Authors: Alberto Guzman-Alvarez (University of Pittsburgh), Lindsay C. Page (University of Pittsburgh) This study was published today in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Main Findings: The institutional compliance costs of the FAFSA verification mandate in 2014 totaled nearly $500 million, with the burden falling disproportionately on public institutions and community colleges in particular. Twenty-two percent of an average community college's financial aid office operating budget is devoted to verification procedures, compared to 15 percent at public four-year institutions and 1 percent at private four-year institutions. Details: The authors note that every year approximately 6 million of the 20 million students who apply for federal financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are selected by the U.S. Department of Education to undergo a verification process that requires them to further attest that the information reported on their FAFSA is accurate. The verification requirement is an unfunded mandate with the administrative costs falling on students' institutions.