119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · Apr 29, 2026
No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Apr 29, 2026): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in Senate (Apr 29, 2026)
No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026
This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an identity fraud detection system for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Beginning on October 1, 2026, ED must use an identity fraud detection system to review each submitted application to determine whether the applicant presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud. If ED makes such a determination, it must notify the applicant and each institution of higher education (IHE) designated on the application that the applicant is subject to additional identity verification.
An IHE may not disburse federal financial aid to an applicant that presents a reasonable suspicion of fraud unless the IHE verifies the applicant's identity in person or by live video. If the applicant's identity is confirmed, the IHE must notify ED that the applicant's identity has been verified.
ED must establish guidelines for the identity verification procedures conducted by IHEs.
(On April 26, 2026, ED began implementing a real-time identity fraud detection process within the FAFSA form that places applicants into one of four risk categories. High-risk applicants must confirm their identity by presenting documentation during the online application process, including via a live camera process. Applicants who are rejected via this automated process must then have their identity verified in person by IHEs.)
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced in Senate
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 24, 2026.
9 citations.
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX INC · lobbying firm or registrant: UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX, INC.
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$410,000
Spent on own lobbying
H.R. 7892, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, provisions related to student verification processes. S. 4428, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, provisions related to student verification processes. H.R. 7893, FAFSA Verification Efficiency Act, provisions related…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$420,000
Spent on own lobbying
…er in Defense Contracting. Predatory practices in higher education, generally H.R.8475/S.1220, Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR) Act H.R.7892/S.4428, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 H.R.4658/S.3371, Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act Full-Service Community Schools Expansion Act Climate Cha…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$60,639
Spent on own lobbying
…gence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026 H.R. 6677 Professional Degree Access Restoration Act S. 4269 Restoring College Access and Affordability Act S. 4428 No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 S.5559 - BASIC Act of 2026
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN FINTECH COUNCIL · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN FINTECH COUNCIL
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities
$120,000
Spent on own lobbying
…s H.R. 940, H.R. 2702, H.R. 4437, H.R. 5317 and S. 875. H.R. 7866 / S. 3889 - American Lending Fairness Act of 2026: provisions related to lending. H.R. 7892 / S. 4428 - No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026: provisions related to strengthening federal student aid system. H.R. 8278 - Fostering the Use of Technology to Uphold…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AFL-CIO · lobbying firm or registrant: AFL-CIO
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$920,000
Spent on own lobbying
The Department of Educations Proposed Rule to Define Professional Student S. 4428, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act S. 5046, To prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functi…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 19, 2026 · issue area: Education
$40,000
Spent on own lobbying
H.R. 4806, S. 2511, College Transparency Act, all titles; S. 5431, Student Aid Fraud and Oversight and Accountability Act, all titles; H.R. 7892, S. 4428, No Aid for Ghost Student Act, all titles; H.R. 7893, H.R. FAFSA Verification Efficiency Act, all titles; H.R. 6498, Student Financial Clarity Act, all titles;…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
STRATEGIC EDUCATION, INC. · lobbying firm or registrant: THE DUBERSTEIN GROUP INC.
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 19, 2026 · issue area: Education
$60,000
Paid to lobbying firm
…tion Issues related to innovation in higher education Issues related to credit for prior learning in higher education Issues related to higher education and AI S.4428 No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 18, 2026 · issue area: Education
$40,000
Spent on own lobbying
…titles; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act generally; H.R. 7891, S. 5431, Student Aid Fraud and Oversight and Accountability Act, all titles; H.R. 7892, S. 4428, No Aid for Ghost Student Act, all titles; H.R. 7893, H.R. FAFSA Verification Efficiency Act, all titles; H.R. 6498, Student Financial Clarity Act, all titles;…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
THE INSTITUTE FOR COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS · lobbying firm or registrant: MS. ELIZABETH STEIN
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 13, 2026 · issue area: Education
Amount not reported
S. 4428 No Aid for Ghost Students
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number matches Congress.gov records and the bill predates the report; no title was cited with it. View filing