Finding Text
Information on the Federal Program: Student Financial Assistance Cluster; PELL (ALN 84.063) and Direct Loans (ALN 84.268); United States Department of Education; Award Year 2023-24; Compliance requirement – Special Tests and Provisions; Type of Finding: Noncompliance.
Criteria: The PELL and Direct Loan programs (Pell, 34 CFR section 690.83(b)(2) and Direct Loan, 34 CFR section 685.309) require institutions to submit enrollment data and enrollment changes to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).
Condition: SWAU submitted none of the required reporting to NSLDS for the 2023-24 year.
Context: Twelve reports were due for 2023-24, based on the NSLDS information reviewed during the audit. These delinquencies ranged from 180 to 459 days past due as of November 26, 2024.
Cause: A change in personnel and lack of timely hiring, understaffing and proper training in
the Registrar’s office and a new university student information system led to the reports not being generated and filed as required.
Effect or Potential Effect: Student enrollment status is not correctly reflected in the NSLDS system, potentially allowing students to not begin loan repayment in the correct timeframe.
Recommendation: The delinquent NSLDS reports for the 2023-24 academic year were subsequently prepared and submitted as of February 11, 2025. Staffing has been added. Deadlines and clear responsibilities for duties and tasks should be communicated and training provided if needed, to avoid recurrence.
Responsible Official’s Response and Corrective Action Planned: See corrective action plan.