Finding Text
2025-001 – Untimely submissions of Accurate Student Enrollment Change to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Grantor: U.S. Department of Education Program Name: Student Financial Assistance Cluster Award Names: Federal Pell Grant Program and Federal Direct Loan Program Award Year: 7/1/2024 - 6/30/2025 Award Number: Not applicable Assistance Listing Numbers: 84.063 and 84.268 Criteria: In accordance with 34 CFR 690.83(b)(2) and 685.309, institutions are required to report enrollment information under the Federal Pell Grant (“Pell”) and Federal Direct Loan (“Direct Loan”) programs through National Student Loan Data System (“NSLDS”). The enrollment information, inclusive of Campus Level and Program Level data, must be reviewed, updated and validated by the institution in a timely manner. Furthermore, specific to the Federal Direct Loan program, for a student that received a Direct Loan and was enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the institution, and the student had ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis or failed to enroll on at least a half-time basis for the period for which the loan was intended, the institution must report the change within 60 days from which the change was identified. Condition: We reviewed a sample of twenty-five students enrolled at the University who received either Pell and/or Direct Loans and had a change of enrollment status during the fiscal year. Of the twenty-five students tested, we identified one student whose graduated status was not reported in a timely manner to the NSLDS on the campus level or program level. The graduation status was reported at 173 days post graduation. Questioned Costs: None Cause: The University did not perform appropriate monitoring to ensure that all required student status changes were communicated to NSLDS within the required timeframe. Effect: A student’s enrollment status determines eligibility for in-school status, deferment, and grace periods, as well as for the payment of interest subsidies all of which are impacted by inaccurate and late reporting. As a result of not reporting student status changes or the untimely reporting of student status changes to NSLDS, the students may have a disrupted loan repayment schedule. Recommendation: We recommend the University review its policies and controls for accurate and timely enrollment reporting by establishing a process to ensure that all required program and campus level status changes are reported to NSLDS and are reported within the required 60-day timeframe.