When sending a school report through cDocs, counselors may see an error that says "Invalid answer format, Cannot validate upload file".

This can happen when the uploaded transcript PDF does not meet the required format. To retry, re-export the transcript as a standard PDF using Acrobat 5.0 / PDF 1.4 or lower, make sure there are no security restrictions, keep the file size under 2000 KB, then re-upload the transcript and send it again.

Transcripts may appear blank in the merged combined submission file after documents are submitted through cDocs.

If this happens, re-upload the original transcript and try sending it again. The combined submission file should now display the transcript content correctly.

After a final transcript is sent through cDocs, counselors are sometimes asked by students or parents to confirm that the receiving university has actually received the document, not just that Cialfo shows "Sent".

Here is what each status means and what to do at each stage:

If a document has been showing "Sending" status for more than 30 minutes, contact Chat with Cialfo with the student's name, CAID, the document type, and any upcoming deadline.

Refresh the cDocs page and check the status column. A green Sent status means the document has been successfully delivered to Common App.

If the status shows Sent, but the university says they have not received the document, contact Chat with Cialfo with the student's CAID and university name.

Re-export the PDF without security settings as Acrobat 5.0 (PDF 1.4) standard or lower, re-upload, and retry sending.

If a counselor applies filters, such as Country = United States or Status = Submitted, and then tries to download the cDocs submission report, the report may remain stuck at Processing.

This can happen when the filtered report does not finish generating, so the download does not become available. Filtered cDocs submission reports should now complete processing and become available for download.

If the report still remains stuck at Processing, refresh the page, re-apply the filters, and try downloading the report again.

If the issue continues, contact Chat with Cialfo for assistance.

When filtering cDocs submissions, counselors can select Document = NOT SENT, choose Initial Transcript, and apply Delivery Method = Common App to find students whose initial transcripts have not been sent through Common App.

If the filter shows 0 results, this can happen because students who match the selected filters are not appearing in the results list. Counselors may not see students with unsent initial transcripts, even when those students exist.

The filter should now show the correct student records when Initial Transcript, NOT SENT, and Common App are selected together.

If you still see 0 results, clear the filters and apply them again. If the issue continues, contact Chat with Cialfo for assistance.

Wait for a few minutes, then try again. If the error persists, reach out to Chat with Cialfo.

Wait for a few minutes, then try again. If the error persists, reach out to Chat with Cialfo.

The phone number of the recommender is deemed invalid. Update the phone number in Settings or via the People page, then retry.

Ask the student to cancel the recommendation request on Common App, then ensure the correct CEEB code is selected.

The document has already been successfully submitted. Refresh the page to confirm the "Sent" status.

The document file size exceeds Common App's limit. File must be less than 2000kb. Compress the file and re-upload before retrying.

One or more values in the document are invalid per Common App requirements. If this relates to Job Title: ensure it is limited to 60 characters with no special characters.

A date in the document falls outside the current Common App application cycle. Check the School Information section for Graduation Date, GPA Date Range, Mid-Year grades date, and Class Rank date range.

The student needs to cancel their recommender request directly on Common App. Alternatively, counselors may contact Common App via live agent support.

Contact Common App Support to remove the recommender request, or update the email used with Common App.

Send the Common App School Report first and confirm the "Sent" status before proceeding.

The recommender's email is already registered on Common App. The recommender needs to update their Common App email or contact Common App support.

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