Finding 537969 (2024-001)

Assistance Listing, Federal Agency, and Program Name Student Financial Assistance Cluster Federal Direct Student Loan Program, ALN 84.268 and Federal Pell Grants ALN 84.063 Federal Award Identification Number and Year Various Pass through Entity N/A Finding Type Material weakness and material noncompliance with laws and regulations Repeat Finding No Criteria The University has 60 days from the date the University determines an enrollment status change to report to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). The enrollment reporting must be updated for changes in the data elements for the campus record and program record and submitted electronically through the batch method, spreadsheet submittal, or the NSLDS website (34 CFR 685.309). Condition Of the 40 students selected for enrollment reporting testing, the University did not properly update the student enrollment information for 6 students accurately. Questioned Costs None Identification of How Questioned Costs Were Computed N/A Context Out of a sample of 40 students, our testing identified 5 students that were reported as withdrawn from the University with the improper enrollment effective date and 1 student that changed their address at the University and it was not reported to NSLDS. Cause and Effect The University did not have formal procedures and controls in place to determine the appropriate effective date of unofficial withdrawals or properly identify students that changed their address within the University's student information system and ensure these students were properly reported in the monthly enrollment roster. Recommendation The University should update their policy to align the definition of the enrollment effective date with the regulations and implement controls to ensure the appropriate data elements are complete, accurate, and timely prior to submission. Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan To ensure accurate and timely reporting of student withdrawals, the Registrar’s Office and the Office of Student Financial Aid have implemented a new process in compliance with 34 CFR 685.309(b) and 34 CFR 668.22: • The Office of Student Financial Aid will generate a list of students who received all failing grades and whose last date of attendance was reported as prior to the end of the term. The report will be shared with the Registrar’s Office. • The Registrar’s Office will then update the student enrollment status to "Withdrawn" in the National Student Clearinghouse database, using the reported last date of attendance as the effective date. • All updates will be submitted within 30 days of determination or included in the next NSLDS reporting cycle, per federal requirements. Staff have received additional training to ensure accurate enrollment status reporting. Additionally, an internal audit process will be implemented to verify that enrollment records are accurately updated each semester.