MATERIAL WEAKNESS
2024-001
Federal Program
Student Financial Assistance Cluster
Compliance requirements
Special Tests and Provisions – Return to Title IV and Enrollment Reporting
Condition
The College's official policy is to be an attendance taking institution. However, the date of the institution’...
MATERIAL WEAKNESS
2024-001
Federal Program
Student Financial Assistance Cluster
Compliance requirements
Special Tests and Provisions – Return to Title IV and Enrollment Reporting
Condition
The College's official policy is to be an attendance taking institution. However, the date of the institution’s determinations for withdrawals does not fall within the required 14 day period, and it instead follows that of institutions that are not attendance taking. Additionally, during testing, it was identified that the College's quality control processes for Return to Title IV calculations were not completed within a timely manner, and that process determined that calculations needed to be adjusted for some of the students. Those corrections were not made within the required 45 day periods, and, as a result of the late corrections, the NSLDS enrollment reporting also had to be updated outside of its typical window.
Recommendation
We recommend that the College review and update its policies to ensure that all compliance requirements are met within the required timeframes associated with those policies, as well as recommend that the College review its controls to ensure that accurate Return to Title IV calculations are completed in a timely fashion.
Comments on the Finding Recommendation
Barton County Community College understands the finding.
Action Taken
Barton’s Director of Financial Aid has informed the following Barton personnel of the finding:
• Vice President of Instruction,
• Vice President of Student Services,
• Dean of Academics, the Dean of Workforce Training and Community Education
• Dean of Military Programs, Technical Education, and Outreach Programs
• Associate Dean of Instruction
The Vice President of Instruction is initiating a project to involve these parties in the implementation of a procedure to report unofficial withdrawals by 14 calendar days to ensure Return of Title IV is completed within the regulatory timeframes and reported to NSLDS within the regulatory timeframe.
Date of Implementation: This will be implemented for the spring 2025 term.