Finding 382602 (2023-001)

Criteria: According to 34 CFR 690.63 students may qualify for a maximum Pell Grant award of $6,895 for an award year. The maximum amount is awarded to students with a zero Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and full-time enrollment status. Students with less than full-time enrollment or more than a zero EFC are eligible for a reduced Pell award. Condition: During our student file testing we noted one student out of forty was not disbursed the correct Pell Grant. The student was enrolled as three-quarters time but was awarded as being a full-time student resulting in an over award of $574. We consider this error to be an instance of noncompliance relating to the Eligibility Compliance Requirement. This finding was repeated from last year, see Prior Year finding 2022-002. Statistical sampling was not used when making sample selections. Questioned Costs: $574 Effect: One student received an incorrect amount of Pell award and was over awarded an amount of $574. Cause: The University’s internal controls did not identify that the incorrect amount of Pell grant was awarded to the student. According to the Department of Education’s Pell matrix chart, the student was over awarded Pell in the amount of $574. Recommendation: We recommend the University closely monitor all student’s enrollment status to ensure all students receiving financial aid are disbursed the correct amount. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the Single Audit finding and a response is included in the Corrective Action Plan.