Finding 1168157 (2025-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-01-07

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Incorrect withdrawal dates were reported for four students in the National Student Loan Database System (NSLDS), affecting loan servicer awareness of repayment timelines.
  • Impacted Requirements: Enrollment status changes must be reported accurately to NSLDS within sixty days to ensure proper loan servicing.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The Financial Aid Director should update NSLDS with correct dates and enhance procedures to ensure timely and accurate reporting of enrollment status changes.

Finding Text

Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education; Office of Federal Student AidPass through Entity: Not applicableProgram Name: Federal Direct Student Loan ProgramAL# and Program Expenditure: 84.268 ($797,519)Award Number: P268K257533Federal Award Year: July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025Questioned Costs: $-0-Condition Found: The incorrect withdrawal date was reported to the National Student Loan Database System (“NSLDS”) for four of the nine students selected for testing that received Federal Direct Student Loans.Criteria: NSLDS informs loan servicers of changes in a student’s enrollment status that indicate when the repayments or interest accrual begins and ends. The date a student enrolls, withdraws, graduates, or drops below half-time status should be reported accurately within sixty days of the enrollment status change to NSLDS. Cause: The Financial Aid Director used the date students informed the College they were not returning for the next semester as the withdrawal date instead of the last date of attendance for the next semester for one of the four students. NSLDS was not updated to include Spring 2025 enrollment status changes and a May graduation date for the one student associated with the finding. Finally, the incorrect withdraw date was used for the remaining two students. Possible Asserted Effect: The loan servicers were not aware of the correct deferral, repayment, and interest calculation dates. Repeat Finding: See Finding 2024-001 for a similar finding in the prior year. Statistical Sampling: The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Recommendation: The Financial Aid Director should update the withdrawal dates in NSLDS. Procedures should be improved to ensure that the enrollment status change dates entered into NSLDS are accurate and are based on a student’s last date of attendance. Management Response: Management agrees with the auditors’ finding and their recommendation. The Financial Aid Director updated the enrollment status for the students in question in December 2025. Procedures will be improved to ensure that a student’s enrollment status is updated timely and with the correct date of the change.

Corrective Action Plan

Program Name: Federal Direct Student Loan Program AL# and Program Expenditure: 84.268 ($797,519) Award Number: P268K257533 Federal Award Year: July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 Questioned Costs: $-0- Condition Found: The incorrect withdrawal date was reported to the National Student Loan Database System (“NSLDS”) for four of the nine students selected for testing that received Federal Direct Student Loans. Corrective Action Plan: Management agrees with the auditors’ finding and their recommendation. The Financial Aid Director updated the enrollment status for the students in question in December 2025. Procedures will be improved to ensure that a student’s enrollment status is updated timely and with the correct date of the change. Anticipated Completion Date: The corrective action was completed in December 2025. Contact Person: Stephanie Dickerson, Registrar/Financial Aid 910-323-5614

Categories

Student Financial Aid Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1168158 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 FEDERAL DIRECT STUDENT LOANS $797,519
84.063 FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM $487,504