Finding 1137644 (2024-001)

Finding 2024-001 U.S. Department of Education Assistance Listing Number 84.063 Enrollment Reporting Process Criteria - The federal government requires the College 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 fifteen students selected for testing, the student’s withdrawal information was not reported within the required timeframe. Cause - Employee turnover at the time of the student’s withdrawal resulted in a lack of timely communication between financial aid and registrar to report the student as withdrawn. Effect - The College did not report the student’s status change to NSLDS within the required timeframe. Recommendation - The College should ensure that during times of transition or employee turnover, staff follow up on open cases to verify that student enrollment data is reported to NSLDS within the required timeframe. This can be achieved by implementing a documented process for monitoring outstanding withdrawal cases, assigning temporary oversight to designated personnel, and conducting periodic reviews to ensure compliance with federal reporting requirements. Views of Responsible Officials – The College has updated the documented procedures to indicate that all documents will be sent digitally to the registrar’s office, rather than a combination of paper delivery and/or email. By only email delivery, a trail can be followed to ensure both offices have received notification that the withdrawal process and its completion. As an additional safeguard, a regular review between all offices that manage student withdrawals will be conducted to ensure student cases have been completed timely.