB description.
These records are created, used, retained and managed in accordance with the following authorities:
The FOI / POP Act (RSBC 1996, c. 165, s. 31) requires that personal information used to make a decision that directly affects an individual must be retained for at least one year.
StudentAid BC Administration Manual 2012/2013 requires institutions to retain a student's case file for a total of seven years from the student's start date. Part-time loans are also covered by the policies and procedures of the StudentAid BC Administration Manual. A total retention period of CY loan awarded + 7 years fulfills this requirement.
Student case files for out of province loans consist primarily of copies of documents that are used for data entry. A total retention period of CY + 1 year is sufficient to meet the administrative needs of the Financial Aid and Awards unit.
Federal regulations regarding student loans do not proscribe records retention periods for the administering institutions.
Case files are organized by the student's last name and by academic year. B.C. provincial loans, part-time loans, and out of province loans are all filed separately. Federal loan documentation, if any, is filed in the student's provincial loan case file.
Files are closed at the end of each academic year.
ELECTRONIC RECORDS
Records creators should note that this RRSDA applies equally to paper and electronic records and that they are responsible for deleting any records maintained in electronic form at the expiration of the total retention period (e.g. PDF versions, spreadsheets, database records, e-mail correspondence, etc.). Maintaining electronic copies of records with personal information after the recommended retention period places an undue burden on the University to continue to guard against the unauthorized access, use, and disclosure of that personal information in accordance with the FOI/ POP Act and the records series' status as a PIB.
TRANSFERRING RECORDS TO THE URC
At the end of the active retention period, box and transfer the paper files to the University Records Centre (URC). For each box prepare a box contents listing, itemizing all files contained in the box. Always include ONE copy of the file list inside the box sent to the URC taped to the underside of the lid; keep ONE copy for your own records; and send ONE copy (paper or electronic) to the Archives (see Procedures for Transferring Records to the University Records Centre).
RRSDA is in force.
Approved by the University Archivist: 28 Apr 2014