Department of Education

Congress passed three coronavirus relief acts within a 1-year period that provided more than $275 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus, including $189.5 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). The...

This statutory report presents the activities and accomplishments of the OIG from April 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. The audits, investigations, and related work highlighted in the report are products of our mission to identify and stop fraud, waste, and abuse; and promote accountability...

In March 2025, we identified and conveyed to the Department suspicious activity related to parent information used on multiple dependent student Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms. At the time, FSA flagged these students for identity verification and we issued “ Fraud Watch Issue...

In accordance with the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, the OIG reports annually on the most serious management and performance challenges the U.S. Department of Education (Department) faces. For FY 2026, we identified five management challenges the Department faces as it continues its efforts to...

The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 requires the Inspector General to audit the agency’s financial statements each year, which is intended to help improve an agency’s financial management and controls over financial reporting. For FY 2025, the auditors i ssued an unmodified opinion on the FY...

In accordance with the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010, this report presents the results of the OIG's work over fiscal year 2025 in meeting its performance goals.

The objective of our inspection was to determine whether Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) reported verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2021–2022 reporting period. We found that SNHU did not always report verifiable data in the Student Financial Aid, Graduation Rates, and Institutional...

The U.S. Department of Education administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which authorizes formula grants to States under Part B to assist them in meeting the excess costs of providing special education and related services (services) to children ages 3 through 21 with...

The SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022 reauthorized the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The Inspector General of a Federal agency that participates in the SBIR or STTR programs must submit an annual report to Congress describing...

The objective of our review was to determine whether the U.S. Department of Education (Department) complied with transfer of funds and reprogramming requirements under appropriations laws. To achieve our objective, we identified the Department’s transfer and reprogramming activities from November 5...