Education Compliance Module

Sanctions Screening for Universities and Educational Institutions

Screen students, sponsors, agents, tuition payors, faculty, and vendor organizations against OFAC SDN, BIS Entity List, and global watchlists. Automate compliance workflows with continuous monitoring and tamper-proof evidence packs.

Unlimited screenings on every plan. Built for compliance teams managing international enrollment, study abroad, and research partnerships.

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Who This Is For

Universities & Colleges

Compliance teams managing international enrollment, tuition payor screening, and sanctions obligations for institutions accepting students from around the world.

  • Screen tuition payors and sponsors against OFAC
  • Batch import student rosters via CSV

Study Abroad & Exchange Programs

Programs managing F-1/J-1 visa holders, international agents, and foreign institution partnerships requiring ongoing sanctions compliance.

  • Continuous monitoring with automatic rescreen
  • Screen recruitment agents and foreign institutions

Research Institutions

Research universities managing EAR/ITAR-controlled technology, international researchers, and foreign government-funded projects.

  • Embargo country detection and risk tiering
  • Evidence packs for export control audits

What Requirements You Face

OFAC Screening for Tuition Payors and Sponsors

OFAC regulations require U.S. institutions to ensure they are not processing transactions — including tuition payments — involving sanctioned individuals, entities, or countries. A $1.72M settlement in 2025 linked to a university demonstrated that education is not exempt from enforcement.

Requirements: Screen all parties involved in financial transactions — students, guardians, payors, sponsors — against OFAC SDN and related lists before processing payments.

BIS Entity List and Export Control Compliance

Universities conducting research with export-controlled technology face BIS Entity List obligations. Foreign researchers from embargoed countries require additional screening and documentation before accessing controlled labs or data.

Requirements: Screen researchers, visiting scholars, and vendor organizations against BIS Entity List. Document screening results for export control audits and Empowered Official review.

Ongoing Compliance for International Enrollment

Sanctions lists change frequently. A student who was clear at enrollment may appear on a sanctions list during their program. Without continuous monitoring, institutions risk unknowingly maintaining relationships with sanctioned parties.

Requirements: Automated rescreening on a regular schedule with alerts only when status changes occur. Case management for compliance team review and decision documentation.

Who to Screen in Education

Every party involved in financial transactions or controlled-technology access requires sanctions screening. Here is the complete list for educational institutions.

Students

International and domestic enrolled students. Tuition payments are OFAC-regulated transactions.

OFAC SDN

Guardians / Parents

Legal guardians or parents of minor students. May be ultimate payors or beneficial owners.

OFAC SDN

Tuition Payors

Third-party entities or individuals paying tuition on behalf of students.

OFAC SDNBIS

Sponsors

Government or organizational sponsors such as Saudi SACM, Kuwaiti MOHE, or corporate sponsors.

OFAC SDNBIS

Recruitment Agents

International recruitment agents and agencies acting as enrollment intermediaries.

OFAC SDNBIS

Vendors / Suppliers

Campus vendors, service providers, and technology suppliers involved in institutional transactions.

OFAC SDNBIS

Researchers

International researchers and visiting scholars accessing labs or controlled technology.

OFAC SDNBIS Entity List

Faculty / Staff

Faculty members with dual appointments, foreign government ties, or conflicts of commitment.

OFAC SDN

Partner Institutions

Foreign universities, exchange program partners, and research collaboration entities.

OFAC SDNBIS
Download Screening Checklist (PDF)

How SecurePoint Helps You Screen and Document Compliance

Purpose-built sanctions screening for education. Unlimited checks, continuous monitoring, and audit-ready evidence — without per-screening fees.

Party & Org Screening

Screen students, guardians, payors, sponsors, agents, researchers, faculty, and vendor organizations against OFAC SDN, BIS Entity List, UN, EU, and UK sanctions lists. Automatic embargo country detection for Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Cuba.

Learn about screening

Continuous Monitoring

Automated weekly rescreening of all active parties. Diff alerts open cases only when screening status changes — from clear to flagged, or when new matches appear. Configurable frequency per institution. No noise, no missed updates.

Learn about monitoring

Evidence Packs

Generate tamper-proof PDF evidence packs containing screening results, decisions, list versions, and SHA-256 integrity hashes. Stored securely with time-limited access. Ready for accreditation audits, regulatory inquiries, and Empowered Official review.

Learn about evidence packs

Batch Import & CSV Upload

Import up to 5,000 parties via CSV with built-in validation, deduplication by external ID, and automatic screening on import. Error reports show row-level issues without exposing raw PII. Async processing for large batches.

