Finding 2025-002: Student Financial Aid Cluster – Allowable Costs and Allowable Activities and Eligibility Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education Program: Student Financial Assistance Cluster Criteria: The College is required to have controls in place to ensure students receive the proper amount of student financial assistance they are entitled to based on financial need. Condition: Our financial aid sample of 40 items tested yielded 31 students who received Direct Loan Funding. Of the 31 students who received Direct loan funding, we noted 1 instance where the student received the incorrect amount of Unsubsidized funding. Based on the students Student Aid Index, the student should have received $1,750 in Unsubsidized funding; however, they received $2,227 in Unsubsidized Direct Loan funding, resulting in an overpayment of Direct Loan funding of $477. Cause: The controls in place did not detect that the student had incorrectly been awarded assistance based on more than 30 credits when they actually had 25 credits. The additional 5 credits needed for the amount of the award were not earned until the following semester. Effect: Internal controls related to student financial assistance were not operating properly. Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding. Questioned costs: $477 Recommendation: We recommend Thaddeus develop systems that would detect credits posted but not earned to ensure proper student assistance is awarded. View of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action: Management agrees. See separate Corrective Action Plan. Corrective Action Plan: There is no disagreement with the audit finding. After reviewing the policy for Grade-Level Advancement for Direct Loan Consideration, it was determined that the student referenced in the funding did not meet the qualifications needed to be considered a sophomore level student for the Fall 2024 semester. The student became eligible for the increased loan amount in the Spring 2025 semester. The $500 that was incorrectly awarded to the student for the Fall 2024 semester has been corrected and reallocated to Spring 2025. The Office of Financial Aid has created a procedure to check student loan amounts during fall and spring semester to ensure accuracy. Additionally, an Assistant Director of Financial Aid was hired in February 2025 to strengthen financial aid administration within the department. Name(s) of the contact person(s) responsible for corrective action: Melissa Wisniewski, Dean of Enrollment Services at 717-391-7234. Planned completion date for corrective action plan: January 2026. If the Department of Education has questions regarding this plan, please call the Vice President of Finance and Administration, George Longridge at 717-391-6947.