Finding Text
2023-004. FINDING Failure to Provide Uniform Resource Locator to the Department of
Education
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Assistance Listing Numbers: 84.063; 84.268; 84.379; 84.007; 84.033
Program Names: Student Financial Assistance Cluster -
Federal Pell Grant Program
Federal Direct Student Loans
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
Federal Work Study
Program Expenditures: $4,329,746; $20,224,493; $25,460; $289,515; $505,494
Award Numbers: P063P211351; P268K221351; P379T221351; P007A221121; P033A221121
Questioned Costs: None
The Chicago State University (University) entered into an arrangement with a servicer to make direct payments of financial aid credit balances to its students. During testing, we noted the arrangement with the servicer and related costs were disclosed on the University’s website. However, the University did not provide the Department of Education with the uniform resource locator (URL) of its website where the disclosure of its contract with the servicer and related contract information is posted.
The Code of Federal Regulations (Code) (34 CFR § 668.164(e)(2)(viii)) requires the University to provide the Department of Education with an up-to-date URL for the contract and contract data with the servicer for publication on the Department of Education’s Cash Management Contract Database accessible to the public.
University management indicated the failure to provide the Department of Education with an up-to-date URL for its contract with the servicer and related contract data was due to oversight.
Failure to provide the Department of Education with an up-to-date URL for the University’s contract with the servicer and related contract information is a noncompliance with the Code. (Finding Code No. 2023-004)
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend the University provide the Department of Education with the URL of the contract with the servicer and related contract information in accordance with the Code.
UNIVERSITY RESPONSE
The University agrees with the finding and has submitted proper documentation to the Department of Education for proper posting of the URL.