FE Import CSV Error Reference | Grofar Help Center

FE Colleges | April 2026

Overview

Use it to look up a message from your import output file, understand why it occurred, and find the fix.

How errors are reported

When you run a CSV import, Grofar writes the results to an output text file. Each problem appears on a separate line with one of the following prefixes:

Validation Error: — the record was rejected and not imported.
Warning: — the record was processed but with a note (e.g. a duplicate was skipped).

For per-record errors, the format is:

Validation Error: [RecordType] [Identifier] failed validation: [{errors}]

The {errors} placeholder contains a semicolon-delimited list of individual field errors. Each field error is listed in the reference tables below.

Dynamic values

Many error strings contain placeholder values shown in {curly braces}. These are replaced with the actual values from your file at runtime. For example, {StudentID} will show the student's ID from that row.

Import types covered

This reference covers errors from all eight Grofar CSV import functions:

Courses
Staff
Students
Student Contacts
Student Courses
Businesses (including department and contact fields)
Student Target Hours
Applicants

Common file-level errors (invalid headers, empty file, unreadable file) apply to all import types and are listed first.

Common file-level errors

These errors can occur with any import type when the CSV file itself cannot be processed. They are not repeated in each section below.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
Failed to process the csv file: Invalid header: {headerName}	The CSV contains a column header Grofar does not recognise. The header name is shown in the error. Check spelling, casing and spacing against the import specification.	Validation error
Failed to process the csv file: Invalid headers: {headerName1}, {headerName2}	Multiple unrecognised column headers found. Review all column names against the specification.	Validation error
Invalid csv: The csv file contains no data.	The file has no data rows. Check you are uploading the correct file and that at least one data row exists below the header.	Validation error
The imported csv file is invalid Inconsistent number of columns detected	The file could not be read as a CSV. It may be corrupted, saved in the wrong format, or have an unexpected encoding. Re-save as UTF-8 CSV from your spreadsheet application. Often this is due to inconsistent columns — most often caused by unqualified commas.	Validation error
Failed to process row {rowNumber}: {message}	An unexpected problem occurred reading the row shown. Usually caused by a raw file formatting issue rather than a field value problem.	Validation error

Courses

Parses course data. Each row represents a course (or course instance) together with its faculty, sector and programme area.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
CourseCode is invalid: The CourseCode field is required.	Every course row must have a `CourseCode`. Cannot be blank.	Validation error	CourseCode
CourseTitle is invalid: The CourseTitle field is required.	Every course must have a title. Cannot be blank.	Validation error	CourseTitle
CourseTitle is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for Title is 200	Course title exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	CourseTitle
CourseInstance is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for Title is 200	Course instance identifier exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	CourseInstance
FacultyCode is invalid: The FacultyCode field is required.	A `FacultyCode` must be provided for every course row.	Validation error	FacultyCode
FacultyTitle is invalid: The FacultyTitle field is required.	`FacultyTitle` cannot be blank.	Validation error	FacultyTitle
FacultyTitle is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for Faculty Name is 200	Faculty name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	FacultyTitle
SectorTitle is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for Sector Title is 200	Sector title exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	SectorTitle
ProgrammeAreaCode is invalid: The ProgrammeAreaCode field is required.	A `ProgrammeAreaCode` must be provided.	Validation error	ProgrammeAreaCode
ProgrammeAreaTitle is invalid: The ProgrammeAreaTitle field is required.	A `ProgrammeAreaTitle` must be provided.	Validation error	ProgrammeAreaTitle
ProgrammeAreaTitle is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for Programme Area Title is 200	Programme area title exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	ProgrammeAreaTitle
ProgrammeAreaLocation is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for Programme Area Location is 200	Programme area location exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	ProgrammeAreaLocation
TargetPlacementType is invalid: The value must be one of the following: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14	The value is not a recognised placement type code. Use one of the numeric codes 0–14. Refer to the import specification for the full name mapping.	Validation error	TargetPlacementType
CourseLevel is invalid: The value must be one of the following: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6	Must be one of: 0=Entry, 1=Level 1, 2=Level 2, 3=Level 3, 4=Level 4, 5=Level 5, 6=Level 6.	Validation error	CourseLevel
CourseYear is invalid: The value must be one of the following: 0 1 2 3 4 5	Must be a number from 0 to 5, representing the year of study.	Validation error	CourseYear
CourseYear should be a number	`CourseYear` contains a non-numeric value. Enter a number from 0 to 5.	Validation error	CourseYear
The CourseStart date is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	CourseStart
The CourseEnd date is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	CourseEnd
The TargetPlacementHours is not a valid integer	Must be a whole number with no decimal points or text.	Validation error	TargetPlacementHours
The TargetTLevelPlacementHours is not a valid integer	Must be a whole number.	Validation error	TargetTLevelPlacementHours
The TargetStudyProgrammeHours is not a valid integer	Must be a whole number.	Validation error	TargetStudyProgrammeHours
CourseCDFEligibility should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`. Values such as 1, 0, Yes or No will fail.	Validation error	CourseCDFEligibility
The FacultyTitle is required	`FacultyTitle` was missing or blank on this row.	Validation error	FacultyTitle
The SectorTitle is required	`SectorTitle` was missing or blank on this row.	Validation error	SectorTitle
The ProgrammeAreaTitle is required	`ProgrammeAreaTitle` was missing or blank on this row.	Validation error	ProgrammeAreaTitle
Cannot import ProgrammeArea with code {code} for Faculty {facultyCode} and sector {sectorCode} as there is already a ProgrammeArea with code {code} for faculty {facultyCode} and sector {sectorCode}	A programme area with this code already exists for this faculty and sector. Codes must be unique per faculty and sector. Check for duplicates or conflicting codes.	Validation error	ProgrammeAreaCode

