Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026

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R ThompsonSponsor

1 cosponsor · 1 R

R Foxx

0 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to prioritize the review of institutions of higher education (IHEs) that disburse federal student aid without verifying the identity of a student whose Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud.

What it does: CRS summary · Reported to House · May 26, 2026

Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026

Specifically, the bill requires ED to identify each IHE that disburses, on or after October 1, 2026, federal financial aid for an award year to any student whose FAFSA presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud, as determined by ED's identity fraud detection system. However, the bill excludes from this identification any IHE that demonstrates to ED, for each student and before disbursing federal financial aid, that the IHE (1) verifies the student's identity in person or by live video, (2) notifies ED of the identify verification, and (3) maintains a record of such identity verification.

ED may use identification information to inform program reviews, audits, investigations, and other oversight activities related to federal student aid.

(On April 26, 2026, ED began implementing a real-time identity fraud detection process within the FAFSA form that places applicants into one of four risk categories. High-risk applicants must confirm their identity by presenting documentation during the online application process, including via a live camera process. Applicants who are rejected via this automated process must then have their identity verified in person by IHEs.)

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026

Latest action (May 26, 2026): Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 582.

Policy area: Education · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 12, 2026

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.