Finding 1105852 (2024-001)

Finding 2024-001 Federal Program: Student Financial Assistance Cluster Federal Assistance Listing Number: 84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans Program Federal Agency: Department of Education Award Year: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 Criteria: Per 34 CFR Section 685.309, institutions with direct loan programs must report enrollemnt information within 30 days whenever attendance changes for students, unless a roster will be submitted within 60 days. An institution must notify the Secretary of Education if it discovers that a loan under Title IV of the Act was made to or on behalf of a student who has ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis or failed to enroll on at least a half-time basis for the period in which the loan was intended. The Department of Education lists several certification methods for enrollment reporting, including certifying directly through the National Students Loan Data System (NSLDS) website, or certifying through NSLDS's batch enrollment reporting process. Additionally, there are two categories of enrollment information within NSLDS. "Campus level" and "Program level" both of which need to be reported accurately and have separate record types. Condition and Context: Of the 40 students with enrollment changes we selected for testwork, we noted that for 19 students, the University did not report the student's status or enrollment change accurately to the NSLDS within the required 60-day period. Cause and effect: The University's internal control failed in ensuring the required report was posted to the NSLDS website timely. Questioned Costs: None noted Sampling: The sample was not intended to be and was not a statistically valid sample. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that the University enhance its internal controls to ensure all information submitted to NSLDS is reviewed for accuracy on a timely basis. View of Responsible Officials: University of the Pacific concurs with this finding. The University utilizes the services of National Student Clearinghouse to report student status data to NSLDS. Of the 19 students, 12 had status records that did not match between the program and campus level records. They remained listed as enrolled in the undergraduate program when they had actually progressed to the pharmacy school graduate program after their junior year. Of the 19 students, seven graduated from a program at the University, but their status was not properly reported within the 60-day requirement. To address this, the registrar will review system generated reports to match NSLDS reporting guides and closely monitor when files are processed and reported to NSLDS.