To protect taxpayer dollars, Education Dept disproportionately audits Black, Latino college students [View all]

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Higher Education

To protect taxpayer dollars, the Education Dept. is disproportionately auditing Black and Latino college students

A Washington Post analysis of federal data found that the Education Department has disproportionately selected students from majority-Black and Latino neighborhoods to provide further proof that the information on their financial aid application is accurate

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and John D. Harden
Feb. 7, 2021 at 8:06 a.m. EST

For at least the last decade, the Education Department has disproportionately selected students from majority Black and Latino neighborhoods to provide further proof that the information on their financial aid application is accurate, according to an analysis of federal data by The Washington Post.

It is a seemingly innocuous request, one meant to reduce fraud and improper payments. But like any government audit, verification — as the process is known — can be a time-consuming, invasive experience primarily visited on the poor.

Nearly a quarter of the roughly 18 million students who filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, were selected for verification in the 2019-2020 cycle. By comparison, the Internal Revenue Service audited less than half a percent of all returns last year.

The federal government is taking steps to lower the number of students subjected to verification, but it remains an added hurdle for students reliant on federal support to pursue higher education and vexing enough to derail some.

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Danielle Douglas-Gabriel
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel covers the economics of education, writing about the financial lives of students, from when they take out student debt through their experiences in the job market. Before that, she wrote about the banking industry. Follow https://twitter.com/DaniDougPost

John D. Harden
John D. Harden is a metro data reporter for The Washington Post. He joined The Post after four years working for the Houston Chronicle as a data and breaking news reporter. Follow https://twitter.com/jdharden