Finding 1201570 (2025-003)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-03-30
Audit: 396129
Organization: Urban College of Boston (MA)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The College incorrectly calculated the amount of Title IV funds to be returned for 2 out of 21 students, leading to a misalignment with federal regulations.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 34 CFR 668.22(e)(4) regarding the Return of Title IV funds within 45 days of withdrawal determination.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Review and update policies to ensure accurate calculations on the Return to Title IV form and proper refunding of federal aid.

Finding Text

Finding number: 2025-003 Federal agency: U.S. Department of Education Programs: Student Financial Assistance Cluster Assistance Listing #: 84.063 & 84.007 Award year: 2025 Criteria According to 34 CFR 668.22(e)(4): Total amount of unearned title IV assistance to be returned. The unearned amount of title IV assistance to be returned is calculated by subtracting the amount of title IV assistance earned by the student as calculated under paragraph (e)(1) of this section from the amount of title IV aid that was disbursed to the student as of the date of the institution's determination that the student withdrew. Condition The Financial Aid Office is responsible for completing the Return of Title IV calculation to determine how much Title IV aid the student earned and how much must be returned to the Department of Education. Once the Return of Title IV calculation is completed, the College is responsible for adjusting the student’s billing statement and returning unearned Title IV funds through the U.S. Department of Education’s Grant Management System (“G5”). The College has 45 days from the date they determined the student withdrew to return any unearned portions of Title IV funds. During our testing, we noted 2 students, out of a sample of 21, where the aid returned was different than the amount correctly calculated on the Return to Title IV (“R2T4”) form. Cause The College did not ensure that the regulations were met in regard to refunding Title IV funds when calculating the amount of aid to be returned. Effect The College did not return the correct amount of Title IV funds to the Department of Education. Questioned Costs $60.11 Perspective Our sample was not, and was not intended to be, statistically valid. Of the 21 students selected for testing, 2 students, or 10% of our sample, had the incorrect amount of Title IV funds returned. Identification as a Repeat Finding, if applicable See finding 2024-004 included in the summary schedule of prior year findings. Recommendation The College should review their current policies and procedures to ensure the amount of federal aid returned agrees with the amount calculated on the R2T4 form. View of Responsible Officials The College agrees with the finding and has implemented the corrective action plan listed within the management corrective action plan section of this report

Corrective Action Plan

Finding number: 2025-003 Federal agency: U.S. Department of Education Programs: Student Financial Assistance Cluster Assistance Listing #: 84.063 & 84.007 Award year: 2025 Corrective Action The Urban College of Boston (UCB) agrees with this finding, and upon its review of the affected student and the college’s policies and procedures, has determined the error was a result of an isolated event due to human error. This was an oversight on the part of the processor. The processor failed to include break days of 5 days or more in the denominator of the Return to Title IV calculation resulting in an incorrect return amount. Urban College has applied institutional funding to the overpayment of funds. The Director of Financial Aid (DFA) has reviewed all Return to Title IV calculations for the Spring 2025 semester and confirms no other students were affected. The DFA is working with Global Financial Aid Services to include reviewing scheduled breaks as part of their quarterly audit review process. Timeline for Implementation of Corrective Action Plan: Implementation of new processes effective April 1, 2026 Contact Person: Stacy Broadus, Director of Student Financial Services: Stacy.Broadus@urbancollege.edu

Categories

Student Financial Aid

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1201565 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201566 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201567 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201568 2025-005
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201569 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201571 2025-004
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201572 2025-005
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1201573 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.063 FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM $983,082
93.569 COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT $223,398
84.268 FEDERAL DIRECT STUDENT LOANS $67,156
84.007 FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GRANTS $50,831
84.033 FEDERAL WORK-STUDY PROGRAM $31,767