Finding Text
Finding 2024-001
U.S. Department of Education
Assistance Listing Number 84.063
Enrollment Reporting Process
Criteria -
The federal government requires the College to report student enrollment data to the U.S.
Department of Education’s National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) system at least every
60 days, and to certify the enrollment status of the students as submitted. Enrollment status
changes, such as withdrawals, must be submitted at a minimum during this 60-day certification
process but may report at more frequent intervals to capture more current enrollment status
changes.
Condition -
During the 2024 audit, it was noted that for one of fifteen students selected for testing, the
student’s withdrawal information was not reported within the required timeframe.
Cause -
Employee turnover at the time of the student’s withdrawal resulted in a lack of timely
communication between financial aid and registrar to report the student as withdrawn.
Effect -
The College did not report the student’s status change to NSLDS within the required
timeframe.
Recommendation -
The College should ensure that during times of transition or employee turnover, staff follow up
on open cases to verify that student enrollment data is reported to NSLDS within the required
timeframe. This can be achieved by implementing a documented process for monitoring
outstanding withdrawal cases, assigning temporary oversight to designated personnel, and
conducting periodic reviews to ensure compliance with federal reporting requirements.
Views of Responsible Officials –
The College has updated the documented procedures to indicate that all documents will be
sent digitally to the registrar’s office, rather than a combination of paper delivery and/or email.
By only email delivery, a trail can be followed to ensure both offices have received notification
that the withdrawal process and its completion. As an additional safeguard, a regular review
between all offices that manage student withdrawals will be conducted to ensure student cases
have been completed timely.