Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires us to verify the Social Security
Numbers (SSN) of student loan applicants and their parents for ED. Upon request, we
may also provide citizenship status. Although ED student loan programs are not income
maintenance programs, we provide SSN verifications to ED based on the statutory mandate
to do so in 20 U.S.C. § 1091.
SSA has an electronic data exchange agreement with ED, under which SSA provides SSN
verification and citizenship status of loan applicants and their parents.
We may also disclose the addresses of beneficiaries who are obligated on loans held
by the Secretary of Education or a loan made in accordance with 20 U.S.C. § 1071 (the
Robert T. Stafford Student Loan Program) to ED as authorized by Section 489A of the
Higher Education Act of 1965.