Staff

Parses staff member data. Each row represents a member of staff identified by their Reference.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
FirstName is invalid: The FirstName field is required.	The `FirstName` column is blank. Every staff member must have a first name.	Validation error	FirstName
LastName is invalid: The LastName field is required.	The `LastName` column is blank. Every staff member must have a last name.	Validation error	LastName
Reference is invalid: The Reference field is required.	The `Reference` column is blank. This is the unique identifier and cannot be empty.	Validation error	Reference
EmailWork is invalid: The EmailWork field is required.	A work email address must be provided for every staff member.	Validation error	EmailWork
EmailWork is invalid: The EmailWork field is not a valid e-mail address.	Not a properly formatted email address. Check for missing @ symbols, spaces or typos.	Validation error	EmailWork
Phone is invalid: The Phone field is not a valid phone number.	The phone number cannot be validated. Use a standard UK format with no invalid characters.	Validation error	Phone
A StaffMember with reference {Reference} has already been loaded from csv file. Only the first instance will be imported.	The same staff reference appears more than once. Only the first occurrence will be imported. Remove or correct the duplicate.	Warning	Reference
Failed to import Reference: 403 - Unable to save staff member: The External login [Microsoft, Refernce] is already linked to another user in the system	The same external login has been issued to more than one user. ⓘ This error potentially means an email address has been reused or a Staff ID has changed.	Validation error

