Finding Text
Finding No.: 2023-004
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education
AL Program: Student Financial Assistance Cluster - 84.063 Federal Pell Grant
Federal Award No.: Title IV HEA Program OPE ID 01034300
Area: Reporting
Questioned Costs: $---
Criteria:
Institutions are required to submit origination records and disbursement records to the Common
Origination and Disbursement (COD) system. Origination records can be sent well in advance of
any disbursements, as early as the institution chooses to submit them for any student the institution
reasonably believes will be eligible for a payment. Origination records include the student
information such as Social Security number, award amount, enrollment date, verification status
code (when the applicant is selected for verification), transaction number, cost of attendance, and
Condition:
For all 40 origination records tested, the College reported the cost of attendance from the SY2021-
2022 handbook. The current cost of attendance, as per the SY2022-2023 handbook, exceeds the
amounts reported in the origination records. Additionally, the College did not consider the
applicant's enrollment status (full-time, three-fourths-time, half-time, or less than half-time) when
determining the cost of attendance; instead, it applied full-time status uniformly to all applicants.
Cause:
The discrepancies identified in the origination records stem from lack of systematic review and
update processes for financial aid records.
Effect:
The reliance on outdated cost of attendance data and the uniform application of full-time status
may lead to incorrect calculation of financial awards to students.
Recommendation:
The College should establish a systematic process for reviewing and updating the origination
records prior to submission to COD System.
Views of responsible officials
The College acknowledges the finding. Refer to their corrective action plan.