Enroll your institution in the NSC StudentTracker for Colleges service and obtain SFTP credentials and the correct file format specification from the Clearinghouse
Prepare the StudentTracker inquiry file in the NSC-specified pipe-delimited format, with one record per student containing First Name, Last Name, SSN or Date of Birth, and the Search Begin Date
Upload the file to the NSC SFTP server in the designated inbox directory using SFTP key-based authentication
NSC processes the file (typically within one business day) and deposits the results file in the designated outbox directory
Download and parse the results file; each record contains the student's enrollment history across NSC-participating institutions, including enrollment status, enrollment begin/end dates, college name, and degree information
Load the enrollment verification results into your SIS or financial aid system to update enrollment status flags for reporting or aid disbursement
Known gotchas
SSN-based matching is the most accurate but requires careful handling under FERPA and institutional data governance policies; name and DOB matching produces more false positives and misses — validate match confidence using the Matching Status codes in the results file
NSC results files include enrollment records only from institutions that report to the Clearinghouse; approximately 97% of US institutions participate, but gaps exist — a blank result does not definitively confirm non-enrollment
The Search Begin Date in the inquiry file determines how far back enrollment history is returned; setting this too recent will miss historical enrollment events relevant for financial aid satisfactory academic progress checks
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp