Finding Text
Federal Program:
U.S. Department of Education:
Student Financial Aid Cluster:
Federal Pell Grant, Assistance Listing 84.063
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, Assistance Listing 84.007
Federal Work Study Program, Assistance Listing 84.038
Federal Direct Loan Program, Assistance Listing 84.268
Teacher Education Assistance for College Higher Education Grants, Assistance Listing 84.379
Criteria: The College must comply with 34 Section 668.22.
Condition: During our testing of unofficial withdrawals, we selected 6 samples and noted 3 students who did not complete the enrollment period that did not have a return of funds calculation performed timely. 1 of the students had a calculation performed subsequent to the auditors discovery. The other 2 students did not have a return of funds calculation performed.
Cause: The College did not have a control in place to properly review students who unofficially withdrew to verify the student completed the enrollment period. For those students who unofficially withdrew and did not complete the enrollment period, there was no control in place to verify a return of funds calculation was being performed timely.
Effect: There was 1 student who did not have a return of funds calculation performed timely, as well as 2 students who did not have a return of funds calculation performed.
Questioned Costs: Known questioned costs of $998 of aid that was returned untimely, due to the return of funds calculation being performed lately. Known questioned costs of $4,361 of funds that should have been returned that were not, due to return of funds calculation not being performed.
Recommendation: We recommend that the College review and revise their policies and procedures related to unofficial withdrawals. The College should review the last day attended for all students who unofficially withdrew, to determine if a return of funds calculation is necessary.
View of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: The College is not an attendance taking school and will not be using the last date attended, but the College has implemented procedure to use the last date of an academic activity as standard for a non-attendance taking school. At the end of each semester, the College has put a procedure in place to review all grades within 7 business days of final grades being reported. Once reviewed, the Director of Financial Aid will send an email to all faculty for the student to request that last date of an academic activity for on-ground students. For online students, the Director of Online Learning will provide the last date of an academic activity recorded in the online platform. Once the last date of academic activity has been provided to the Financial Office, that date will be used in the return of funds calculation. The College will process all return of funds calculations before the standard 45 day timeframe.