Students

Parses student data. Each row represents a student identified by their StudentID.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
StudentID is invalid: The StudentID field is required.	The `StudentID` column is blank. This is the unique identifier for each student and cannot be empty.	Validation error	StudentID
Firstname is invalid: The Firstname field is required.	The student's first name is missing.	Validation error	Firstname
Surname is invalid: The Surname field is required.	The student's surname is missing.	Validation error	Surname
EmailUnrestricted is invalid: The EmailUnrestricted field is required.	An email address is required for each student.	Validation error	EmailUnrestricted
EmailUnrestricted is invalid: The EmailUnrestricted field is not a valid e-mail address.	Not a valid email format. Check for typos or missing characters.	Validation error	EmailUnrestricted
TelMobileUnrestricted is invalid: The TelMobileUnrestricted field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid phone number format. Note: this column is deprecated. Use `Telephone` or `Mobile` instead.	Validation error	TelMobileUnrestricted
Telephone is invalid: The Telephone field is not a valid phone number.	The telephone number cannot be validated.	Validation error	Telephone
Mobile is invalid: The Mobile field is not a valid phone number.	The mobile number cannot be validated.	Validation error	Mobile
Gender is invalid: The value must be one of the following: M F Male Female	Must be exactly one of: `M`, `F`, `Male`, or `Female`.	Validation error	Gender
AgeBand is invalid: The value must be one of the following: 16-18 19+	Must be exactly `16-18` or `19+`.	Validation error	AgeBand
DoB is not a a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format for date of birth.	Validation error	DoB
IsWorkPlacementStudent should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsWorkPlacementStudent
EducationalAndHealthCarePlan should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	EducationalAndHealthCarePlan
SpecialEducationNeeds should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	SpecialEducationNeeds
AcceptedDataProtectionPolicy should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	AcceptedDataProtectionPolicy
LearningDifficultiesCsv: {value} is not a valid Learning Difficulty.	One of the ILR codes in this field is not recognised. Values must be from the approved list, separated by │ characters.	Validation error	LearningDifficultiesCsv
LearningDifficultiesCsv: Failed to parse the Learning Difficulties CSV. The values must be separated by │	ILR codes must be pipe-separated (│). Valid codes: 1=Visual impairment, 2=Hearing impairment, 3=Disability affecting mobility, 4=Profound complex disabilities, 5=Social and emotional difficulties, 6=Mental health difficulty, 7=Moderate learning difficulty, 8=Severe learning difficulty, 9=Dyslexia, 10=Dyscalculia, 11=Autism spectrum disorder, 12=Asperger's syndrome, 13=Temporary disability after illness, 14=Speech, language and communication needs, 15=Other physical disability, 16=Other specific learning difficulty, 17=Other medical condition, 18=Other learning difficulty, 93=Not known, 94=Not yet obtained, 95=No difficulty or disability, 96=Prefer not to say, 97=Unknown, 98=Not applicable, 99=Other.	Validation error	LearningDifficultiesCsv
A Student with ID {StudentID} has already been loaded from the csv, only the first instance will be imported.	The same `StudentID` appears more than once. Only the first row will be imported. Remove the duplicate.	Warning	StudentID
The [TelMobileUnrestricted] column is no longer used and will be ignored. Use the [Telephone] or [Mobile] column instead	Deprecated column. Data in this column will not be imported. Switch to `Telephone` or `Mobile`.	Warning	TelMobileUnrestricted
Failed to import Reference: 403 - Unable to save studenty: The External login [Microsoft, Refernce] is already linked to another user in the system	The same external login has been issued to more than one user. ⓘ This error potentially means an email address has been reused or a Student ID has changed.	Validation error

Student Contacts

Parses student contact data (e.g. parents or guardians). Only the first contact per StudentID is imported.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
StudentID is invalid: The StudentID field is required.	Every contact row must reference a student. The `StudentID` column is blank.	Validation error	StudentID
Surname is invalid: The Surname field is required.	The contact's surname is missing.	Validation error	Surname
Surname is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the Surname is 200	Surname exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	Surname
Firstname is invalid: The Firstname field is required.	The contact's first name is missing.	Validation error	Firstname
Firstname is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the FirstName is 200	First name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	Firstname
HomePhone is invalid: The HomePhone field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid phone number format.	Validation error	HomePhone
MobilePhone is invalid: The MobilePhone field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid mobile number format.	Validation error	MobilePhone
Email is invalid: The Email field is not a valid e-mail address.	Invalid email format.	Validation error	Email
Relationship is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the relationship is 200	Relationship field exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	Relationship
A Student Contact for student {StudentID} has already been loaded from the csv, only the first Student Contact will be imported.	More than one contact row exists for this `StudentID`. Only the first will be imported.	Warning	StudentID

Student Courses

Parses student course enrolment data. Each row links a student to a course instance.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
StudentID is invalid: The StudentID field is required.	The `StudentID` column is blank on this row.	Validation error	StudentID
CourseCode is invalid: The CourseCode field is required.	The `CourseCode` column is blank on this row.	Validation error	CourseCode
Status is invalid: The Status field is required.	An enrolment status must be provided.	Validation error	Status
Status is invalid: The value must be one of the following: Continuing Completed Withdrawn Transferred TemporarilyWithdrawn	Must be exactly one of: `Continuing`, `Completed`, `Withdrawn`, `Transferred`, or `TemporarilyWithdrawn`. Casing must match.	Validation error	Status
The Start date is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	Start
The End date is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	End
A Student Course [{StudentID} - {CourseCode} {CourseInstance}] has already been loaded from csv file. Only the first instance will be imported.	The same student and course combination appears more than once. Only the first row will be imported.	Warning

