Finding Text
Criteria: Title IV regulations (34 CFR 685.309(b)) require that upon receipt of an enrollment report from the Secretary, institutions must update all information included in the report and return the report to the Secretary: (i) in the manner and format prescribed by the Secretary; and (ii) within the timeframe prescribed by the Secretary. Unless it expects to submit its next updated enrollment report to the Secretary within the next 60 days, an institution must notify the Secretary within 30 days after the date the institution discovers that: (i) a loan under Title IV of the Act was made to or on behalf of a student who was enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the institution, and the student has ceased to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis or failed to enroll on at least a half-time basis for the period for which the loan was intended; or (ii) a student who is enrolled at the institution and who received a loan under Title IV of the Act has changed his or her permanent address.
Condition: For one out of a sample of 25 students, the effective date reported to NSLDS for a withdrawn student was the date of determination rather than the last date of attendance.
The sample was not a statistically valid sample.
Cause: The University failed to follow its procedures for reporting student status changes correctly and/or within the required timeframe.
Effect: The accuracy of Title IV student loan records depends heavily on the accuracy of the enrollment information reported by institutions. If an institution does not review, update, and verify student enrollment statuses, effective dates of the enrollment status, and the anticipated completion dates, then the Title IV student loan records will be inaccurate.
Questioned costs: Not applicable.
Context: Not applicable.
Recommendation: It is recommended that policies and procedures are put in place to verify that the correct program level effective dates and enrollment statuses are reported to the NSLDS within the required timeframes after the information has been submitted through the servicer (National Student Clearinghouse). This could include a review of withdrawal or graduation dates compared to the effective dates and enrollment statuses reported to the NSLDS to make sure they are accurate.
Management Response: For the one student found to have the incorrect date reported, the University is conducting additional training in the registrar’s office and will continue to focus on improving procedures to ensure the correct date is reported.