Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 001
Criteria - Returns of Title IV funds are required to be deposited or transferred into the SFA account or electronic fund transfers initiated to the Department of Education (ED) as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the date the institution determines that the student withdrew (34 CFR 668.173(b)).
Condition - The University did not return Title IV funds to the Department of Education within the required time frame for certain students who required a return of funds, and it did not initially identify all students who required a return of Title IV funds.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 withdrawn students tested for proper return of Title IV funds, the funds for 3 students requiring a return were not returned to ED by the University within the required time frame. The 3 errors identified were for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 term.
Cause and Effect - The University had a change in system and it changed the process for exporting withdrawal reports. This led to returns of Title IV funds to ED being completed outside the required time frame, and/or students who required a return of Title IV funds were missed.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University institute a process to ensure that all returns of Title IV aid are calculated and returned within the required time frame.
Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 001
Criteria - Returns of Title IV funds are required to be deposited or transferred into the SFA account or electronic fund transfers initiated to the Department of Education (ED) as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the date the institution determines that the student withdrew (34 CFR 668.173(b)).
Condition - The University did not return Title IV funds to the Department of Education within the required time frame for certain students who required a return of funds, and it did not initially identify all students who required a return of Title IV funds.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 withdrawn students tested for proper return of Title IV funds, the funds for 3 students requiring a return were not returned to ED by the University within the required time frame. The 3 errors identified were for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 term.
Cause and Effect - The University had a change in system and it changed the process for exporting withdrawal reports. This led to returns of Title IV funds to ED being completed outside the required time frame, and/or students who required a return of Title IV funds were missed.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University institute a process to ensure that all returns of Title IV aid are calculated and returned within the required time frame.
Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 002
Criteria - Federal Pell Grant Program: An institution shall submit, in accordance with deadline dates established by the secretary, through publication in the Federal Register, other reports and information the secretary requires and shall comply with the procedures the secretary finds necessary to ensure that the reports are correct (34 CFR Section 690.83(b)(2)).
Federal Direct Student Loans: Changes in student status are required to be reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) within 30 days of the change or included in a Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) sent to the NSLDS within 60 days of the status change (34 CFR Section 685.309(b)).
Condition - Shawnee State University did not report student status changes timely and accurately for certain students who withdrew during the year.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 students tested for student change status, 5 student status changes were not submitted within the required time frame and were not properly reported as withdrawn.
Cause and Effect - The University did not have a process in place in order to ensure timely and proper reporting for all student status changes. As a result, there were instances of reporting outside of the required time frame and instances where reporting was incorrect.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University put a control process in place in order to ensure all student status changes are reported timely and accurately.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 002
Criteria - Federal Pell Grant Program: An institution shall submit, in accordance with deadline dates established by the secretary, through publication in the Federal Register, other reports and information the secretary requires and shall comply with the procedures the secretary finds necessary to ensure that the reports are correct (34 CFR Section 690.83(b)(2)).
Federal Direct Student Loans: Changes in student status are required to be reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) within 30 days of the change or included in a Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) sent to the NSLDS within 60 days of the status change (34 CFR Section 685.309(b)).
Condition - Shawnee State University did not report student status changes timely and accurately for certain students who withdrew during the year.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 students tested for student change status, 5 student status changes were not submitted within the required time frame and were not properly reported as withdrawn.
Cause and Effect - The University did not have a process in place in order to ensure timely and proper reporting for all student status changes. As a result, there were instances of reporting outside of the required time frame and instances where reporting was incorrect.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University put a control process in place in order to ensure all student status changes are reported timely and accurately.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - No
Criteria - If a student account is credited with Federal Direct Loans (FDL), the institution must notify the student or parent of date and amount as well as the right to cancel all or portion of loan, and the procedure and time by which the student must notify the institution no earlier than 30 days before and no later than 30 days after crediting student’s account if using an affirmative confirmation process (34 CFR Section 68.165).
Condition - The University did not timely notify the student or parent within 30 days of crediting the student's account with Federal Direct Loans.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 21 students tested for FDL notification, notifications for 16 students were not timely communicated within the required time frame.
Cause and Effect - The University did not have a process in place to ensure notifications were sent out in the required time frame.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University institute a process to ensure that all notifications are sent within the required time frame.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions - When posting direct loans to the student's account, we will add a touchpoint to the student's record. This automatically sends an email to the student. We will mail a notification to the parent in the case of a Parent Plus loan.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 001
Criteria - Returns of Title IV funds are required to be deposited or transferred into the SFA account or electronic fund transfers initiated to the Department of Education (ED) as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the date the institution determines that the student withdrew (34 CFR 668.173(b)).
