FSA Provides Best Practices For Institutions to Prevent FAFSA Fraud
Hugh T. Ferguson
June 1, 2026
The Department of Education (ED) issued an electronic announcement on Friday with several best practices institutions should consider to prevent fraud in federal student assistance programs.
The announcement follows the department’s recent real-time fraud detection for the FAFSA and offers operational steps that institutions can use to identify potential fraud earlier in the financial aid lifecycle, prevent improper disbursements, and coordinate action across offices.
“These practices are not exhaustive and do not replace existing statutory or regulatory requirements,” Friday’s electronic announcement reads. “Rather, they reflect concrete, operational steps institutions are using to identify potential fraud earlier in the financial aid lifecycle, prevent improper disbursements, and coordinate action across offices.”
Under each scenario, Federal Student Aid (FSA) offers several examples for institutions to reference.