Businesses

Parses employer (business), department and contact data. Each row can carry business, department and contact fields combined. Duplicate businesses and departments within the file are de-duplicated automatically.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
BusinessID is invalid: The BusinessID field is required.	A `BusinessID` is required on every row. This is the unique identifier for the employer.	Validation error	BusinessID
BusinessName is invalid: The BusinessName field is required.	The employer name is missing.	Validation error	BusinessName
BusinessName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the Business Name is 200	Business name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	BusinessName
CompanyRegistrationNumber is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 100	Company registration number exceeds 100 characters.	Validation error	CompanyRegistrationNumber
EmployerReferenceNumber is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 100	Employer reference number exceeds 100 characters.	Validation error	EmployerReferenceNumber
Website is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the Website is 500	Website URL exceeds 500 characters.	Validation error	Website
Website is invalid: The Website field is not a valid fully-qualified http, https, or ftp URL.	Must be a full URL starting with `http://`, `https://`, or `ftp://`. Entries like `www.example.com` without a protocol will fail.	Validation error	Website
Profile is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the Profile is 2000	Employer profile text exceeds 2000 characters.	Validation error	Profile
IndustrySector is invalid: The value must be one of the following: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U	Must be a single UK SIC top-level section letter. A=Agriculture/forestry/fishing, B=Mining and quarrying, C=Manufacturing, D=Electricity/gas/steam, E=Water/sewerage/waste, F=Construction, G=Wholesale and retail trade, H=Transportation and storage, I=Accommodation and food service, J=Information and communication, K=Financial and insurance, L=Real estate, M=Professional/scientific/technical, N=Administrative and support services, O=Public administration and defence, P=Education, Q=Health and social work, R=Arts/entertainment/recreation, S=Other service activities, T=Household employers, U=Extraterritorial organisations.	Validation error	IndustrySector
JobCategory is invalid: The value must be one of the following: 1 2 3 ... 25	Must be a number from 1 to 25. Refer to the import specification for the full category name mapping.	Validation error	JobCategory
CompanySize is invalid: The value must be one of the following: 1 2-10 11-50 51-200 201-500 501-1000 1001-5000 5001-10000 10000+	Must be exactly one of the listed band values. Use the exact string including hyphens and plus signs.	Validation error	CompanySize
BusinessTagsCsv is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 1000	Business tags field exceeds 1000 characters.	Validation error	BusinessTagsCsv
BusinessOtherSitesCsv is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 1000	Other sites field exceeds 1000 characters.	Validation error	BusinessOtherSitesCsv
GrofarInternalBusinessID should be a number	If provided, must be a numeric value.	Validation error	GrofarInternalBusinessID
HasPublicLiability should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	HasPublicLiability
PublicLiabilityAmount is not a valid decimal	Must be a decimal number, e.g. `5000000.00`.	Validation error	PublicLiabilityAmount
PublicLiabilityExpiresDate is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	PublicLiabilityExpiresDate
HasEmployerLiabilityInsurance should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	HasEmployerLiabilityInsurance
EmployerLiabilityInsuranceAmount is not a valid decimal	Must be a decimal number.	Validation error	EmployerLiabilityInsuranceAmount
EmployerLiabilityInsuranceExpiresDate is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	EmployerLiabilityInsuranceExpiresDate
DepartmentName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 200	Department name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	DepartmentName
DepartmentPhone is invalid: The DepartmentPhone field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid phone number format.	Validation error	DepartmentPhone
DepartmentRiskLevel is invalid: The value must be one of the following: NotSet Low Medium High	Must be exactly one of: `NotSet`, `Low`, `Medium`, or `High`.	Validation error	DepartmentRiskLevel
DepartmentPostCode is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed for the Post Code is 10	Postcode exceeds 10 characters.	Validation error	DepartmentPostCode
IsPrimaryDepartment should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsPrimaryDepartment
DepartmentDbsCheckIsRequired should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentDbsCheckIsRequired
DepartmentCscsCheckIsRequired should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentCscsCheckIsRequired
DepartmentHigherRiskAssessmentRequired should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentHigherRiskAssessmentRequired
DoNotContactDepartment should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DoNotContactDepartment
DepartmentHealthAndSafetyChecked should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentHealthAndSafetyChecked
DepartmentHealthAndSafetyCheckedDate is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	DepartmentHealthAndSafetyCheckedDate
DepartmentHealthAndSafetyExpiresDate is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	DepartmentHealthAndSafetyExpiresDate
DepartmentHasEmployerLiabilityInsurance should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentHasEmployerLiabilityInsurance
DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceDoesNotRequireELI should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceDoesNotRequireELI
DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceAmount is not a valid decimal	Must be a decimal number.	Validation error	DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceAmount
DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceHasUnlimitedELI should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceHasUnlimitedELI
DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceExpiresDate is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	DepartmentEmployerLiabilityInsuranceExpiresDate
ContactEmail is invalid: The ContactEmail field is not a valid e-mail address.	Invalid email format.	Validation error	ContactEmail
ContactPhone is invalid: The ContactPhone field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid phone number format.	Validation error	ContactPhone
ContactTitle is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 50	Contact title (e.g. Mr, Dr) exceeds 50 characters.	Validation error	ContactTitle
ContactName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 400	Full contact name exceeds 400 characters.	Validation error	ContactName
ContactFirstName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 200	Contact first name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	ContactFirstName
ContactLastName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 200	Contact last name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	ContactLastName
ContactGender is invalid: The value must be one of the following: M F Male Female	Must be exactly one of: `M`, `F`, `Male`, or `Female`.	Validation error	ContactGender
IsPrimaryContact should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsPrimaryContact
IsDepartmentPrimaryContact should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsDepartmentPrimaryContact
IsHealthAndSafetyContact should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsHealthAndSafetyContact
ContactByEmail should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	ContactByEmail
ContactByPhone should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	ContactByPhone
ContactByPost should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	ContactByPost
ContactByText should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	ContactByText
ContactByWhatsApp should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	ContactByWhatsApp
SubsribedToMarketingEmails should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`. Note: this column name contains a misspelling of "Subscribed" in the system. Use this exact spelling in your CSV header.	Validation error	SubsribedToMarketingEmails
SubscribedToMarketingEmails should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	SubscribedToMarketingEmails
SubsribedToPostalMarketing should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`. Note: misspelling in column name is intentional.	Validation error	SubsribedToPostalMarketing
SubscribedToPostalMarketing should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	SubscribedToPostalMarketing
DoNotContact should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	DoNotContact
GrofarInternalContactID should be a number	If provided, must be a numeric value.	Validation error	GrofarInternalContactID

