National Student Clearinghouse Security Incident
Last Update: 8/22/23
The National Student Clearinghouse (the “Clearinghouse”) has notified the University of Michigan of a cybersecurity issue that affected certain personal information maintained by the Clearinghouse on behalf of U-M.
U-M sends enrollment and degree information to the Clearinghouse in order to provide enrollment degree verification for students, degree verification to third parties, such as employers and background screening companies, as well as to provide information to the federal government for the purposes of loan deferment. UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn also provide transcript data to the Clearinghouse for the purpose of sending official transcripts on behalf of students and alumni from those campuses. UM-Ann Arbor does not use Clearinghouse transcript services.
On or around May 30, 2023, an unauthorized party obtained certain files stored by the Clearinghouse, including files containing personal information, which may include names, dates of birth, contact information, enrollment and degree information, student identification numbers, and Social Security numbers.
The Clearinghouse has worked with a third-party vendor to identify individuals whose personal information appears in the affected files and the types of information in the affected files.
Individuals, whose sensitive information, such as SSN or student ID, was affected by this cybersecurity issue, will be receiving communication from the Clearinghouse. If you are not contacted by the Clearinghouse, none of your sensitive personal information was affected.
To learn more about the issue and what measures the Clearinghouse is taking, visit their website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Did U-M have a data breach?
A: No, U-M did not experience a data breach. A cybersecurity issue occurred in a third-party solution (MoveIt) that was utilized by a U-M service provider, the National Student Clearinghouse.
Q: What services does the National Student Clearinghouse provide to U-M?
A: The Clearinghouse provides the following services to the University of Michigan:
- enrollment degree verification for students,
- degree verification to third parties, such as employers and background screening companies,
- reporting to the federal government’s National Student Loan Data System for the purposes of loan deferment,
- Transcript services for UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint.
Q: Why was I not notified?
A: U-M has ensured that the appropriate notification and identity theft protection is being provided by the Clearinghouse. If you do not receive notification, your sensitive personal information was not affected.
Q: Will U-M offer identity theft protection to me if NSC didn't?
A: No, at this time U-M is not offering identity theft protection. To learn how to prevent and mitigate identity theft, visit the university’s Safe Computing website.
Q: How can I find out more about how to protect myself from identity theft?
A: Information regarding identity theft can be found on the university’s Safe Computing website.
