Finding Text
Finding 2025-002 – Direct Loan Disbursement Notification Repeat Finding: No Federal Program Title – U.S. Department of Education Student Financial Assistance Cluster Federal Direct Student Loans: 84.268 Federal Award Year 2024-2025 Award Numbers: P268K252988 Condition For eight out of eight students tested, the student did not receive the required notification that a direct loan had been credited to their account for nine out of the eighteen disbursements. Criteria 34 CFR 668.165 requires institutions who credit a student's account with a direct loan disbursement must notify the student, or parent, in writing of the (1) the date and amount of the disbursement; (2) the student's right, or parent's right, to cancel all or a portion of that loan or loan disbursement and have the proceeds returned; and (3) the procedure and time by which the student or parent must notify the institution that he or she wishes to cancel the loan. Uniform Grant Guidance (2 CFR 200.303) requires nonfederal entities receiving Federal awards establish and maintain internal controls designed to reasonably ensure compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and program compliance requirements. Effective internal controls should include procedures to ensure that direct loan notifications are sent timely. Questioned Costs There were no questioned costs related to testing of direct loan disbursement notifications. Cause During the first disbursement of the fall semester, the College provided the IT department with an incorrect disbursement date, which prevented disbursement notifications from being sent to students. Similarly, during the spring semester, the College failed to send the disbursement files to the IT department on several occasions, resulting in students not receiving disbursement notifications. Context Frequent. Eight out of eight students selected for testing. Effect Failure to notify students of their direct loan disbursement can result in students missing the period in which they can cancel their award and is noncompliance with Federal regulation and could result in loss of future funding. Recommendation We recommend the College implement review procedures to ensure that direct loan disbursement notifications are being sent each time a direct loan is credited to a student’s account. A system of review procedures and/or controls will ensure the College is properly sending notifications. View of Responsible Officials We agree with this finding. See corrective action plan.