Overview

The NelNet TD Connect integration combines the benefits of the NelNet payment gateway processing service with the ease of self-service use through Terra Dotta's e-marketplace platform. Administrators can deploy a payment material to a program application, and applicants can easily make payments from their application page. Transactions are returned to Terra Dotta with a log of payment receipt details for both applicants and administrators.

Are you an existing client? No problem! Existing Terra Dotta clients with a payment gateway integration can transition to the NelNet TD Connect platform to take advantage of efficient, self-service use.

This article introduces the NelNet TD Connect integration and covers the following topics:

• Getting Started with NelNet TD Connect: Contact the required parties.
• Self-Service Setup: Define your settings for TD Connect and Material process elements.
• Applicant & Admin View: Review what information applicants and admins see with a NelNet TD Connect integration. This includes the Payments tab for Admins.
• Best Practice Information: Maintaining Your Payment Gateway
• Reporting

 

Getting Started with NelNet TD Connect                     

To get started with a NelNet TD Connect integration, you must first contact NelNet directly to request a NelNet client account. The required value keys, such as a NelNet Gateway URL, Gateway Key, Order Name, Order Type, and Order Description, needed for the TD Connect integration will be provided by NelNet directly.

After you’ve procured a NelNet account, contact Terra Dotta by submitting a Support request. Our team will guide you through the initial setup of the NelNet TD Connect integration. 

For existing clients with or without a payment gateway integration: Submit a Support request and request access to the  NelNet TD Connect platform. 

For implementing NelNet clients: By default, implementing NelNet clients will integrate via the NelNet TD Connect platform - no conversion is needed. To launch this solution, you'll work with both your Project Manager and Account Executive.

 

Self-Service Setup

After your NelNet TD Connect integration has been turned on and you’ve received confirmation from Terra Dotta that all required configurations have been enabled, the self-service setup can begin. Terra Dotta is available to assist you in determining the proper settings for your respective site during this process.

Important Note: 

• The self-service setup instructions below are the same for both a sandbox or production site as both will require their own respective setup. When engaging in the setup process on a sandbox site, use the "test" NelNet account settings (i.e. NelNet Gateway URL, Gateway Key, Order Name, Order Type, and Order Description) when applicable.  
• NelNet incorporates userchoice fields to send information between Terra Dotta, NelNet and your institution. The TD Connect NelNet solution uses a default set of userchoice1, userchoice2, and userchoice3 to send Terra Dotta relevant information to NelNet. If these userchoice fields are being used by your institution, Terra Dotta will need to make a small account level change to use other userchoice fields. Please contact your Business Office to confirm if userchoice1, userchoice2, and userchoice3 are available to Terra Dotta to use for your payment integration.

The self-service setup starts with these steps:

1) Set Permissions

To view the TD Connect marketplace, an admin must have the "System Settings: TD Connect" permission enabled under Staff > Staff Permissions > Facilitators > System Settings.

Important Note: This permission does give an admin access to the entire listing of available TD Connect integrations on your production site.

2) Create an Order Type Program Parameter (optional)

Using program parameters instead of hardcoding values for the Order Type program parameter is an optional step. However, if you decide to utilize this functionality, this program parameter should be set up prior to configuring the related settings in the NelNet TD Connect modal.

To create a program parameter of Order Type:

• Navigate to Settings > Program Params > New Parameter. This brings you to the "Program Parameter: Add" page. 
• For Parameter Name, enter "Order Type".
• For Parameter Type, choose "Single Selection" from the drop-down menu. This will trigger the appearance of a parameter options panel at the bottom of the page.
• Add the applicable options by entering a value one at a time in the "Add Option" field and clicking Add. Repeat as needed.
• Click "Update" to preserve your changes.

For detailed information about program parameters, visit our Managing Program Parameters Knowledgebase (KB) article.