Student Target Hours

Parses target placement and study hours for a student on a specific course. Multiple rows for the same StudentID are consolidated into a single entry.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
StudentID is invalid: The StudentID field is required.	The `StudentID` column is blank.	Validation error	StudentID
CourseCode is invalid: The CourseCode field is required.	The `CourseCode` column is blank.	Validation error	CourseCode
Hours is invalid: The field Hours must be between 1 and 5000.	Hours must be a number from 1 to 5000.	Validation error	Hours
TargetTLevelPlacementHours is invalid: Must be between 1 and 5000.	Value must be between 1 and 5000.	Validation error	TargetTLevelPlacementHours
WEXHours is invalid: The field WEXHours must be between 1 and 5000.	`WEXHours` must be between 1 and 5000.	Validation error	WEXHours
StudyProgrammeHours is invalid: Must be between 1 and 5000.	`StudyProgrammeHours` must be between 1 and 5000.	Validation error	StudyProgrammeHours
Student Target Hours have already been loaded from csv file for studentID [{StudentID}] Course: [{CourseCode}/{CourseInstance}].	Target hours for this student and course already appear earlier in the file. Multiple rows are consolidated. Check for unintended duplicates.	Warning	StudentID

Applicants

Parses applicant data. Each row represents a prospective student identified by their ExternalID.

