National Student Clearinghouse Data Incident Update

July 25, 2023

Cougar News

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Collin College was notified on July 18, 2023, by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) that student data housed at the NSC may have been affected by a significant cybersecurity event involving the MOVEit Transfer tool used by the NSC.

The U.S. Department of Education requires 3,600 colleges and universities nationwide to use this tool to share information with the National Student Clearinghouse which provides this data to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) on the schools’ behalf. Shared information includes personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth.

It is not clear what effect, if any, this has had on the data we are required to share with the NSC. This was not a local data breach — our systems remain unaffected — and the NSC continues to investigate the extent of the data breach.

We continue to monitor the situation and are prepared to swiftly address any concerns that may arise. We are committed to assessing any potential ramifications for Collin College students and alumni who may be affected, and we will continue to gather information as this situation develops and provide relevant updates.

While it has been reported that other third-party systems may have been affected by the MOVEit breach, at this time we have not yet been notified that our data was included.

For additional information or updates, visit the NSC’s alert page.

If you have questions, please email inquiries@studentclearinghouse.org.