Finding Text
2022-003 Significant Deficiency: National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Report (U.S. Department of Education, William D. Ford Direct Loan Program, ALN #84.268 and Federal Pell Grant Program, ALN #84.063) Criteria: In accordance with 34 CFR 668.22(c) a student's withdrawal date is: (1) the date, as determined by the institution, that the student began the withdrawal process prescribed by the institution; (2) the date, as determined by the institution, that the student otherwise provided official notification to the institution, in writing or orally, of his or her intent to withdraw; (3) if the student ceases attendance without providing official notification, the mid-point of the payment period; (4) if the institution determines that a student did not begin the institution's withdrawal process or otherwise provide official notification to the institution of his or her intent to withdraw because of illness, accident, grievous personal loss, or other such circumstances beyond the student's control, the date that the institution determines is related to that circumstance; (5) If a student does not return from an approved leave of absence, the date that the institution determines the student began the leave of absence; or (6) if a student takes a leave of absence that does not meet certain requirements, the date that the student began the leave of absence. Statement of Condition: During the audit, it was noted that the University reported the incorrect date to NSLDS for the withdrawal date. Questioned Costs: Such information is not applicable for this finding since it is nonmonetary in nature. Perspective Information: The audit included a detailed testing of 40 student files, of which this significant deficiency applies to 8, indicating an error rate of 20.00%. Cause and Effect: Due to lapses in communication between departments and misunderstanding of the guidance for NSLDS reporting, the University reported the incorrect withdrawal date in some instances, resulting in misrepresentation within the NSLDS system. Recommendation: The University should ensure that the correct withdrawal date is reported to NSLDS. View of Responsible Officials: The University concurs with this finding. Despite the withdrawal date being placed in Anthology, the status date that the withdrawal date was input was sent to clearinghouse instead of the true withdrawal date. Tusculum University has since switched back to Colleague which submit the true withdrawal date when exporting the data to upload to clearinghouse.