Finding Text
Condition: There was an incorrect cost of attendance amount used to calculate a parent PLUS loan for 1 out 40 students tested. Criteria: According to the U.S. Department of Education, an institution must use cost of attendance minus other financial aid received to calculate the amount of PLUS loans that students are eligible to receive. Cause: The University utilizes a paper worksheet to manually calculate a student’s eligibility for PLUS loans. Due to a manual entry error, the cost of attendance was recorded as $1,000 less than the correct amount. As a result, the student was eligible to borrow more funds than initially indicated. Effect: As a result of the manual calculation error on the loan worksheet, the student was informed of a lower borrowing limit than they were actually eligible for. This discrepancy contributed to the student receiving less financial aid than anticipated. Additionally, the error highlights a risk in the manual calculation process, which could result in similar miscalculations for other students if not addressed. Context: The University determines PLUS loan eligibility using a manually prepared worksheet rather than an automated system calculation. Financial aid staff record the cost of attendance and other aid amounts on this form to compute the eligible PLUS loan amount. During audit testing, it was noted that an error occurred in recording the cost of attendance, resulting in an incorrect calculation of the student’s PLUS loan eligibility. Recommendation: The University should implement controls to prevent, or detect and correct, manual calculation errors in determining PLUS loan eligibility. This may include transitioning to an automated system-based calculation, improving the secondary review process for all manually prepared worksheets, or incorporating validation checks for key data. Implementing these controls will help ensure accuracy in loan determinations and compliance with federal awarding requirements. View of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action: Thank you for the opportunity to report on enhancements the University has made to resource our students and maintain the highest standards of accounting. While we are pleased that the audit indicated significant progress, the following are additional steps we are taking to ensure even greater accuracy and compliance: 1. An improved review process for all manually calculated loan worksheets to verify the accuracy of key inputs, including the cost of attendance and other aid amounts and 2. The University is also exploring options to automate the loan calculation process within its financial aid management system to reduce the risk of manual errors.