Bridgewater CollegeHigher Education

2024-001 Enrollment Reporting (Significant Deficiency), Department of Education, Student Financial Aid Cluster, Special Tests and Provisions Condition: The College did not report student enrollment data to the National Student Clearinghouse within the minimum required timeframe. Criteria: Unless it expects to submit its next updated enrollment report to the Secretary within the next 60 days, a school must notify the Secretary within 30 days after the date the school discovers that 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 school, 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 (34 CFR 685.309(b)(2)(i)). Cause: The College does not have adequate procedures in place to ensure students’ enrollment statuses are updated on NSLDS timely. Effect: Enrollment data was not reported timely or accurately to the Department of Education thus, the Department could not properly service the students’ loans. The accuracy of the Title IV student loan records depends heavily on the accuracy of the enrollment information reported by institutions. Context: From a population of 42 students that withdrew officially during a term, we tested 5 students and noted that all 5 were not reported timely. Recommendation: We recommend that the College put procedures in place to ensure that any changes in student enrollments are properly tracked and updated to the NSLDS. Management Response: When the Registrar’s Office is notified of a student’s withdrawal (official or unofficial), within 24 hours the student’s record in the National Student Clearinghouse will be manually flagged as withdrawn with their last date of attendance. Party responsible: Sherry A. Phelps Office phone: 540-828-5313 Email address: sphelps2@bridgewater.edu Expected date of correction: This problem was corrected on 6/27/2024 when it was brought to my attention and since that date the required information has been correctly reported directly into the National Student Clearinghouse within 24 hours of the date of determination of a student’s withdraw from the college.