Finding Text
Criteria or specific requirement: The Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR 685.309 requires that enrollment status changes for students be reported to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) NSLDS within 30 days or within 60 days if the student with the status change will be reported on a scheduled transmission within 60 days of the change in status. 34 CFR 685.309(b), states that Institutions must have some arrangement to report student enrollment data to NSLDS through an enrollment roster file. The institution is required to report changes in the student?s enrollment status, the effective date of the status, and an anticipated completion date. Also, the Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR 682.610, states that institutions must report accurately the enrollment status of all students regardless of if they receive aid from the institution or not. Condition: The College did not comply with NSLDS enrollment reporting requirements. Questioned costs: None Context: This condition occurred as follows out of 60 students selected for testing: ? For 3 students, the enrollment status was not reported correctly ? For 4 students, the enrollment status effective date could not be verified ? For 30 students, the change in enrollment status was not reported timely ? For 8 students, we could not verify that the CIP code per NSLDS agreed to the institution?s records ? For 60 students, the incorrect program length was reported in NSLDS ? For 1 student, the program begin date was not reported in NSLDS. Cause: Due to an unexpected loss of staff and institutional knowledge in the Registrar?s Office, some of the processes for updating a student?s record, whether for a change of program or to a withdrawal status, were learned via documentation available without any resident expertise. Some errors were made in the learning process. However, with the help of an outside consultant, correct procedures have since been implemented. For the 60 students whose program length was incorrectly reported; this is due to the fact that the institution reported on the National Student Clearinghouse?s website that the bachelor?s degree takes 48 months to complete. Our bachelor?s degree is a four-year degree and should not have been reported in months. The Clearinghouse translated 48 months to the incorrect number of years. This is being corrected. Effect: The NSLDS system is not updated with the student information which may cause over awarding should the student transfer to another institution and the students may not properly enter the repayment period. Repeat Finding: Yes, 2021-002 Recommendation: We recommend the College review its reporting procedures to ensure that students? statuses are accurately and timely reported to NSLDS as required by regulations. Views of responsible officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.