Error / warning message	What it means and how to fix it	Type	Field
ExternalID is invalid: The ExternalID field is required.	The `ExternalID` column is blank. This is the unique identifier for the applicant.	Validation error	ExternalID
ExternalID is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 100	`ExternalID` exceeds 100 characters.	Validation error	ExternalID
ExternalID should be a number	If `ExternalID` values are numeric, they must be valid integers. Check for non-numeric characters.	Validation error	ExternalID
FirstName is invalid: The FirstName field is required.	The applicant's first name is missing.	Validation error	FirstName
FirstName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 200	First name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	FirstName
LastName is invalid: The LastName field is required.	The applicant's last name is missing.	Validation error	LastName
LastName is invalid: Maximum number of characters allowed is 200	Last name exceeds 200 characters.	Validation error	LastName
Email is invalid: The Email field is required.	An email address is required for every applicant.	Validation error	Email
Email is invalid: The Email field is not a valid e-mail address.	Invalid email format.	Validation error	Email
Gender is invalid: The value must be one of the following: M F Male Female	Must be exactly one of: `M`, `F`, `Male`, or `Female`.	Validation error	Gender
NationalInsuranceNumber is invalid: Please enter a valid national insurance number	The NI number does not match the expected UK format (e.g. AB 12 34 56 C). Check for spaces or invalid characters.	Validation error	NationalInsuranceNumber
Ethnicity is invalid: The value must be one of the approved DfE codes	Must be an approved DfE ethnicity code. Main groupings: White British/Irish (WENG, WIRI, WSCO, WWEL, WBRI); White Other (WEUR, WEEU, WOTW etc.); Mixed (MACH, MWAO, MWAP etc.); Asian/Asian British (AIND, APKN, ABAN etc.); Black/Black British (BAFR, BANN, BCRB etc.); Other (CHKC, CHNE etc.); Special values: Unclassified, NOBT, REFU. Refer to the import specification for the complete list.	Validation error	Ethnicity
Nationality is invalid: The value must be one of the approved nationality strings	Must be an exact nationality string from the approved list, e.g. British, French, Nigerian. Spelling and casing must match precisely. Refer to the import specification for the complete list.	Validation error	Nationality
Telephone is invalid: The Telephone field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid phone number format.	Validation error	Telephone
Mobile is invalid: The Mobile field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid mobile number format.	Validation error	Mobile
PrimaryContactEmail is invalid: The PrimaryContactEmail field is not a valid e-mail address.	Primary contact email is not a valid format.	Validation error	PrimaryContactEmail
PrimaryContactTelephone is invalid: The PrimaryContactTelephone field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid format.	Validation error	PrimaryContactTelephone
PrimaryContactMobile is invalid: The PrimaryContactMobile field is not a valid phone number.	Invalid format.	Validation error	PrimaryContactMobile
DateOfBirth is not a valid date	Use DD/MM/YYYY format.	Validation error	DateOfBirth
GrofarInternalID should be a number	If provided, must be a numeric value.	Validation error	GrofarInternalID
EnglishIsFirstLanguage should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	EnglishIsFirstLanguage
IsCurrentOrPreviousStudent should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsCurrentOrPreviousStudent
IsCarer should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	IsCarer
HasLearningDifficultiesOrDisabilities should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	HasLearningDifficultiesOrDisabilities
InResidentialCare should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	InResidentialCare
EducationalAndHealthCarePlan should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	EducationalAndHealthCarePlan
SpecialEducationNeeds should have value 'TRUE' or 'FALSE'	Only accepts `TRUE` or `FALSE`.	Validation error	SpecialEducationNeeds
A Applicant with ExternalID {ExternalID} has already been loaded from csv file. Only the first instance will be imported.	The same `ExternalID` appears more than once. Only the first row will be imported.	Warning	ExternalID

Quick-reference: common causes

Most import errors fall into one of these categories:

Required field is blank — check the column contains a value for every row.
Invalid date format — Grofar expects DD/MM/YYYY. Dates exported from Excel may need reformatting.
Invalid boolean — only TRUE or FALSE is accepted. Values such as 1, 0, Yes, No, or blank will fail.
Invalid phone number — use a standard UK format. Remove spaces or special characters if the validator rejects them.
Invalid email address — check for missing @ symbols, trailing spaces or typos.
Unrecognised code value — for enumerated fields (Status, Gender, IndustrySector etc.), the value must match exactly, including casing.
Duplicate record — if the same identifier appears more than once, only the first row is used. The remainder generate a warning.
Unrecognised column header — the column name must match the specification exactly. Casing, spacing and spelling all matter.

FEImport CSV Error Reference.pdf

FE Import API Error Reference