The Washington Post, students from majority Black and Latino communities are required to submit additional proof of income for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at higher rates than other students.
FAFSA audits nearly 25% of the estimated 18 million applicants during the 2019-2020 cycle. Compare that to the less than half a percent of all taxpayers audited by the Internal Revenue Service last year.
Though the government is working to reduce the obstacle for students to have to provide additional information on their applications for aid, the process delays funds, and has left some students questioning their place in college altogether.
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.
To protect taxpayer dollars, the Education Dept. is disproportionately auditing Black and Latino college students Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, John D. Harden Jun Cen for The Washington Post 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.