3) Configure NelNet Settings

From the NelNet TD Connect modal, an admin can activate the service on their site and independently set applicable values and parameters. To configure the NELNET TD Connect settings, follow these steps:

• Navigate to Settings > TD Connect > NelNet. Click on the cogwheel icon to open the NelNet modal.
• Check the box next to "Activate" to enable the NelNet TD Connect service on your site. 
• Make the respective edits to the available modal fields.
• Click "Save" to preserve your changes.

Important Note: If you attempt to select "Activate" and click "Save" before entering the NelNet Order Name, Gateway URL, Gateway Key, Order Type, Order Description, and Pay Now Text, you will receive an error message

The modal fields available for editing are as follows:

"Pay Now" Text: Customize the text which displays on the payment button. Example: Pay Today.

Order Name: This is the value to be sent with each transaction to NelNet. The value entered should be coordinated with NelNet.

Gateway URL: Enter the URL provided by NelNet. This will be the URL specific to your production site and should not be changed.

Gateway Key: Enter the Key provided by NelNet. This key will be specific to your production site and should not be changed.

Order Type: Two options are available.

• Choose to hardcode a value (i.e. store a fixed, default value) for the Order Type to be used for all payments across the entire site. Or, 
• Select one program parameter that will be used for programs for the Order Type.

Order Description: Two options are available.

• Choose to hardcode a value for the Order Description that would be the same for all payments across your entire site. Or,
• Select the First Name Last Name option to send the name of the applicant associated with the payment.

Important Note: 

• Clients will have a different "test" Order Name, Gateway URL, Gateway Key, Order Type, and Order Description when connecting to a sandbox site (i.e. test environment) versus to a production site. The same interface will appear as described above.
• Program parameters should be created before setting up the payment material.

4) Create Payment Program Parameter (optional)

Payment program parameters should be configured before creating the payment material. To create a payment program parameter: 

• Navigate to Settings > Program Params > New Parameter. This brings you to the "Program Parameter: Add" page. 
• For Parameter Type, select "Payment" from the drop-down menu. This will trigger the appearance of a parameter options panel at the bottom of the page.
• Add the applicable numeric options, such as 10, 100, 1000, one at a time by entering the value, clicking "Add", and repeating this action.
• Once done, click "Save" to preserve your changes. 

5) Apply Program-Level Payment Amount (optional)

Once you have created a payment program parameter, you can choose to assign it at the program level by following these steps:

• Navigate to Programs > List All (or search) > (edit program) > Parameters tab.
• Click the edit pencil for the respective payment program parameter. Choose one option from the "Available'" box. Click "Add" to move this option down to the "Selected" box.
• Click the "Add" button at the bottom of the page to preserve your changes.

6) Create Payment Materials

Admins have the ability to set a material process element as a payment material and make edits without the need to submit a Support request.

Important Note: The option to create a payment material in the Admin Console's Content Management only appears after both the NelNet TD Connect solution is live and Terra Dotta has updated the required system setting. Admins should keep this in mind before creating payment materials and deploying them to programs that are actively accepting applications. If a payment material has been created for testing purposes and is deployed to an application prior to confirming the desired settings, then the payment process could either fail or process payments with the wrong settings.  

Materials should be assigned to a deployment rule so that when the desired conditions of the rule are met, the material will be deployed to the program application. For more information, see the Admin Console: Deployment Rules article.  

To create a new payment material, follow these steps:

• Navigate to Admin Console > Content Management and click on the "Material Submissions" tab.
• Click on the "+" icon in the lower right of the screen. This opens the "Materials: Add" page from which you can configure your material.
• Material Title: Provide a name for your material which reflects the payment type. For example: "Application Fee". The recommended best practice is to not reference a monetary amount in the material title as this amount could change.
• Is this a Payment Material: Clients must enable this toggle in order for the payment functionality to operate (this toggle is deactivated by default). Enabling this setting will trigger the appearance of additional payment setting options which provide admins with additional choices:

Option 1) Admins can hard-code values for this material across all programs to which it is deployed.

Example:

• Material Title: Application Fee
• Fixed Amount Field: $100. This is the application fee for all applications that fall within the 2019/2020 app cycles.

