Finding Text
Finding 2025-001: Special Tests and Provisions – Enrollment Reporting Student Financial Assistance Cluster U.S. Department of Education Award Period: June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025 Criteria: 34 CFR 690.83(b)(2) and 34 CFR 685.309 require institutions to report enrollment information under the Pell Grant and the Direct Loan programs via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Institutions must review, update, and certify enrollment statuses, program information, and effective dates timely as the administration of these Title IV programs relies heavily on this information. Condition: Student statuses for the Fall 2024 term were not reported within the required 60-day timeframe due to a delay in receiving the Eligibility and Certification Approval Report (“ECAR”) from the Department of Education (“DoE”). Cause: The University did not receive the ECAR with the updated branch code until December 2024, subsequent to the Fall 2024 term. Effect: For five students out of a sample of forty, the students’ status was not reported within the required 60-day timeframe. This sample was not a statistical sample. Questioned Costs: N/A. Context: Saint Joseph’s University (“SJU”) and the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (“PCHS”) merged effective January 2024. The ECAR is a report from the DoE that lists the school’s approved programs and locations as well as participation in Title IV programs. As the two universities merged, a new ECAR, with a new branch code, was required for the newly merged institution to perform student status reporting. However, the University did not receive the ECAR until December 2024, which delayed student status reporting for students who were originally legacy students of PCHS. This resulted in a total of 1,426 student statuses not reported timely to the National Student Clearinghouse (“NSC”), of which five relate to the sample tested. Repeat Finding: No. Recommendation: It is recommended that management work closely with the NSC and the DoE to ensure that student statuses are reported timely. Views of Responsible Individuals: Refer to management's corrective action plan on page 49