All financial aid letters can be uploaded as a single PDF file using a standard source format. The source format can separate the letters for each applicant, and can assign a provisional Financial Aid decision with the uploaded letter. Financial aid decisions can be released with decision release. 

Adding a financial aid decision code

To add a new financial aid decision code:

1. Go to Database → Decision Codes.

2. Select Insert.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Folder: Select an existing folder, or select Other and enter a name to create a new one.

   • Name: Enter Financial Aid

   • Code: Enter FA.

   • Export Key 1-3: Leave blank

   • Public Label (optional): Leave blank

   • Priority (optional): Will your financial aid decisions be released at exactly the same time as other decisions; for example, an Admit decision and a Financial Aid decision? If so, set the order for the decisions to appear. Priority 1 appears first, priority 2 is next, and so on. Typically, the Financial Aid decision shouldn’t be the first decision an applicant finds.

   • Automatic Assignment: If you require prerequisite decisions, select Require prerequisite for assignment via rules.

   • Prerequisite #1 - #3: Select any prerequisite decisions for financial aid decisions (this is usually Admit—unless you want to send financial aid decisions to applicants who haven’t yet been admitted).

   • Opt Out: Leave blank

   • Type: Correspondence/Letter

   • All remaining settings: Leave as default

4. Select Save.

📖 Decision codes

The Correspondence/Letter type

Financial Aid decisions must be configured with a Type of Correspondence/Letter because financial aid letters are not actual decisions. They are included as such just to provide the ability to display this information on the applicant’s status page.

By setting this decision type, it will prevent the decision from acting as a normal decision. For example, this decision will never be considered as the application’s first or most recent decision.

Adding the financial aid letter source format

To add the source format:

1. Go to Database → Source Format Library.

2. Search for Financial Aid Letter PDF Batch.

3. Select Add. A popup appears.

4. Select Add again.

Generating financial aid letters

When you generate PDFs for your financial aid letters, you must include as the first text field the awardee’s 9-digit Slate ID. Slate uses this number to parse letters and assign them to the Rank 1 application of the person when the PDFs are uploaded.

If the applicant should not see their Slate ID number, you can set the text color to match the background. Slate can use this "invisible" Slate ID to match onto the most recent application for that record.

Can’t Use the Slate ID?

The Financial Aid Letter PDF Batch source format must be customized to include a unique ID. Submit a Support Desk ticket to the Financial Aid Letter PDF Batch Source Format category and indicate the field ID that should be used instead. Additionally, include the minimum and maximum length of the field and if it is alphanumeric or only numbers in the ticket.

By submitting a ticket, the source format can also be customized to match on Application Slate ID, which enables imported PDFs to match specifically on particular application records. This is especially useful if your process involves students with multiple applications in a single cycle.

Uploading financial aid letters

Once the Financial Aid department has generated a PDF with all of the Financial Aid letters (including the merged Slate ID for each applicant), upload the file to Slate using Upload Dataset. 

1. Select the File Format Financial Aid Letter PDF Batch.

   

2. Select Upload.

   💡 If you’re testing this process, you can go to Database → Force Process Import to skip the usual wait while Slate processes the import.

   Slate matches financial aid letters with application records in Slate using the Slate ID number included in the header. A new provisional financial aid decision is added to the decision table for these records. In this example, the Financial Aid decision was added by the source format Financial Aid Letter PDF Batch.

   

3. Select the decision to view the PDF letter associated with this decision. The financial aid letter appears in the preview window.

   

Releasing financial aid decisions

Release financial aid decisions and letters in Database → Release Decisions.

Since financial aid decisions already have assigned letters from the source format (uploaded PDFs were assigned as letters), financial aid decision groups skip the Awaiting Assignment step.

Once these decisions are confirmed, the last step is to schedule their release. 

📖 Release decisions