Education Department Announces Use of Secret Shopping to Protect Students, Crack Down on Institutions that Lure Students with Lies
March 14, 2023
Builds on Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to holding low-performing and predatory schools accountable
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced today that the Enforcement Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) will use secret shoppers as an additional tool to monitor postsecondary institutions’ compliance with the laws and regulations governing their participation in the federal student aid programs. In particular, secret shoppers will evaluate recruitment, enrollment, financial aid, and other practices of postsecondary institutions to help identify potentially deceptive or predatory practices used to recruit and enroll students.
“Secret shopping is another tool in FSA’s toolbox as we expand our oversight work to hold predatory schools accountable,” said FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “Our focus—as always—is to ensure that students, borrowers, families, and taxpayers are not being preyed upon to make a quick buck.”
