Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), requires postsecondary schools participating in Title IV programs to annually report data, including data relevant to students’ cost of attendance and financial aid and the schools’ graduation rates, to the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to the satisfaction of the Secretary The objective of our inspection was to determine whether the National College of Business & Technology Company, Inc., doing business as NUC University (NUC University), reported verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2020–2021 reporting period. We found that NUC University did not always report verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2020–2021 reporting period. The total amount of grant or scholarship aid that NUC University students received for the 2020–2021 reporting period and the number of full-time undergraduate students who were enrolled in the fall of 2020 and seeking their first postsecondary certificate or degree that the school reported to IPEDS were not verifiable. In addition, the number of students who were full-time undergraduate students who began attending the school during academic year 2015–2016, were seeking their first postsecondary certificate or degree, and completed their program of study by the end of academic year 2020–2021 (150 percent of the normal time) that NUC University reported to IPEDS were not verifiable. While not all reported data were verifiable, the average tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other expenses charged to full-time undergraduate students who were seeking their first certificate or degree that the school reported to IPEDS for the 2020–2021 reporting period were verifiable. NUC University did not always report verifiable data to IPEDS because it did not design and implement procedures for collecting, consolidating, assessing the reliability of, and reporting data to IPEDS.
Open Recommendations
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for Federal Student Aid (FSA), in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require NUC University to develop, document, and implement policies and procedures for collecting, consolidating, assessing the reliability of, and reporting data to IPEDS through the SFA survey. | |||||
| 1.2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require NUC University to develop, document, and implement procedures to ensure that formulas used to calculate the total amount of financial aid awarded to undergraduate students by Federal, State, or local governments or the school include all student financial aid the school is required to report. | |||||
| 2.1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require NUC University to develop, document, and implement policies and procedures for collecting, consolidating, assessing the reliability of, and reporting data to IPEDS through the Graduation Rates survey. | |||||
| 2.2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require NUC University to develop, document, and implement procedures for ensuring that employees enter information in all required data fields in its student information system. | |||||
| 2.3 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require NUC University to maintain records supporting its categorization of students as full-time undergraduate students who began attending the school in the fall of each academic year, were seeking their first postsecondary certificate or degree, and completed their program within 150 percent of the normal time for completion. | |||||
| 2.4 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We also recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA consider taking appropriate action pursuant to subpart G of 34 C.F.R. section 668 because the school reported inaccurate and incorrect information to IPEDS through the Graduation Rates survey for the 2020–2021 reporting period. | |||||
