USER GUIDE: NMLS Course Provider Application Process (Initial) Version 2.0 May 1, 2011 Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System & Registry State Regulatory Registry, LLC 1129 20 th St, N.W., 9 th Floor Washington, D.C. 20036 User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 1
NMLS Provider Application Overview We re delighted that you re interested in becoming an approved course provider with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS). As a course provider, you play an important role in implementing the SAFE Act and assisting state-licensed Mortgage Loan Originators (MLOs) to fulfill their testing and education requirements. This guide is intended to assist you through the application process. While we ve tried to make the application process as easy as possible, we re the first to acknowledge that this online process will be unfamiliar to some users. However, if you follow the steps outlined in this guide, you shouldn t have any problems. And if for any reason you do encounter a problem, technical support is always available at 1-877-234-6090. There are three steps associated with submitting an application to NMLS: Step 1: Getting Started Accessing information and preparing your forms Step 2: Going Online Completing the online application and paying the fee Step 3: Receiving Confirmation When you ve got mail, you ll know you re done! PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING RULES FOR SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION Use only the Internet Explorer browser Disable your pop-up blocker Do NOT use the back button on your browser or you will lose previously inputted information and your application will fail at the end of the process The maximum file size you can currently upload is 2MB ( less than 2048kb) Please be sensitive to how much information you cut and paste into each field of the Comprehensive Application Form. If you have additional or supplemental information we would really like to read it, but please upload this information as a separate MS Word file. Save documents in PDF format or as MS Word document Do NOT SCAN documents. This will make the files too large to upload. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 2
Step 1: Accessing Information and Preparing Your Forms When you ve decided you want to become an NMLS approved course provider, here s what you need to do: 1. Go online and visit http://mortgage.nationwidelicensingsystem.org/courseprovider/pages/resources. aspx You can also go to Google, search NMLS, and after you have the web site displayed, click the Course Providers link on the upper left navigation of the home page. This area of the NLMS Resource Center has been especially designed to provide you with all the information you ll need to submit an application to become a provider, submit courses for approval, and find the link to report student course completions. You may want to bookmark this page, as you ll most likely be referencing this area frequently. 2. In the Course Provider Resources Section you will find documents detailing all of the processes and policies associated with being an NMLS approved course provider. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with each of the various documents. 3. Download and complete the NMLS Course Provider Comprehensive Application. As its name suggests, this a comprehensive form that will probably take an hour or more to complete. You should complete this application prior to going on to Step 2 below. Here is what you need to know to complete the Comprehensive Application: a. Section I: Basic Information. For Organization/Company Name, please provide your organization s legal name. If you are doing business as (DBA) you ll use only your DBA name when completing the online form. When completing the PDF application provide your legal and DBA name. When completing the online application only provide your DBA name or your company name as you want students to see it. Note: names must be less than 70 characters. A Tax ID/EIN number is required on the application. If you don t have a number, you will be unable to submit the application. For point of contact, list whom you would like us to contact if we have any questions about your application. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 3
If your organization has a web site, list all of the URL(s) from which NMLS approved courses will be marketed from. Please note that web sites are to conform to best practices associated with conducting business on the web and need to include the organization s business address, phone number(s), contact e- mail address, a privacy policy, refund policy, course cancellation and other applicable policies. b. Section II: Organization Type. Tell us what type of organization you are by clicking one of the check boxes. If you re an other please provide the details. c. Section III: Organization Intent. Tell us which type of education courses you intend to teach and in what formats by checking off all that apply. d. Section IV: Organizational and Regulatory Information. i. Question 1: Business structure. This is a two part question: please tell us about the organization s business and management structure, to include listing the owners, corporate principles, and/or any investors. The second part of the question request that you list the state which issued the business license and the number of years the organization has been in business. ii. Question 2: Summary of organization changes. Has your organization gone through some significant change(s) over the past five years? Tell us about any name changes; change in ownership, mergers, or acquisitions; or any other significant event that may have occurred. If nothing has