Education 101:  How To Avoid Federal Aid Paybacks
A university participating in federal aid programs discovered it was not fully compliant with the federal program rules. The consequence of noncompliance could mean a substantial payback—possibly millions of dollars—to the federal government.

To remedy the situation, BKD stepped in to put together a compliance plan, first collecting the required information and formally documenting. Next, we assisted in developing policies and procedures to prevent a recurrence of the errors, tested the new procedures and presented the results to the federal agency.

The result:  BKD's involvement reduced the payback amount and showed the university how to avoid the same mistakes again.
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We Can Help You With…
  • Student financial aid
  • Fiscal management
  • Resource management
  • Capital expenditures
  • Endowment performance
  • Tax exposure

Colleges & Universities

BKD Not-for-Profit & Government Group works with more than 100 public and private colleges and universities, helping them balance the costs of delivering quality education with the reality of tight budgets, reduced governmental funds and shrinking investment returns from endowments.

We are members of the National Association of College and University Business Officers and its regional associations and the Association for Business Administrators of Christian Colleges.

Because of BKD's experience with higher education, we have profited from a team of knowledgeable, professional, independent auditors. We very much appreciate the fine service BKD has provided.
— Sister M. Elise Kriss, President
University of Saint Francis
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Financial Management

  • Financial statements
  • Corporate governance
  • Budgets
  • Internal audits and internal controls
  • Restricted resource utilization
  • SOX 404 best practices
  • Board member education
  • Benchmarking comparisons
  • Financing alternatives

Resource Management

  • Cost allocation plans
  • Cash-flow analysis
  • Feasibility studies and financial projections
  • Business plans and budgets
  • Operational reviews
  • Outsourcing evaluations

Student Financial Aid Assistance

  • Tuition discounting benchmarking studies
  • Program costs
  • Policies and procedures
  • Endowed scholarship fund utilization
  • Federal compliance
  • Student financial aid fraud investigations

Capital Expenditures

  • Financing alternatives
  • Exempt bond offerings
  • Debt covenants
  • Capital budgets
  • Lender negotiations
  • Technology planning & implementation through BKD Technologies
  • IT audit

Endowment Performance

Tax Risks & Opportunities

  • Planning for unrelated business income, retirement plans, executive compensation and mock IRS exams
  • Assistance with tax exemptions, private letter rulings and IRS/state exams
  • Planning for intermediate sanctions
  • Tax reporting related to Form 990, lobbying & political activities
  • State and local tax issues

For More Information

Contact your BKD advisor or:

Debi Ladyman
BKD Not-for-Profit & Government Group Leader
888.476.7258