Finding 587784 (2023-002)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-02-02
Audit: 15219
Organization: University of Lynchburg (VA)
Auditor: Brown Edwards

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The University failed to update enrollment statuses for students who withdrew, impacting compliance with federal reporting requirements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Institutions must accurately report enrollment information under Pell grant and Direct loan programs as per 34 CFR 690.83(b)(2) and 34 CFR 685.309.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Implement new procedures and an automated system (Ellucian Colleague) by August 2024 to ensure timely updates of student enrollment statuses.

Finding Text

Update of Enrollment Status when a Student Withdraws (Significant Deficiency) Department of Education, SFA Cluster Criteria: Institutions are required to report enrollment information under the Pell grant and the Direct loan programs via the NSLDS. The administration of the Title IV programs depends heavily on the accuracy and timeliness of the enrollment information reported by institutions. Institutions must review, update, and certify student enrollment statuses, program information, and effective dates that appear on the Enrollment Reporting Roster file or on the Enrollment Maintenance page of the NSLDS Professional Access website in accordance with 34 CFR 690.83(b)(2) and 34 CFR 685.309. Condition: Eleven of the seventeen students selected for withdraw testing for the 2022-2023 academic year required an update to NSLDS enrollment status. The enrollment status for one student was not updated after the student was no longer enrolled on at least a half-time basis. Cause: The University does not have adequate procedures in place to ensure students’ enrollment statuses are updated. Effect: The University failed update the NSLDS enrollment status. Recommendation: We recommend that the University put procedures in place to ensure that student enrollment statuses are updated following any change in full time enrollment status. Management Response: To ensure that student enrollment statuses are updated following any change in full time enrollment status, the University of Lynchburg is implementing a new Student information system (Ellucian Colleague) that will automate the management of student statuses based on NSLDS parameters and guidelines. The new system will drastically reduce the previous needs for the manual monitoring of student statuses. This new system will be fully implemented by August 2024. In the interim, the Registrar’s Office is stepping up its efforts to ensure that the current manual monitoring process is effective.

Categories

Student Financial Aid Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting Significant Deficiency Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 11341 2023-001
    Significant Deficiency
  • 11342 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 587783 2023-001
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $23.89M
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $2.39M
84.033 Federal Work-Study Program $505,499
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants $222,359
47.076 Education and Human Resources $187,860
16.525 Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus $89,867
47.074 Biological Sciences $71,684
47.050 Geosciences $42,013
84.173 Special Education_preschool Grants $38,813
84.379 Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants (teach Grants) $30,648
47.079 Office of International Science and Engineering $17,038
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $2,469