changed or you re a new organization, please just list none. iii. Question 3: Other Approving Agencies. List all state or federal accrediting or course approval agencies (including real estate and/or appraisal) which you are currently approved by. Additionally, some states require that schools be approved by the state s post-secondary education agency. If you are doing business in CO, MD, or NV you may need to meet this requirement prior to submitting your application to NMLS. iv. Question 4: Enrollment and Course Registration Process: Provide a description of your enrollment and course registration processes. Please also be sure to include pertaining to your refund and cancellation policies. v. Question 5: Method of Course Delivery: Describe your methods of course delivery to include venue or delivery vehicle. Note that if you deliver online courses, list what learning management system (LMS) you employ and how it will be configured to ensure students meet minimum time requirements and the other requirements as detailed in the NMLS Functional Specification for Online Courses. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 4
vi. Question 6: Partnerships. Please describe any partnership arrangements in place and/or being considered to either 1) license course content to other organizations; 2) acquire course content from another organization; or 3) referral marketing agreements to sell other courses. Please be sure you re familiar with the NMLS Policy on Business Arrangements, Reselling, and Marketing of NMLS Approved Courses before responding to this question. vii. Question 7: End-of-Course Evaluation Process. Course providers are required to conduct an end-of-course survey process. Describe the process you have in place to ensure that the end-of-course survey is being conducted and that feedback is incorporated to make improvements to courses. viii. Question 8: (You re almost done!): Summarize course completions. Here you need to summarize how you verify that the student has attended the entire course session and how you measure course completion. The intent here is to ensure that a student does not check in and then check out. For example, if the training is being conducted at an annual conference, how to do you verify that a student attended the entire course session (and did not simply walk out half way through)? Additionally, how do you measure that the student has completed the entire course? ix. Question 9: Instructor qualifications. Course providers are responsible for ensuring that their instructors are qualified to teach their courses. Describe how your organization verifies that an instructor is qualified. e. Section IV: Standard of Conduct Agreement and Requirement to Maintain Approval Status: It is the intent of NMLS to have all Approved Course Providers promote themselves and their course offerings in accordance with the highest ethical standards. As such, NMLS approval status is granted with the understanding that Course Providers will maintain the standards of conduct. Violation of any of these provisions could result in sanctions or disciplinary action up to and including loss of NMLS approval status as provided by the Administrative Action Guidelines for the Mortgage Testing and Education Board. Additionally, in order to maintain NMLS approval status, the organization must be working in good faith toward having at least one course approved by NMLS within sixty (60) days of the initial course provider approval letter date (the term good faith is defined as having uploaded course material in the NMLS Course Approval portal and be working to address any deficiencies required to achieve course approval). The organization must also maintain at least one course in an approved status with NMLS. An organization without an approved course for longer than sixty days and/or who is not working in good faith toward have an approved course will have their approval status suspended and will be prohibited from promoting themselves as NMLS approved. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 5
Please sign the form at the bottom of the application form or your application will not be processed. 4. Gather additional documents. In addition to the Comprehensive Application, you ll need to upload four additional documents in PDF format to complete the online application process: a. Copy of Course Completion Certificate. This is what the students receive once they have successfully completed one of your courses. b. Copy of End-of-Course Survey or other assessment/evaluation form. This is the end-of-course survey the student is asked to complete after they have finished one of your courses. c. Sample of a complete instructor guide that details policies, procedures or other information associated with teaching courses. Note: A sample guide is available in the NMLS Resource Center under Notices and Examples at: http://mortgage.nationwidelicensingsystem.org/courseprovider/pages/resour ces.aspx d. Instructor Credentialing Information. This is a sample of whatever checklist or form you use to verify that an instructor is qualified to teach a mortgagerelated course. ALERT! For each of the documents listed above there is a 2 MB file size limit. Files need to be submitted in PDF or MS Word format. Break large documents into multiple parts if necessary and include part a, part b, etc., as part of the document s file name. 5. Once you have completed the comprehensive application form and have gathered the other four documents, you re ready to move on to Step 2. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 6
