Finding Text
Federal Program: Student Financial Assistance Cluster – Federal Pell Grant Program, Federal Direct Student Loans
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Pass-Through Entity: Not applicable
Assistance Listing Number: 84.063, 84.268
Federal Award Year: June 30, 2023
Criterion: Title IV regulations (34 CFR 685.309(b)) require that upon receipt of an enrollment report from the Secretary of the Department of Education (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 the institution 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 and Context: Exceptions were noted for five out of the twenty-five students tested. The exceptions are noted as follows:
• For two students, their status was reported late to National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) at the campus and program level.
• For two students, incorrect statuses were reported to NSLDS at the campus and program level. The correct status was never reported.
• For one student, no reporting was submitted to NSLDS at the campus or program level.
Our sample was not statistically valid.
Cause: The University uses the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to transmit enrollment information to NSLDS. The University transmitted correct enrollment information for the students identified above to NSC, yet the campus level and program level information was not correct in NSLDS. The University’s process did not ensure accurate reporting to NSLDS.
Effect: The accuracy of the Title IV student loan records depends heavily on the accuracy of the enrollment information reported by schools. 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.
Recommendation: The University should implement a process and related control to ensure accurate and timely reporting to NSLDS as well as working with NSC to understand the discrepancy in reporting to NSLDS.
Management Response: Management agrees with the finding. The Director of Financial Aid and the Registrar will ensure the implementation of procedures and controls in fiscal 2024 to ensure accurate and timely updating of the enrollment reports to NSLDS.