Condition - The University did not return Title IV funds to the Department of Education within the required time frame for certain students who required a return of funds, and it did not initially identify all students who required a return of Title IV funds.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 withdrawn students tested for proper return of Title IV funds, the funds for 3 students requiring a return were not returned to ED by the University within the required time frame. The 3 errors identified were for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 term.
Cause and Effect - The University had a change in system and it changed the process for exporting withdrawal reports. This led to returns of Title IV funds to ED being completed outside the required time frame, and/or students who required a return of Title IV funds were missed.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University institute a process to ensure that all returns of Title IV aid are calculated and returned within the required time frame.
Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 001
Criteria - Returns of Title IV funds are required to be deposited or transferred into the SFA account or electronic fund transfers initiated to the Department of Education (ED) as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the date the institution determines that the student withdrew (34 CFR 668.173(b)).
Condition - The University did not return Title IV funds to the Department of Education within the required time frame for certain students who required a return of funds, and it did not initially identify all students who required a return of Title IV funds.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 withdrawn students tested for proper return of Title IV funds, the funds for 3 students requiring a return were not returned to ED by the University within the required time frame. The 3 errors identified were for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 term.
Cause and Effect - The University had a change in system and it changed the process for exporting withdrawal reports. This led to returns of Title IV funds to ED being completed outside the required time frame, and/or students who required a return of Title IV funds were missed.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University institute a process to ensure that all returns of Title IV aid are calculated and returned within the required time frame.
Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 002
Criteria - Federal Pell Grant Program: An institution shall submit, in accordance with deadline dates established by the secretary, through publication in the Federal Register, other reports and information the secretary requires and shall comply with the procedures the secretary finds necessary to ensure that the reports are correct (34 CFR Section 690.83(b)(2)).
Federal Direct Student Loans: Changes in student status are required to be reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) within 30 days of the change or included in a Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) sent to the NSLDS within 60 days of the status change (34 CFR Section 685.309(b)).
Condition - Shawnee State University did not report student status changes timely and accurately for certain students who withdrew during the year.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 students tested for student change status, 5 student status changes were not submitted within the required time frame and were not properly reported as withdrawn.
Cause and Effect - The University did not have a process in place in order to ensure timely and proper reporting for all student status changes. As a result, there were instances of reporting outside of the required time frame and instances where reporting was incorrect.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University put a control process in place in order to ensure all student status changes are reported timely and accurately.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.063 and 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - Yes - 2022 002
Criteria - Federal Pell Grant Program: An institution shall submit, in accordance with deadline dates established by the secretary, through publication in the Federal Register, other reports and information the secretary requires and shall comply with the procedures the secretary finds necessary to ensure that the reports are correct (34 CFR Section 690.83(b)(2)).
Federal Direct Student Loans: Changes in student status are required to be reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) within 30 days of the change or included in a Student Status Confirmation Report (SSCR) sent to the NSLDS within 60 days of the status change (34 CFR Section 685.309(b)).
Condition - Shawnee State University did not report student status changes timely and accurately for certain students who withdrew during the year.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 25 students tested for student change status, 5 student status changes were not submitted within the required time frame and were not properly reported as withdrawn.
Cause and Effect - The University did not have a process in place in order to ensure timely and proper reporting for all student status changes. As a result, there were instances of reporting outside of the required time frame and instances where reporting was incorrect.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University put a control process in place in order to ensure all student status changes are reported timely and accurately.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions - Shawnee State University will perform a comprehensive review of financial aid procedures (including review of financial aid processing, personnel responsibilities, and system modifications) and make revisions to workflows to prevent future occurrence of this finding. A review of activity prior to implementation of revised procedures will be conducted, and any exceptions will be documented and corrected.
Assistance Listing Number, Federal Agency, and Program Name - ALNs 84.268; Department of Education; Federal Direct Loan Program
Federal Award Identification Number and Year - N/A
Pass through Entity - N/A
Finding Type - Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations
Repeat Finding - No
Criteria - If a student account is credited with Federal Direct Loans (FDL), the institution must notify the student or parent of date and amount as well as the right to cancel all or portion of loan, and the procedure and time by which the student must notify the institution no earlier than 30 days before and no later than 30 days after crediting student’s account if using an affirmative confirmation process (34 CFR Section 68.165).
Condition - The University did not timely notify the student or parent within 30 days of crediting the student's account with Federal Direct Loans.
Questioned Costs - None
Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed - N/A
Context - Of the 21 students tested for FDL notification, notifications for 16 students were not timely communicated within the required time frame.
Cause and Effect - The University did not have a process in place to ensure notifications were sent out in the required time frame.
Recommendation - We recommend that the University institute a process to ensure that all notifications are sent within the required time frame.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions - When posting direct loans to the student's account, we will add a touchpoint to the student's record. This automatically sends an email to the student. We will mail a notification to the parent in the case of a Parent Plus loan.