Finding 1180825 (2025-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-18
Audit: 392486
Organization: La Roche University (PA)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The University failed to notify the NSLDS on time for one student with a status change, which could lead to inaccurate Title IV loan records.
  • Impacted Requirements: Title IV regulations require timely updates to enrollment information and notifications to the Secretary regarding student status changes.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The University should enhance its procedures for reporting student status changes and implement regular reviews to ensure compliance with NSLDS notification timelines.

Finding Text

Federal Program - Student Financial Assistance Cluster, Federal Direct Student Loans Federal Agency - U.S. Department of Education Assistance Listing Number - 84.268 Federal Award Year - June 30, 2025 Criteria: Title IV regulations (34 CFR Section 685.309(b)) require that upon receipt of an enrollment report from the Secretary, institutions must update all information included in the report and return the report to the Secretary: (i) in the manner and format prescribed by the Secretary; and (ii) within the timeframe prescribed by the Secretary. Unless it expects to submit its next updated enrollment report to the Secretary within the next 60 days, an institution must notify the Secretary within 30 days after the date the institution discovers that: (i) a loan under Title IV of the Act was made to or on behalf of a student who was enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the institution, and the student has 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; or (ii) a student who is enrolled at the institution and who received a loan under Title IV of the Act has changed his or her permanent address. Condition: The University did not notify the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) in a timely manner for one student with a status change in our sample of 25 students. The sample was not a statistically valid sample. Questioned Costs: There are no questioned costs associated with this finding. Cause: The University's procedures for reporting all students were not designed appropriately in order to allow for timely reporting to the NSLDS. Effect: The accuracy of Title IV student loan records depends heavily on the accuracy of the enrollment information reported by schools. If an institution does not review, update and verify student enrollment statuses, effective dates of the enrollment status and the anticipated completion dates, then the Title IV student loan records will be inaccurate. Recommendations: The University should review its procedures for student status changes and NSLDS notifications to ensure there are follow-up and review procedures being performed for all students with status changes at the University. Views of Responsible Officials: Management concurs with the finding and the University will periodically perform independent reviews of the information provided to the NSLDS to ensure the status change information has been updated in the NSLDS during the required time period.

Corrective Action Plan

Condition The University did not notify the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) in a timely manner for 1 student with status changes in the sample of 25 students selected. Corrective Action Plan La Roche University concurs with the finding. The Office of the Registrar has implemented a new standard operating procedure regarding the reporting of students who have notified us of their withdrawal from the University at the end of spring term/early summer. Identified Error: La Roche University reports enrollment through the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), which then reports to NSLDS. Because summer is not a mandatory reporting period, if a student is not enrolled they are not coded as withdrawn until they do not return in the fall; only on the first of fall enrollment report would they be coded as withdrawn. This does not meet the reporting timeline to NSLDS if we know a student is not planning to return. This only presents as an issue with the length of time between the end of spring and start of fall term; this is not an issue between the end of fall and start of spring term. New Procedure: If a student submits a Withdrawal form at the end of spring term through the first week of August, we must manually report them as withdrawn in NSC, as we know their intention to not return. Any forms submitted beginning in mid to late August will be picked up on the first of fall enrollment report as withdrawn and still fall within the reporting timeline. Name(s) of Contact Person(s) Responsible for Corrective Action • Katie Elverson, Registrar Anticipated Completion Date Implementation begins in May 2026 and will continue being implemented in all summers going forward.

Categories

Student Financial Aid Reporting

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1180826 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1180827 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 FEDERAL DIRECT STUDENT LOANS $16.38M
84.063 FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM $1.85M
84.007 FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GRANTS $186,625
84.033 FEDERAL WORK-STUDY PROGRAM $160,662
84.038 FEDERAL PERKINS LOAN PROGRAM_FEDERAL CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS $108,451