A committee report accompanying a national defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2022 includes a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Department of Defense's (DOD's) payroll system for overseas DOD Education Activity employees. This report: (1) describes the status of DOD's efforts to address auditors' prior…

The Department of Defense (DOD) offers education and training to foreign military personnel--known as international military students--at United States (U.S.) DOD sites. After a student killed 3 people at a base in Florida in 2019, questions were raised about personnel safety at DOD sites hosting students for training. The William M. (Mac)…

According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the United States of America's competitors and adversaries are taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the information environment to advance their national objectives and offset the U.S.'s position as the preeminent warfighting force. DOD's military operations in the information environment play a…

While the U.S. population has become increasingly diverse, college faculty may not reflect those same levels of diversity. Little is known at the national level about the relationship between faculty diversity and student outcomes. Separately, faculty have reported experiencing discrimination at colleges. GAO was asked to review faculty diversity…

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal financial assistance, including college athletics programs. Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for enforcing Title IX by investigating complaints, negotiating agreements with colleges to address concerns, and monitoring agreements. US…

Over the last 3 decades, the Direct Loan program has grown in size and complexity, with over $1.3 trillion in outstanding loans as of September 2023. This program provides financial assistance to help students and their parents pay for postsecondary education. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review issues related to…

Over 2 million foreign students and scholars studied at U.S. universities in 2019, in many cases contributing to U.S. research. The U.S. government implements export controls to, among other things, mitigate the risk of foreign students and scholars obtaining controlled and sensitive information that could benefit foreign adversaries. The…

If colleges provide inaccurate or misleading information about, for example, their students' ability to transfer course credits to another college or qualify for a specific certification after graduation, students may have difficulty completing their degree, finding a job in their field, or paying back their student loans. Education is responsible…

A for-profit college may convert to nonprofit status for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to align its status and mission. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine for-profit college conversions. This report reviews what is known about insider involvement in conversions and to what extent the Internal Revenue Service…

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) is required to protect students from discrimination based on sex, which can include sexual harassment. Senate Report 117-130 and House Report 117-397 include a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine DODEA's response to unwanted sexual behaviors. This report examines…

A for-profit college may convert to nonprofit status for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to align its status and mission. However, in some cases, former owners or other insiders could improperly benefit from the conversion, which is impermissible under the Internal Revenue Code and Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. This…

As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in February 2019, the Department of Education's (Education) data suggest that the restraint and seclusion of K-12 public school students is rare nationwide, though it disproportionately affects students with disabilities and boys in general. In broad terms, Education defines restraint as…

The U.S. Department of Education (Education) plays a key role in supporting educational opportunities for K-12 students, including awarding grants and overseeing compliance with federal education laws. Over the past decade, Education's grant awards have generally increased in number and size. Using Education budget data, it was determined that in…

Sexual violence--which can include crimes such as rape and other forms of sexual coercion--is widely acknowledged as a problem on college campuses. Although the Department of Education (Education) collects some data on sexual violence at colleges that receive federal funding, measuring the prevalence of campus sexual violence has proven difficult,…

As of March 2018, more than 1.2 million foreign students in the United States were enrolled in 8,774 schools certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for managing SEVP, which certifies schools to enroll foreign students. Various ICE offices have a role in…