FSA Announces Latest Institutional Oversight Tool: Secret Shoppers
Hugh T. Ferguson
March 15, 2023
Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Tuesday announced that it will utilize secret shoppers to evaluate recruitment, enrollment, financial aid, and other postsecondary program practices, in order to ensure that schools are not conducting predatory or deceptive practices in violation of Title IV regulations.
The launch of this monitoring program is a part of the Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Enforcement, which is housed within FSA, and was re-launched during the Biden administration in an effort to strengthen oversight and enforcement actions against colleges and universities.
According to the announcement, findings collected by secret shoppers could serve as evidence to support an open investigation of an institution, or provide the basis for opening a review. Additionally, FSA said that the enforcement unit could share its findings with other law enforcement partners, including other federal and state agencies and officials.
