Finding 524090 (2024-001)

- Repeat Finding
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2025-02-20
Audit: 343264
Organization: Warren Wilson College (NC)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The College failed to report changes for withdrawn students to the NSLDS within the required 60 days.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with the Special Test and Provisions for Enrollment Reporting under the U.S. Department of Education guidelines.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement a process to ensure timely reporting of student status changes to avoid future discrepancies.

Finding Text

Finding No. 2024-001 Identification of the Federal Program: U.S. Department of Education – Student Financial Aid Cluster, Assistance Listing #84.007, 84.033, 84.063, 84.268 Compliance Requirement: Special Test and Provisions – Enrollment Reporting Criteria: The College is required to send changes in attendance levels, graduated, withdrew, dropped out, or enrolled changes to the National Student Loan Data System (“NSLDS”) within 60 days of the change. Condition: The College had not reported changes for withdrawn students to the NSLDS as required under the Uniform Grant Guidance for the year ended June 30, 2024. Cause: The status information reported in the College’s system, Jenzabar (withdrawal date), was incorrectly extracted for the submission to the National Student Clearinghouse and NSLDS, which created discrepancies between the status effective date. The College was unaware of this technical issue and did not have another monitoring mechanism in place that would have alerted it to this deficiency in the system reporting. Context: Of the nine students selected for test work, the College sent one change related to a withdrawn student to the NSLDS with an incorrect status effective date and updated the status after 60 days. Identification as a Repeat Finding: Finding No. 2024-001 is a repeat finding of Finding No. 2023-001. Effect: The College did not report withdraw changes to the NSLDS timely. Recommendation: The College should put in place a process to timely capture withdrawn student changes so that student status changes are reported to the NSLDS within the required timeframe. Management Response: The College concurs with this finding. Corrective Action Plan: See management’s corrective action plan which is attached.

Corrective Action Plan

Corrective Action Plan from College: This is submitted to Derrick Everhart, Director of Financial Aid, by the College Registrar Brooke Millsaps. In order to correct the need to have a monitoring mechanism in place, the College has taken the following actions: ● Warren Wilson College convened a group of stakeholders to review our exit and withdrawal procedures. This group included representatives from the following offices: Financial Aid, Registrar, tudent Accounts, Student Engagement, Office of the Provost. ● The group revised our procedures when a student indicates they want to leave the College. These revised procedures include the following: 1. Developed a specific chart to determine the classification of the student, the time of year of the action, and the circumstances of the action: See Corrective Action Plan for chart / table. 2. Removed a student's ability to complete the exit form once classes started in order to prevent an erroneous student exit 3. Implemented an Administrative Exit - census verification process . This allows the college the opportunity to verify through roster verification, work participation, and residential status if a student should be administratively exited. 4. As a result of this revised institutional procedure, the Office of the Registrar reviewed and revised its procedures regarding exits and withdrawals to ensure that we are documenting accurate information in the appropriate locations within Jenzabar. This will ensure that when we report data to the National Student Clearinghouse, the associated exits and withdrawal dates are in alignment. Management Response : The Director of Financial Aid concurs with this finding and noted while the College was out of compliance with the reporting timeframe, the College did make a substantial effort to complete the requirements and follow up with NSLDS and NSC to correct the students enrollment. Contact College personnel for corrective action. Derrick Everhart, Director of Financial Aid deverhart@warren-wilson.edu Brooke Milsaps, College Registrar bmillsaps@warren-wilson.edu

Categories

Student Financial Aid Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Special Tests & Provisions

Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
10.766 Community Facilities Loans and Grants $14.74M
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $3.45M
84.033 Federal Work-Study Program $1.66M
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $1.53M
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants $117,586
47.074 Biological Sciences $47,753
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $43,441