Finding Text
Federal program: Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Cluster (AL# 84.007, 84.033, 84.063, 84.268)
Federal agency: U.S. Department of Education
Award year: 2022-2023
Criteria: Per 34 CFR668.22, institutions that do not take attendance are required to report the withdrawal date of students who unofficially withdraw as either the last day of academically related activity or the halfway point in the term.
Condition: The District’s internal controls did not detect or prevent incorrect withdrawal dates from being reported in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
Cause: The District’s processes do not have a way to identify unofficial withdrawals before being reported in the NSLDS. The District's software shows student with unofficial withdrawals as having completed the term with all Fs.
Effect or potential effect: The District NSLDS’ reporting had withdrawal dates that were not supported by the District's records.
Questioned costs: No questioned costs identified.
Context: Out of a population of 218 withdrawals, a sample of 22 was selected. Out of the sampleof 22, 8 samples had withdrawal dates listed in the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation worksheets that did not match the District’s NSLDS Enrollment Detail Report. It was noted that the 8 samples with dates that did not match were considered unofficial withdrawals.
Recommendation: The District should develop policies and procedures to ensure that dates reported to in NSLDS agree to the District’s records.
Views of responsible officials: The District understands and concurs with the finding and recommendation.