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 Joliet Junior College (JJC) reported verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2021–2022 reporting period. We found that JJC did not always report verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2021–2022 reporting period. The total amount of grant and scholarship aid that JJC students received for the 2021–2022 reporting period and the number of full-time undergraduate students who were enrolled in the fall of 2021 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 2019–2020, were seeking their first postsecondary certificate or degree, and completed their program of study by the end of academic year 2021–2022 (150 percent of the normal time) that JJC reported to IPEDS were not verifiable. While not all reported financial aid and program completion 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 2021–2022 reporting period were verifiable. JJC did not always report verifiable data to IPEDS because it did not update 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 JJC to Update its existing policies and procedures for collecting, verifying, and reporting accurate data for the Student Financial Aid survey, consistent with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Keyholder Handbook and survey instructions. | |||||
| 1.2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for Federal Student Aid (FSA), in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require JJC to Design and implement procedures for ensuring that employees consider admission records to record and update the accurate classification of first-time, full-time undergraduate students in the student information system before finalizing the cohort. | |||||
| 1.3 | 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 the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) through the Student Financial Aid survey for the 2021–2022 reporting period. | |||||
| 2.1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require JJC to update and implement policies and procedures for collecting, verifying, and reporting accurate data for the Graduation Rates survey to align with current IPEDS reporting requirements and ensure the accurate classification of first-time, full-time undergraduate students. | |||||
| 2.2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| We recommend that the Chief Operating Officer for FSA, in conjunction with the Commissioner of NCES, require JJC to design and implement procedures for ensuring that employees consider admission records to record and update the accurate classification of first-time, full-time undergraduate students in the student information system before finalizing the cohort. | |||||
