Fraud is impacting higher education like never before:

•  One in four applicants to California community colleges were suspected of fraud.

•  Financial aid fraud costs U.S. universities approximately $100 million annually.

•  Synthetic identity fraud grew by 38% between 2022 and 2023.

Institutions must act now to protect against escalating threats and preserve the integrity of their admissions and financial aid processes.

Fraudsters are evolving their methods to exploit vulnerabilities across the admissions lifecycle. Common tactics include:

•  The use of bots to automate fraudulent application submissions.

•  Creation of "ghost students" using fabricated or stolen identities to claim financial aid.

•  Manipulation of data within Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms to secure
   illegitimate benefits.

To counter these threats, institutions need a dynamic, technology-driven approach.

We’re a trusted leader in identity risk mitigation and assurance. Our award-winning LexisNexis EssentialID™ solution analyzes more than 345 million transactions daily and over 121 billion annually. In 2024 alone, we detected 690 million human-initiated fraud attacks and over 2 billion automated bot attacks on behalf of our customers — all while maintaining a 99.99% linking precision rate.

Specifically, LexisNexis EssentialID™ revolutionizes the admissions process, helping colleges and universities significantly reduce fraudulent applications while improving the experience for legitimate students.

Download our tip sheet to discover essential strategies and technologies for combating fraud in higher education.