Finding Text
Criteria -
The federal government requires the Organizations to report student enrollment data to the
U.S. Department of Education’s National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) system at least
every 60 days, and to certify the enrollment status of the students as submitted. Enrollment
status changes such as withdrawals must be submitted at a minimum during this 60 day
certification process, but may report at more frequent intervals to capture more current
enrollment status changes.
Condition -
During the 2024 audit, it was noted that for one of six students selected for testing, the
student’s withdrawal information was not reported within the required timeframe.
Cause -
Because the student’s withdrawal was due to a situation that does not occur often (academic
dismissal), the Organizations’ typical system and process flow caused the student to be
reported after the student account system recognized an incomplete semester, rather than at
the academic dismissal date.
Effect -
The Organizations did not report the student’s status change to NSLDS within the required
timeframe.
Recommendation -
The Organizations should implement a process to ensure that unique withdrawal situations are
adequately communicated to the appropriate parties and education should be provided to all
responsible parties to ensure that all are aware of the program’s rules and regulations. The
process should incorporate a more formalized review and approval process to reduce the
likelihood of such findings in the future.
Views of Responsible Officials-
The Organizations recognize the importance of complying with all federal requirements.
The Organizations will put processes in place to ensure withdrawals are adequately
communicated and education of the program’s rules and regulations are provided to
responsible parties. The processes will include a formalized review and approval process and
measures will be put in place to ensure all changes are processed timely, including updating
the automatic reporting to capture all potential changes.