FAC Explorer

Finding 366609 (2023-001)

-
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-02-08
Audit: 289504
Organization: Dickinson College (PA)
Auditor: Mayer Hoffman McCann PC

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Two students received more subsidized loans than allowed, impacting their eligibility for Direct Unsubsidized Loans.
  • Impacted Requirements: Students must maximize Direct Subsidized Loans before receiving Direct Unsubsidized Loans, as per federal guidelines.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should establish a final review process to ensure subsidized loans are fully utilized before awarding unsubsidized loans.

Finding Text

Finding – Eligibility – Federal Direct Student Loan Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.268; June 30, 2023 Award Year; U.S. Department of Education Criteria or Specific Requirement A student may not receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan unless the student has received a Direct Subsidized Loan for the maximum amount for which the student is eligible. (2022 - 2023 Student Financial Aid Handbook, Volume 3, Chapter 7, Page 3-189, 34 CFR 685.200(a)(iii) Condition Found Of 40 students tested, two students were under-awarded subsidized and unsubsidized loans but were over-awarded subsidized loans. This was not a statistically valid sample. Questioned Costs Known questioned costs of $2,573, likely questioned costs of $41,000. Cause Two students’ cost of attendance increased and when the adjustment was made the increased aid was awarded as unsubsidized loans when there was still subsidized aid available. Identification as a Repeat Finding Not a repeat finding. Recommendation Management should implement a process to perform a final review of subsidized loans to ensure that subsidized loans are maximized before unsubsidized loans are awarded. Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action See Corrective Action Plan.

Corrective Action Plan

Eligibility – Federal Direct Student Loan Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.268; June 30, 2023 Award Year; U.S. Department of Education Condition Of 40 students tested, two students were under-awarded subsidized and unsubsidized loans but were over-awarded subsidized loans. This was not a statistically valid sample. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions The College has implemented additional training requirements for staff responsible for awarding loans, including packaging examples for exceptional, less frequent items like those discovered during the audit. We have also changed our process to add loan fees into the calculated cost of attendance at the time of packaging for those students eligible for federal direct loans, and added additional reporting for late admits, those who wish to apply for financial aid after acceptance, and changes in financial aid eligibility, to ensure all applicable students have the loan fee added appropriately. In both cases, total aid awarded was accurate. Responsible Official: Allura Alonso, Director of Financial Aid Expected Completion Date: October 20, 2023 Summary Schedule of Prior Audit Findings None noted.

Categories

Questioned Costs Eligibility Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $7.97M
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $1.49M
84.038 Federal Perkins Loan Program $1.18M
84.033 Federal Work-Study Program $280,015
66.808 Solid Waste Management Assistance Grants - CO-Digestion of Food Residues and Dairy Manure on A Diversified Small Farm $244,943
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (seog) $221,489
47.074 Biological Sciences - Rui Epigenetic Weapons in Plant-Herbivore Interactions: Sulforaphane As A Natural Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor in Lepidopteran Pests $142,578
93.575 American Rescue Plan Act Child Care Stabilization $116,201
66.466 Acb Citizen-Based/non-Traditional Monitoring $77,473
47.074 Biological Sciences - Collaborative Research: Building the Contractile Ring in the Early Embryo $69,011
47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences - Collaborative Research: Reconstructing Domestication and Landscape Management Processes $56,093
93.575 American Rescue Plan Act Work Force Support 2.0 $52,749
93.575 American Rescue Plan Act Work Force Support $41,984
47.050 Geosciences - Collaborative Research: Network Cluster: Bedrock Controls on the Deep Critical Zone, Landscapes, and Ecosystems $39,046
66.466 Developing An Integrated Community-Based Monitoring Approach to Track Restoration (dc, Md, Pa, Va) $34,112
47.074 Biological Sciences - Brc-Bio: Trade-Offs in Locomotor Performance: Comparing Hoppers and Jumpers in Variable Environments $26,514
47.076 Education and Human Services: Collaborative Research: Broadening Participation in Computing Through Authentic. Collaborative Engagement with Computing for the Greater Good $24,618
15.945 Nps - Special History of Slave Stampedes: Underground Railroad on Missouri Borderlands $24,385
47.050 Geosciences - Collaborative Research: Ice Forcing in Arc Magma Plumbing Systems $20,236
93.217 Family Planning Services $18,014
15.945 Nps - Kentucky Slave Stampedes at Camp Nelson National Monument $17,038
47.050 Geosciences - Collaborative Research: Gp-Up: A Near Surface Geophysics Field Experience to Improve the Recruitment and Retention of Under-Represented Minority Students in the Geosciences $15,241
15.662 Mapping and Mitigating Pesticides Hazard for Pollinators in the Great Lakes Region $14,439
66.460 US Epa PA Dep #1914 - 2019 Epa Region 3, Mid-Atlantic Monitoring Conference $9,137
95.007 Gamifying and Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention to Improve Access for Caregivers with Addiction to Reduce Substance Use Outcomes in Their Children $8,939
15.945 Nps - Underground Railroad (ugrr) Interpretive Handbook $8,891
10.588 Child and Adult Care Food Program $6,375
93.667 Family Planning Services $3,408
93.498 Provider Relief Fund $539