Finding Text
2025-001 Significant Deficiency: National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Report (U.S. Department of Education, William D. Ford Direct Loan Program, ALN #84.268 and Federal Pell Grant Program, ALN #84.063) (Repeat finding of 2022-001, 2023-003, and 2024-005) Criteria: In accordance with 34 CFR 685.309(b) and 34 CFR section 690.83(b)(2), for Direct Loans and Pell grants, respectively, once the Enrollment Reporting roster file is received from the NSLDS, the institution must update the Enrollment Reporting roster file for changes in student status, report the date the enrollment status was effective, enter the new anticipated completion date, and submit the changes to NSLDS. Statement of Condition: During the audit, it was noted that the University incorrectly reported student enrollment status for changes in enrollment. Questioned Costs: Such information is not applicable for this finding since it is nonmonetary in nature. Perspective Information: The audit included a detailed testing of 40 student files, of which this significant deficiency applies to 8 indicating an error rate of 20.00%. Cause and Effect: Due to lapses in communication between departments, in certain instances, the University failed to provide NSLDS with accurate updates to student enrollment statuses, resulting in misrepresentation within the NSLDS system. Recommendation: The University should ensure that the correct enrollment status is reported to NSLDS. View of Responsible Officials: Tusculum University acknowledges this finding. The university has identified the issue that is occurring that is causing the enrollment to be reported incorrectly. We are currently working with the IT Department to fix the error that is occurring within the system itself. In the meantime, students who are impacted by the incorrect enrollment status reporting are being manually fixed in the system and then the record is being pulled and reported to clearinghouse. Overall, the university has been working to reduce the number of incorrect enrollment status reportings. This can be seen by the fact that we went from a 45% error rate in 2023-24 to a 20% error rate in 2024-25. Finally, the Registrar’s Office shall be main office reporting clearinghouse data in the future, with financial aid only acting as a secondary reporter should the Registrar’s Office not be available to report.