FINDING 2025-007 Names of Responsible Individuals: Associate Director for Compliance, Enrollment Management AVP for Finance & Bursar Director of Student Billing and Engagement Associate Director for Compliance, Financial Aid Assistant Controller Director of Accounting Corrective Action: Federal Perk...
FINDING 2025-007 Names of Responsible Individuals: Associate Director for Compliance, Enrollment Management AVP for Finance & Bursar Director of Student Billing and Engagement Associate Director for Compliance, Financial Aid Assistant Controller Director of Accounting Corrective Action: Federal Perkins Loan program records are traditionally paper based, as a result, these school records can often be inconsistent. Due to inconsistent data transfer during Howard University’s move from Campus Partners to ECSI (Educational Computer Systems, Inc.) as the Perkins Loan servicer after the 2013-2014 academic year, the University’s Perkins disbursement data did not match the records Howard had from ECSI. In 2022, the University began to work with ECSI on converting the Howard internal records to match ECSI’s records. In mid-April 2026, ECSI notified Howard that the conversion of ECSI Perkins disbursement data to Howard disbursement data was complete. Currently, the adjustments ECSI made to match Howard are being reviewed by the Associate Director for Compliance in Enrollment Management, and feedback will be provided to ECSI. Matching Perkins Loan data between Howard and ECSI will strengthen the data consistency on the FISAP. The consistency of Perkins Loan data between ECSI and Howard University on the FISAP will also assist in strengthening internal controls for determination of the Cash on Hand amount. ECSI works with schools whose general ledger Cash on Hand does not match what is on the FISAP in Part III. It was conveyed by ECSI that it is more important to have awareness of what data does not match and why than to have parity. After the conversion of Perkins data from ECSI has been approved, the Associate Director for Compliance will meet with Director of Accounting to begin the process of reviewing Perkins wind-down procedures and the accounting related. Howard University is in the process of liquidating the Federal Perkins Program. Due to staffing changes, the Director of Student Billing and Engagement, is now responsible for the Federal Perkins Loan liquidation process. The University is working with ECSI and the Department of Education to complete the liquidation. As part of the liquidation process, the Director of Billing and Engagement contacted the Department of Education to determine the remaining steps for Perkins liquidation. 13 Perkins Loans remaining need to be assigned. Howard is in the process of determining if these loans can be assigned to ED or if the school will need to purchase them. Anticipated Completion Date: September 30, 2026, is the target date for the Federal Perkins Loan program to be completely liquidated at Howard University. All but 13 Federal Perkins Loans have been assigned, and the Bursar is working on sending credit balances to Accounts Payable for payment for those Perkins Loans that can be assigned. The conversion of ECSI records to match Howard internal records was completed in April 2026 and final will be completed by May 2026. Once the conversion is approved by Howard, the June 30, 2026 Perkins Annual Report from ECSI will match what Howard has in their Perkins records. This will enable this Perkins Annual Report to be used on the 2027-2028 FISAP due on September 30, 2026.