Education Compliance
OFAC sanctions screening built for schools and universities
The IMG Academy paid $1.72M for accepting tuition from sanctioned individuals. Don't let your institution be next. Screen students, payors, sponsors, and faculty with defense-grade accuracy.
February 2026 — OFAC Enforcement
IMG Academy: $1.72 million for 89 violations
IMG Academy, a Florida boarding school, accepted tuition payments totaling $47,000–$100,000 per year from two parents on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list — individuals with ties to Mexican drug cartels. OFAC found "reckless disregard" because the names were publicly available on the SDN list and the school never screened.
89
Violations
$1.72M
Settlement
0
Screenings performed
Who this is for
Independent & boarding schools
NAIS member schools accepting international students and tuition from foreign payors must screen against OFAC sanctions lists.
Universities & colleges
Higher education institutions receiving tuition, research funding, donations, or grants from foreign sources need comprehensive screening.
Business offices & finance teams
NBOA members and school CFOs responsible for tuition collection, accounts receivable, and financial compliance.
Who must your school screen?
OFAC enforcement applies to anyone involved in financial transactions through your institution. The IMG Academy case showed that screening only students is not enough.
Students & applicants
Screen during enrollment and re-screen annually. International students require enhanced due diligence.
Parents, guardians & tuition payors
The IMG Academy settlement centered on unscreened tuition payors. Screen all parties making payments to the school.
Sponsors & scholarship donors
Third-party sponsors, scholarship funds, and donor organizations must be screened before accepting funds.
Faculty & visiting educators
Foreign visiting faculty, researchers, and exchange program participants should be screened on arrival.
Vendors & service providers
Contractors, suppliers, and service providers receiving payment from school funds require screening.
Third-party payment agents
OFAC has confirmed that routing payments through third parties does not shield schools from liability.
Defense-Grade Technology
Why defense-grade screening for education?
SecurePoint USA was built for defense contractors and aerospace manufacturers — organizations where compliance failures mean losing government contracts. That same screening engine, with the same immutable audit logs and evidence packs, now protects educational institutions.
Multi-list global coverage
OFAC SDN, BIS Entity List, UN/EU/UK sanctions, and more. Unlimited screenings on every plan.
Immutable audit trails
Every screening, decision, and approval logged with timestamps. Evidence packs for auditors and regulators.
AI-assisted adjudication
Confidence scoring and regulatory citations help your team make informed decisions. Humans always make the final call.
Implementation
Screening in 48 hours, not months
No IT integration required. SecurePoint USA works alongside your existing enrollment and finance systems.
Day 1
Create your account, configure your institution, and add your screening rules.
Day 2
Upload your student and payor roster for batch screening. Train your finance team.
Ongoing
Continuous automated re-screening catches list updates. Audit-ready reports on demand.
Education OFAC compliance FAQ
Common questions from school administrators and business officers about OFAC sanctions screening requirements.
SecurePoint USA, quick answers
Do schools and universities need to screen for OFAC sanctions?
Yes. OFAC regulations apply to all U.S. persons and entities, including educational institutions. Schools must ensure they do not accept tuition payments, donations, or services from individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. The February 2026 IMG Academy settlement ($1.72 million for 89 violations) confirmed that schools face serious enforcement risk.
Who should schools screen against the SDN list?
Schools should screen all parties involved in financial transactions: students, parents and guardians, tuition payors, scholarship sponsors, donors, third-party payment agents, vendors, contractors, and visiting faculty. OFAC enforcement focuses on anyone sending or receiving funds through the institution.
What happened in the IMG Academy OFAC case?
In February 2026, IMG Academy agreed to pay $1,718,000 to settle 89 apparent violations of OFAC sanctions. The school accepted approximately $47,000 to $100,000 per year in tuition payments from two parents later identified as Specially Designated Nationals with ties to Mexican drug cartels. OFAC cited "reckless disregard" because the names were on the publicly available SDN list.
How does SecurePoint USA help schools comply with OFAC?
SecurePoint USA provides real-time, automated screening against OFAC SDN, BIS Entity List, UN, EU, UK, and other global watchlists. The platform is purpose-built for education workflows — screen during enrollment, re-screen existing students and payors automatically, generate audit-ready evidence packs, and maintain immutable compliance logs.
What is the difference between SecurePoint USA and generic compliance tools?
Generic compliance tools are built for banks and financial institutions. SecurePoint USA is the only sanctions screening platform with education-specific workflows: enrollment screening, tuition payor verification, sponsor and donor checks, faculty screening, and education-specific audit reports. Our defense-grade screening engine is the same technology trusted by defense contractors and aerospace manufacturers.
How quickly can a school implement OFAC screening?
Most schools can be screening within 24-48 hours. SecurePoint USA requires no IT integration — it is a cloud-based platform that works alongside your existing enrollment and finance systems. We provide onboarding support, training materials, and a dedicated compliance checklist for education institutions.
What guidance have NAIS and NBOA provided on OFAC compliance?
Both the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) have published guidance recommending that independent schools implement sanctions screening programs. NBOA specifically recommends screening all individuals involved in tuition payments and has partnered with legal experts to provide OFAC compliance frameworks for schools.
Protect your institution from OFAC enforcement
Start screening students, tuition payors, and sponsors today. Defense-grade accuracy with education-specific workflows. Free trial — no credit card required.
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