"The U.S. has entered a new age of data sharing as part of President Donald Trump’s deportation push, leaving some in higher education wondering if the administration will try to use federal financial aid application submissions for law enforcement purposes," Best Colleges reports.

... "MorraLee Keller, senior consultant for the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), told BestColleges that FAFSA data could feasibly be used to identify people living in the U.S. without proper authorization."

"'The short and sweet answer is that for each applicant and their contributor — especially those that have created FSA (Federal Student Aid) accounts — that is a full set of demographic information,' Keller said. 'If what you’re looking for is who they are and where they live, it’s there.'"

"Jill Desjean, senior policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), agrees."

"'It’s not exactly a one-to-one [match], but from my understanding, it’s pretty close,' she said."

... "While there are alternative reasons why a legal resident doesn’t have an SSN — perhaps they are still working their way through the immigration process — these explanations are rare, Desjean said. Typically, it’s because someone is an undocumented immigrant living in the U.S."

"The same logic applies to FAFSA filers who invite a spouse as a contributor to their form."

... "The lack of an SSN number alone isn’t damning, but it could indicate a lack of legal immigration status."

"Desjean said the likelier use of FAFSA data would be to find recent addresses for FAFSA contributors already suspected of being in the U.S. without legal immigration status. A lack of SSN may provide further clues to a person’s status."

... "Desjean said NASFAA advises financial aid administrators to explain to students that FAFSA filing is really about 'additional' risk. The federal government may already have a contributor’s address or immigration status from other filings, so students should consider this when debating whether to avoid a parent’s contribution."

"'It is pretty hard these days to keep your data private,' she said. 'There are a lot of different ways that most people [can be] identified in some way.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 5/5/2025