Arapahoe Community College Battles Fake Students Exploiting Financial Aid Programs

By: Natalie Chuck, Joe Vaccarelli | Denver7

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was produced in collaboration with our partners at ABC News. 

LITTLETON, Colo. — After the COVID-19 pandemic led to more online learning, community colleges and other higher learning centers have had to deal with a new phenomenon that’s hard to see: “ghost students.”

“Ghost students” are scammers who create fake identities or steal someone else’s to enroll in school, apply for federal financial aid and make off with the money, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

An ABC News investigation found that colleges across the country – particularly community colleges due to open admissions – are now spending time and resources trying to find these “ghost students” and stop them before they get loans.

In Colorado, Lisa Matye Edwards, vice president of admissions for Arapahoe Community College, said the issue has been a major concern in recent years.

“There’s just somebody on the roster, but I never see them. I never necessarily hear something live from them, but I might get some kind of work sometimes turned in,” Matye Edwards said.

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