Finding Text
Identification of the Federal Program - Student Financial Aid Cluster - Assistance Listing Nos. 84.007,
84.033, 84.063, and 84.268
Criteria - Institutions are required to report enrollment information under the Pell grant and the Direct Loan
program via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). The administration of the Title IV programs
depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the enrollment information reported by institutions.
Institutions must review, update, and verify student enrollment statuses, program information, and effective
dates reported to NSLDS. Institutions are responsible for accurate reporting.
According to 34 CFR 685.309(2), the College is required to notify the Department of Education via the
NSLDS if a “student has ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis for the period for which the loan
was intended”. Changes to status are required to be reported within 30 days of becoming aware of the
status change, or with the next schedule transmission of statuses if the scheduled transmission is within 60
days.
Condition - A sample of students were selected from the population of all students who received federal
student financial aid during the year ended September 30, 2023. We obtained the student records and
tested compliance with federal regulations for the specific loans and grants.
For 1 student selected for Enrollment Reporting testing, the withdrawal date per the NSLDS enrollment
detail did not agree to the withdrawal date per the College’s records.
For 17 students selected for Enrollment Reporting testing, the status change to withdrawn was not reported
within the 60 day reporting window after the status change was effective.
For 5 students selected for Enrollment Reporting testing, the student’s withdrawal was not reported to
NSLDS.
Cause - The College’s processes of internal controls for reporting enrollment information and timely
reporting of student status changes to NSLDS were not adequate.
Effect - Enrollment reporting to NSLDS did not include accurate information.
Student status changes were not reported to NSLDS within the required timeframe.
Recommendation - We recommend the College revise its processes for reporting enrollment information
and to timely report student status changes to NSLDS. The College should implement a process to review,
update, and verify student enrollment statuses that appear on the Enrollment Reporting roster files. We
also recommend that management implement controls to ensure reported changes are timely reported to
the NSLDS.
Views of Responsible Officials - Management agrees with the finding.