Finding 1229059 (2026-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2026
Accepted
2026-09-08
Audit: 410526
Organization: Andrews University (MI)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The University failed to notify NSLDS of student status changes within the required 30-day timeframe.
  • Impacted Requirements: Enrollment reporting requirements under Pell Grant and Direct Loan programs were not met, affecting compliance with federal regulations.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Establish a proper remittance schedule between the Clearinghouse and NSLDS to ensure timely updates on student status changes.

Finding Text

Information on the Federal Program – Department of Education, Student Financial Assistance Cluster, Federal Pell Grant Program, 84.063; Federal Direct Student Loan Program, 84.268. Program Year – May 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026 Criteria or Specific Requirement – Special Tests and Provisions – Enrollment Reporting – Under the Pell grant and loan programs, colleges must complete and return within 30 days the Enrollment Reporting roster file. Once received, the institution must update for changes in student status, report the date the enrollment status was effective, enter the new anticipated completion date and submit the changes electronically through the batch method or the NSLDS web site. Institutions are responsible for timely reporting, whether they report directly or via a third-party servicer. Unless the school expects to complete its next roster within 60 days, the University must notify the lender or the guaranty agency within 30 days, if it discovers that a student who received a loan either did not enroll or ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. (Pell, 34 CFR Section 690.83(b)(2); Direct Loan, 34 CFR Section 685.309(2)(i)). Condition – Notification of the student status change (graduated, withdrew, less than half-time) did not reach the NSLDS within the required timeframe. Questioned Costs – None – nonmonetary finding Context – Out of a sample of 29 students from a population of 189 students who had changes in status during the year, NSLDS was not provided timely notification for four of the student status changes reviewed. Our sample was not, and was not intended to be, statistically valid. Cause – Information between the University and NSLDS was not updated timely. This was the result of the remittance schedule between the Clearinghouse and NSLDS not being properly established to allow for timely remittance. Effect – The status change was ultimately reported correctly to NSLDS but was not performed timely. Identification as a Repeat Finding – Yes Recommendation – We recommend the University ensure the remittance schedule is properly established to allow for timely remittance.

Corrective Action Plan

Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions – University personnel reviewed the four instances identified for untimely NSLDS reporting and determined that neither case resulted from a failed or rejected submission to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) or NSLDS. Rather, the timing difference resulted from the enrollment status effective date used for NSC reporting, which did not align with the reporting roster submission cycle. The University reports enrollment information to NSLDS through the National Student Clearinghouse on a regular monthly basis and confirmed through review of NSC acknowledgment and error reports that no transmission errors occurred. To reduce the risk of similar timing differences in the future, the University is working on process improvements in coordination with Banner support, including ensuring backdated drops and withdrawals are processed prior to initial NSC transmissions each term, reviewing the timing of enrollment reporting submissions to improve data capture, strengthening procedures for monitoring post-census backdated status changes, continuing timely review of NSC error reports, reviewing enrollment status calculations for nonstandard coursework, and implementing pre-submission validation procedures to confirm all required status calculation and extract processes have been completed prior to NSC file transmission.

Categories

Student Financial Aid Special Tests & Provisions

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1229058 2026-001
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $18.41M
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $2.47M
84.038 Federal Perkins Loans $275,734
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants $252,478
84.031 Developmental Education Strategies for Native Americans and At-Risk Students: We Make World Changers $223,057
43.001 Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling of Small Scale Structures $189,983
84.033 Federak Work-Study Program $168,075
47.084 Excellence in Partnership with Industry, Academia, and New Discoveries $163,269
47.050 GEM-Radiation Belt Losses using Combined Global Hybrid and Test Particle Simulation $105,534
13.001 Determining the Relation Between GPS Radio Signal Scintillation and Plasma Conditions in Three Key Regions in the High-Latitude Ionosphere $96,563
47.050 Propagation and Dissipation of Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves in the Magnetosphere and Ionosphere $62,111
43.001 Investigating Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Associated with Flow Induced Alfven Wave Energy in the Magnetotail $46,920
47.050 Effects of Ionospheric Density Irregularities on High-Frequency Radio Wave Propagation $39,839
43.008 Role of Solar Wind Fluctuations on Solar Wind- Magnetosphere - Ionosphere Coupling Processes and Magnetotail Energetics $9,001
10.121 Emergency Commodity Assistance Program $8,678
12.630 Instrumentation for Purification and Analysis of Proteolytic Enzymes $5,676