Step 1 Summary Checklist. Before moving on to Step 2, be sure to have completed the following: Visited the Course Provider Section of the NMLS Resource Center. Become familiar with all of the Policies and Processes and functional specifications associated with being an NMLS approved course provider and delivering courses. Downloaded and filled out the NMLS Approved Course Provider Comprehensive Application Form. Obtained a PDF version of your Course Completion Certificate. Have a copy of your End-of-Course Survey in PDF or MS Word format. Have a copy of your Instructor Guide PDF or MS Word format (please see sample available in the NMLS Resource Center) Have your Instructor Credentialing Information in PDF or MS Word format. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 7
Step 2: Completing the Online Application and Paying the Fee Now that you ve completed Step 1 and have your documents ready for uploading, let s move on to Step 2. NMLS has contracted with Pearson VUE to provide certain education services including the course provider application process, course application processing, and course completion reporting (banking). Let s get started: 1. Go online and visit http://www.pulseportal.com. Please note the following when completing the online application: Use the Internet Explorer browser Disable your pop-up blocker Do NOT use the back button on your browser or you will lose previously inputted information and your application will fail at the end of the process The maximum file size you can upload is 2MB 2. From the Choose a Program drop-down list choose NMLS. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 8
3. Under Education Provider Services click on the link Submit Provider Application. It s the last link of the 5 displayed. 4. Once you click the Submit Provider Application link the Demographic Information page displays. Note that the input boxes highlighted in blue are required input fields. You will not be allowed to advance to the next page of the application until you provide the required information. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 9
a. Provider Name: Enter your Organization s name. Note: Enter the name you want to appear in the course catalog to students. If you are doing business as, enter your DBA name. b. EIN: This is your nine-digit Tax ID number. If you do not have an EIN you cannot submit an application. From the Organization Type drop-down list, choose the organization type that best matches what type of organization you are. This should match what you stated on the Comprehensive Application. a. If you listed organization type as other from the drop-down list, type in what type of organization you are. b. Finally, if your organization has a web site, please include the URL. c. Once you have filled out all of the information on this page, click the Next button. 5. The next page is the Organization Contact Information. Again, all of the boxes outlined in blue are required fields. a. From the Address Type drop-down list, click Mailing. All organizations are required to have a mailing address, so enter this address first! b. Line One: Enter the street or postal address for your organization. Enter information into Lines Two and Three as required. c. In the City field enter the city associated with mailing address. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 10
d. From the State drop-down list, choose the state associated with the mailing address. e. If for some reason your address is in Canada, chose the appropriate Province. Enter the Postal Code associated with your address. This can be either the traditional five-digit zip code or the extended nine-digit zip code. 6. Moving down to Individual Contact information: a. Provide the First Name of the primary point of contact within your organization for this application. This should be the same person as is listed on the Comprehensive Application. b. Enter the Last Name of the primary point-of-contact for this application. c. As necessary, enter the point-of-contact s Title. d. Enter the Email Address of the point-of-contact. Please note: this is the e-mail address where we will be sending you the confirmation notice that your application has been received. We ll also be using this e-mail in case we have any questions regarding your application or to send you information regarding the status of your application. Since e-mail is the primary form of communication, please ensure you submit a valid Email Address. e. Enter any Phone contact information. f. ALERT! Once you have entered all of the required and any additional information DO NOT CLICK NEXT. If you click Next you will see an error at the User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 11
top of the page that says, Type of Mailing must be entered. Instead, click the Add button near the bottom right of the screen above the next button. 7. Once you have clicked the Add button, the page will refresh and the address you entered will appear at the top of the page. If you made a mistake, click on the edit link that appears at the right of the postal code that you entered. Remember; do not use the back button on your browser to make changes. 8. If your business location is different than our mailing address, repeat the process just like you did for your mail address. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 12
a. Remember to input information into every box that is highlighted in blue. Once you have filled out the form, click the Add button again. The page will refresh and you will now see two addresses at the top of the page. a. After you have added your mailing address, and as required, a business location address, click the Next button at the bottom right of the page. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 13
