Finding 1169542 (2024-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2026-01-17
Audit: 382495
Organization: The Institute of World Politics (DC)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The Institute is not meeting key compliance requirements for enrollment reporting and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, leading to a material weakness in internal controls.
  • Impacted Requirements: Noncompliance with enrollment reporting every 60 days and lack of a formal information security program as mandated by federal regulations.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Review the latest Compliance Supplement to ensure all requirements are met and establish a written information security program addressing the necessary elements.

Finding Text

Finding No. 2024-002 Special Tests: Enrollment Reporting and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Compliance / Material Weakness in Internal Controls over Compliance Federal Program – Student Financial Aid Cluster – Federal Direct Student Loans (ALN 84.268), U.S. Department of Education Criteria – Auditee requirements contained in Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR) Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, requires the auditee to comply with Federal statues, regulations, terms, and conditions of Federal awards that may have a direct and material effect on each of its major programs. The enrollment reporting compliance requirement, which falls under special tests, requires the Institute to certify enrollment information under the Direct loan programs every 60 days. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act over student information security, which falls under special tests, requires the Institute to have a written information security program that addresses seven specific required elements. Condition – Instances of noncompliance have been identified around major compliance requirements Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which is part of special tests identified in the 2024 Compliance Supplement. Cause – The cause is due to a lack of sufficient internal control procedures in place to ensure compliance with material compliance requirements in the 2024 Compliance Supplement for its federal award. Effect – The Institute is not in compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or the enrollment reporting requirements. Questioned Costs – None Context – The Institute’s graduate enrollment information was not reported within the 60-day requirement for 4 of 8 sample students tested. In addition, the Institute does not have a formalized written information security program in place that addresses the required elements in the 2024 Compliance Supplement. Repeat Finding – Repeat finding of prior year finding 2023-002. Recommendation – We recommend the Institute review the most recent Compliance Supplement, which outlines all compliance requirements for Direct loans under the Student Financial Assistance federal program to ensure all compliance requirements are being met. We encourage the Institute to monitor for any updates to the Compliance Supplement annually. The Institute should review and put in place the required minimum elements as described in 16 CFR 314.4 (b). Views of Responsible Officials – Management agrees with the finding. See Corrective Action Plan.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding No. 2024-002 Special Tests: Enrollment Reporting and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Compliance / Material Weakness in Internal Controls over Compliance Finding: Instances of noncompliance have been identified around major compliance requirements Enrollment Reporting and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which are both part of special tests identified in the 2024 Compliance Supplement. Additionally, due to a transition in Registrar leadership and concurrent updates to Student Information System (SIS) configurations, a subset of students who had graduated and ceased attendance were incorrectly reported with a “Withdrawn” enrollment status. As part of the institution’s standard enrollment reporting process, student enrollment and graduation data are transmitted monthly from the SIS to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). NSC subsequently reports this information to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Under normal system operations, graduation data should be automatically included with the monthly enrollment transmission and used to determine the correct final enrollment status. However, following the SIS configuration update, the automated linkage between degree conferral data and enrollment status reporting did not function as intended. As a result, certain students with conferred degrees were systemically classified as “Withdrawn” rather than “Graduated” in the enrollment file submitted by the Registrar’s Office. Upon identification of the issue, the Registrar’s Office submitted a help desk ticket to the SIS Helpdesk to document the findings and initiate a technical review of the enrollment reporting configuration. Corrective Actions Taken: A formal help desk ticket was submitted to the SIS Helpdesk to investigate the enrollment status reporting discrepancy. SIS technicians reviewed enrollment reporting configurations and confirmed that graduation data was not being correctly incorporated into the monthly enrollment extract. The Registrar’s Office identified the affected student population and validated degree conferral information against official graduation records. Corrected enrollment statuses have been submitted. Corrective Actions Planned: Concurrently with Fall 2025, SUBSEQUENT OF TERM enrollment report, the Registrar’s Office will submit corrected enrollment records for any additional student to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to ensure that accurate graduation information is transmitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). (Due by 01/31/2026) Starting with Fall 2025 graduates, the Registrar’s office will manually update graduation statuses for all identified impacted students to ensure institutional records accurately reflect degree conferral prior to subsequent enrollment reporting cycles. Last, Enrollment reporting procedures will be updated to document revised controls, roles, and review steps, including specific checks related to graduation status accuracy following SIS configuration changes or staffing transitions. Additionally, related to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requirements, IWP acknowledges the repeated finding and has taken immediate steps to ensure full compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requirements outlined in the 2024 Compliance Supplement. Specifically: - Formal Written Information Security Program: A comprehensive written policy is being finalized to address all seven required elements under 16 CFR 314.4(b), including risk assessment, safeguards, and oversight. - Annual Review Process: The CIO will review updates to the Student Financial Aid Cluster within the OMB Compliance Supplement annually to confirm continued compliance. - Policy Approval and Oversight: Once completed, the policy will be reviewed and approved by the EVP to ensure all required elements are included. - Implementation and Training: Staff training will be conducted to ensure awareness and adherence to the security program. - Monitoring and Updates: The Institute will monitor for any changes to federal requirements and update the policy accordingly. The written security program will be completed and implemented by the end of FY2026, with ongoing annual reviews thereafter. Responsibility for oversight rests with the CIO, with final approval by the EVP.

Categories

Student Financial Aid Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Material Weakness Reporting Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Special Tests & Provisions

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1169543 2024-003
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 FEDERAL DIRECT STUDENT LOANS $1.06M