Finding Text
Lack of Administrative Capability Material Weakness DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ALN #: 84.268, 84.063, 84.007, 84.033, 84.038, 84.379 (Student Financial Assistance Cluster) Federal Award Identification #: 2021-22 Financial Aid Year Condition: The administrative capability is currently below the required level for maintaining compliance with Title IV regulations. Criteria: 34 CFR 668.16 Questioned Costs: $47,676 Context: In the current year, we found several areas of noncompliance with the Department of Education regulations due to the complexity of administering financial aid for the various educational programs, the communication required between departments for appropriate administering of financial aid, and the number of enrolled students receiving financial aid. Cause: The financial aid department experienced turnover in staffing as well as changes in regulations in the same year while responding to the COVID-19 crisis and applicable waivers. The transmission of information from the online course platform to the financial aid system did not capture the needed information for compliance, and several critical processes required manual entry. Effect: Noncompliance with a number of Title IV regulations. Identification as repeat finding, if applicable: Not applicable Recommendation: We recommend the University adjust the financial aid system and online course platform integration and create a cheat sheet of applicable COVID-19 waivers for each award year. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action: Management agrees with the finding. See corrective action plan.