Finding Text
Criteria or specific requirement – Special Tests and Provisions – Return of Title IV
Funds (34 CFR 668.22(a)(1) through (a)(5)
Condition – The College’s internal controls did not ensure the calculation of amounts
to be returned to the U.S. Department of Education were correct and were
performed timely.
Questioned costs - $0
Context – Out of the population of 21 students who withdrew during the year and
were awarded federal aid, 3 were selected for testing. Our sampling method was
not, and was not intended to be, statistically valid. Total days in the semester for
one of the withdrawals tested was calculated incorrectly and the withdrawal date
that was used for one student was incorrect.
Effect – More Title IV funds were returned to the U.S. Department of Education than
required.
Cause – The College’s internal controls did not ensure proper identification of
withdrawal dates for unofficial withdrawals, nor did they ensure proper inputting of
semester information into the calculation of returns of Title IV funds based on total
days in the semester and total days attended.
Identification of repeat finding, if applicable – N/A
Recommendation –The College should update their controls to ensure that the total
days in the semester are calculated correctly based on proper identification of
withdrawal dates for unofficial withdrawals and total days attended by students
are calculated correctly.
Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions – This finding is in
reference to an R2T4 miscalculation for a graduate student enrolled in our MBA
Program for the 2022-23 academic year.
BACKGROUND: The Financial Aid Director has historically been the person to input
semester/session beginning and ending dates into our CRM system (Banner
ERP). The reason for this is because the financial aid office needs these exact
dates in the system at least six months before any other department needs them.
EXPLANATION: The MBA Program consists of five, 10-week sessions in an
academic year. Since the inception of this program, the beginning and end dates
of these sessions have been the same (within a few days). In particular, the
“Winter I” session dates have historically started around the middle of October
and ended the first week of January. It seems that the MBA Program Director
decided to change the end date of this particular session from the first week of
January to the third week of December for the 2022-23 academic year. The
Financial Aid Director did not receive a communication of this change. It was
included in the 2022-23 MBA Catalog. Entering the incorrect ending date for this
session was the error of the Financial Aid Director.
PLANNED CORRECTIVE ACTION: The Financial Aid Director will no longer enter
the dates of semesters/sessions in the Banner ERP system. The Registrar will
assume responsibility for this task and work in conjunction with directors of
Financial Aid and the MBA program to ensure term dates are established when
needed and accurately maintained.