For 2020/2021, the application fee goes up to $150. The software does utilize process version management, so if this application fee change does not cascade to the old app cycles, it will stay $100 for the old applications and $150 for the new ones.

Option 2) Admins can select a program parameter to determine the Order Type. This sets the value for the Order Type. (Program parameters should be created before setting up the material.)

Example:

An admin creates a program parameter for the application fee Order Type, deposit fee Order Type, and final payment Order Type. When creating a new payment material for an application fee, the admin would not enter a hard-coded value but would instead choose the application fee Order Type from the corresponding payment Order Type drop-down menu.

Order Name: Admins can hard-code values for this material across all programs to which it is deployed.

• Use the WYSIWYG editor to add desired content. A rich-text editor provides styling options, mail merge options, and the ability to embed media.
• Click "Add" or "Add and Create Rule" to preserve your changes.

Important Notes:

• Edits that are made to the Order Type, Order Description, and Order Name field for a particular payment material via Content Management > Materials: Add or Materials: Edit will overwrite what was set in the TD Connect modal.
  • Example: If this is an application fee and all application fees are associated with one Order Type, you can hard code that within this particular material. Or, if the Order Type varies by program, you can use a program parameter to set the Order Type for this particular material.
• The aforementioned instructions (for "Create Payment Materials") are unique to the payment material and are required. Otherwise, follow the general instructions for creating a Material process element which are outlined in the "Material Submissions" section of the Admin Console: Content Management article.

 

Applicant and Admin View

 Applicant View

On the application page, a payment material will appear by its designated material title as an online requirement.

When an applicant clicks on the material title, for example "Application Fee", a payment button will appear. After clicking on the payment button, a new window will open. The applicant will be redirected to NelNet to complete their payment. Once the payment has been processed, applicants are directed back to Terra Dotta where a message of their transaction (i.e. success/failure/cancelled) will appear.

Admin View

The NelNet TD Connect integration presents admins with updated options in Application Admin Manager. Here, a "Payments" tab will appear when an admin views an application that contains a payment material. Note that a TD Connect Payment Gateway integration must be configured to benefit from this feature.

Information is organized in columns, from left to right, as follows:

• Title: This displays the name of the payment material.
• Current Amount
• Determined By: This is the method by which the payment amount has been determined.
  • A "fixed" amount is configured in the payment material.
  • A "manual override" displays when the admin edits the default amount.
• Payments: This column tracks payment history.
• Actions: An admin can edit, cancel an edit action, or reset the "Current Amount" to the default.

After a payment has been paid and information is a payment history is available to view, the icon under the "Payments" column will become clickable. Clicking that icon will expand the row to display the full payment details.

Best Practice Information: Maintaining Your Payment Gateway

Test Payment Gateway Program

It's recommended that your sandbox and production sites have a "Test Payment Gateway" program which can be used to review updated payment material and related parameter settings. All payment materials should be associated with the "Test Payment Gateway" program. When investigating payment gateway behavior on your site, Terra Dotta Support may need to create applications for the "support@terradotta.com" user for the "Test Payment Gateway" program. These applications can be scrubbed after the investigation has concluded.

Reporting Unexpected Behavior

If you need to report unexpected behavior related to your payment gateway material, submit a Support request and provide the following information:

• The name of the user experiencing the issue.
• The name of the program and the term for which the application was created.
• The name of the material impacted.
• A description of the unexpected behavior: What steps were taken to arrive at the behavior?
• The date and time of the unexpected behavior and if the behavior is still occurring.

 

Reporting

Terra Dotta's Analytics reporting tool provides the option to create reports on payment information. Use the available "SA-Payment Report" template to generate a query for payment materials with a payment status of "Success". This payment status filter can be modified to view other payment statuses, such as "Initiated" or "Failed". For more information, including a list of related data points for payment information, see the "Query Templates" section of the Analytics for Terra Dotta Study Abroad article