Finding Text
Condition: During our review of the return of Title IV funds, we noted that students were not being properly identified as withdrawn, either officially or unofficially. This resulted in 7 students noted that never had a calculation performed, but should have, and 22 students that were reported late.
Criteria: When a recipient of Title IV funds withdraws from an institution during a payment period or period of enrollment in which the recipient began attendance, the institution must perform a Return of Title IV Funds calculation to determine the amount of Title IV assistance the student earned as of the student’s withdrawal date.
Cause: Student Financial Aid personnel does not have a method to properly identify students who are required to have a return of funds calculation. After several attempts to obtain a listing of students, the auditors requested assistance from the IT department, who was able to get the auditors a list very quickly. This list was compared to Student Financial Aid recipients to identify the population of students who should have had a calculation performed.
Effect: Funds required to be sent back to the Department of Education are either missed or are late.
Perspective: There has been high turnover in the SFA department, including a time where there was not a Director in place.
Recommendation: We recommend training of Student Financial Aid personnel on the rules and regulations over return of funds. In addition, we recommend that Student Financial Aid personnel work with the IT department to develop a report that can be ran weekly or bi-weekly to identify the students and timely prepare the calculations.
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Dodge City Community College staff involved are undergoing training to learn requirements. Processes and procedures are being developed to ensure timely calculations and refunds.