9. Page 3 of the application process requires you to answer five questions related to licensure and criminal disclosure. Depending on how you answer the questions, you may be required to provide additional information in the Comment box. If you are required to submit a comment, please be truthful and provide as much as detail as possible. 10. After you have answered the five questions, click the Next button at the bottom right of the page. 11. You will now be presented with the Upload Required Items page. Here you will upload the documents you prepared during Step 1. In order for your application to be accepted and processed you must upload all five (5) documents in PDF or word format. a. To upload a document, chose that document you want to upload from the Required Item Type drop-down list. b. Once you have chosen the document type, click the Browse button to find the document on your PC or disk. c. After you have found the document, click the Add button, which is above the Next button. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 14
12. After your file has been uploaded, it will appear at the bottom of the page under Current Upload Required Items. Please wait until the upload status column reads complete. If you need to remove a document for some reason, click on the check box under the Remove column header and then click Remove. 13. ALERT! You will need to repeat the upload process five times one time for each of the five documents you need to upload. Remember to click the Add button each time. Once you have uploaded all five documents and the status column reads complete, click the Next button at the bottom right of the page. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 15
Important: Do not click the Next button until after you have uploaded all five documents. If you click the Next button and need to go back to the Upload Required Items page, remember to click the Previous button and NOT your browser s back button or your application will fail. 14. ALERT! The next page you will see is the Attestation page. The attestation page contains the NMLS Standard of Conduct Agreement. You must agree to the NMLS Standard of Conduct on this page to proceed. Click I Agree to continue. Important: If you click I Disagree, all of the information you have submitted to this point will be lost and you will have to begin the application process again. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 16
15. You will now be presented with the Fee Summary page. You must click the check box to acknowledge that all fees are non-refundable. Click the Submit button. 16. On the Credit Card Information page, enter the organization s credit card information as required. Note that the blue-labeled fields are required. Enter all of the required information and click the Continue. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 17
17. After you click the Submit button the Summary page displays. If you need to edit any of the information you can do so by clicking the Edit links found under each respective box. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 18
If edit is selected you will be returned to the page you click. Change the information as desired, and then click the Summary button to return to the Summary page. If all of the information is accurate, click the Submit button. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 19
18. Once you ve clicked the Submit button you will be presented with a Confirmation page. Take note of the Confirmation ID. 19. You should print this page for your records. Use your browser s print function. Once you have completed printing this page, click the Done button at the lower right of the page. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 20
7. Clicking Done will take you back to the PULSE Portal Main Menu page. Congratulations, you ve submitted your application! User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 21
Step 3: Receiving Confirmation When you ve got mail, you ll know you re done! After you have submitted your online application form you will receive an e-mail confirmation that will also serve as your payment receipt. Please retain this confirmation for your records. If you did NOT receive a confirmation e-mail after you submitted your application please call the customer support desk at 1-877-234-6090. Please allow 14 business days from the time of submission for your application to be reviewed and evaluated. Your application will be evaluated based upon the criteria guidelines that are posted on the NMLS Resource Center. If your application is deficient in any way, you will be notified immediately either via a phone call or e-mail. Your prompt response to address any deficiency will enable us to more quickly evaluate your application. Once your application has been approved, you will be notified and issued a User ID and password to enter the PULSE system and to create a user account. The instructions for setting up an account are in the User Guide: NMLS Course Approval Application Process, Account Set-up & Maintain Course Offerings. After your user account has been created, you will be able to begin submitting your courses for approval. Note that you cannot upload courses for approval nor are you authorized to promote your organization as being NMLS approved until after you have received your approval letter. We appreciate your understanding on this last point. Please remember if you have a problem submitting an application and need technical assistance to call 1-877-234-6090. If you would like to know the status of your application and 14 business days have passed, you can send an e-mail inquiry to Alan Ridenour at aridenour@csbs.org. Again, thank you for your interest in becoming an NMLS approved provider. User Guide: Course Provider Application Process (Initial) 20110501 Page 22