Finding Text
2023-003 – Student Financial Aid Cluster – (a) Federal Pell Grant (b) Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (c) Federal Work Study Grant (d) Federal Perkins Loan Program (e) Federal Direct Student Loans (f) Teacher education Assistance for College and Higher Education ALN No. (a) 84.063 (b) 84.007 (c) 84.033 (d) 84.038 (e) 84.268 (f) 84.379 – Year Ended June 30, 2023
Criteria: 34 CFR 682.201 (a) (1-2) notes, “(1) To obtain a Direct Subsidized Loan or a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, a student must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid and submit it in accordance with instructions in the application. (2) If the student is eligible for a Direct Subsidized Loan or a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, the school in which the student is enrolled must perform the following functions: (i) create a loan origination record and transmit the record to the Secretary. (ii) Ensure that the loan is supported by a completed Master Promissory Note (MPN) and, if applicable, transmit the MPN to the Secretary. (iii) In accordance with 34 CFR 668.162, draw down funds or receive funds from the Secretary, and disburse the funds to the student.”
Criteria: 34 CFR 668.164 (a)(1) states “Except as provided under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a disbursement of title IV, HEA program funds occurs on the date that the institution credits the student’s ledger account or pays the student or parent directly with- (i) Funds received form the Secretary; (ii) Institutional funds received from a lender under title IV, HEA program funds;
Condition: We examined 40 student files and we noted 3 out of 40 students were not properly awarded Direct Loans. One of these students was improperly awarded subsidized loans and instead should have received unsubsidized loans. Additionally, the College did not report actual loan disbursement dates to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) system for 1 of the 40 students in the sample (2.5%). We consider these conditions to be instances of noncompliance in internal control over compliance relating to the Eligibility compliance requirement.
Statistical sampling was not used in making sample selections.
Questioned Costs: $5,252
Cause and Effect: For the awards, without proper review of eligibility of financial aid, students may receive an incorrect amount of Title IV aid. For the disbursement date, the College posted the batches incorrectly resulting in a variance in the date of the disbursement per the student account and the date per NSLDS.
Recommendation: We recommend the College evaluate policies and procedures to ensure students receive the proper amount of Title IV aid and implement procedures in order to report accurate disbursements dates for Direct Loans to NSLDS.
Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with this Single Audit Finding and response is included in the Corrective Action Plan.