Learn about the platform
Integrations

Connects to Your Existing Systems

Import data from the systems your institution already uses. SecurePoint works with your SIS, payment processor, CRM, and research administration tools via CSV, API, or webhooks.

Student Information Systems

Ellucian Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft, Workday Student

CSV · API

Payment & Financial

Touchnet, Nelnet, Flywire, CashNet

CSV · API

CRM & Enrollment

Slate, Salesforce Education Cloud, TargetX

CSV · API

HR & Faculty

Workday HCM, PeopleSoft HR, ADP

CSV · SFTP

Research Administration

Cayuse, Kuali Research, InfoReady

CSV · API

How You Connect

REST API

Submit screening requests and retrieve results programmatically

Webhooks

Real-time notifications when screening status changes

CSV Batch Import

Upload up to 5,000 parties from any system export

SFTP

Automated file transfer for scheduled batch screening

See It in Action

Explore the education screening dashboard, party list, and case management. Click through the tabs to see how compliance teams manage screening workflows.

app.securepointusa.com/education
Demo

Education Screening Pack

Acme University

Active Parties
847
Pending Reviews
12
Embargoed Flags
3
Coverage
96%

Cases by Risk Tier

Tier 1 (Critical)3
Tier 2 (High)5
Tier 3 (Medium)4

Recent Activity

New case opened for Ahmad Rezaei

2h ago

Evidence pack generated for C-4815

5h ago

Batch import: 43 parties screened

1d ago

Embargo flag: Kim Jong-su (DPRK)

2d ago

Interactive demo • Non-functional preview of SecurePoint USA Education Screening Pack

See What the Audit Evidence Looks Like

Download a redacted sample of the education screening evidence pack. This is exactly what your compliance team produces for accreditation audits and regulatory inquiries.

Education Audit Packet (Sample)

  • Screening results summary with list versions checked
  • Case decisions with adjudicator notes and timestamps
  • SHA-256 integrity hash for tamper detection
  • Ready for accreditation audits and OFAC inquiries
Download Sample PDF

Or get it sent to your inbox

Resources for Education Compliance Teams

New

The $1.72M Wake-Up Call: Why Schools Must Screen Tuition Payors

Most schools think sanctions compliance is a bank problem. OFAC disagrees. Learn why tuition payor screening is now critical for educational institutions.

Read the blog post

Compliance Hub

Explore ITAR/EAR workflows, BIS 50% Rule automation, CMMC Level 2 guidance, and DFARS compliance templates relevant to research institutions.

Visit the Compliance Hub

Frequently Asked Questions

Do universities need to screen students for OFAC sanctions?
Yes. OFAC regulations apply to all U.S. persons and institutions. Universities that accept tuition payments, process financial aid, or engage in transactions involving sanctioned individuals or countries may face enforcement actions. The $1.72M settlement involving a university-adjacent entity in 2025 underscores the risk.
What is the OFAC penalty for universities accepting tuition from sanctioned payors?
OFAC civil penalties can exceed $300,000 per violation. In cases involving willful negligence or pattern violations, penalties can reach millions. The exact amount depends on factors like cooperation, compliance program quality, and whether the institution self-disclosed.
How does continuous monitoring work for education sanctions screening?
SecurePoint USA rescreens all active parties on a configurable schedule (default: weekly). When a party's screening status changes — for example, from "clear" to "flagged" due to a new sanctions list update — a case is automatically opened for compliance review. This diff-alert approach reduces noise while catching genuine changes.
What sanctions lists are checked during education screening?
Screening runs against OFAC SDN (Specially Designated Nationals), BIS Entity List, UN Consolidated Sanctions List, EU Consolidated List, and UK Sanctions List. Additional lists can be configured based on your institution's compliance requirements.
Can I import students via CSV for batch screening?
Yes. The batch import feature accepts CSV files with up to 5,000 rows. Each row is validated for required fields (name, role) and optional fields (nationality, date of birth). Screening runs automatically after import, with results available in the dashboard. Duplicate detection uses external_id to prevent duplicates.
What is an evidence pack and why do I need one?
An evidence pack is a tamper-proof PDF document containing the screening results, case decisions, list versions checked, and a SHA-256 integrity hash. It serves as audit-ready documentation for compliance reviews, accreditation audits, and regulatory inquiries. Evidence packs are stored securely and accessible via time-limited signed URLs.
Who exactly needs to be screened at a university?
All parties involved in financial transactions or who access controlled technology. This includes students, guardians and parents, tuition payors, sponsors (e.g., Saudi SACM, Kuwaiti MOHE), recruitment agents, vendors and suppliers, international researchers, faculty with foreign government ties, and partner institutions. The screening scope depends on your institution's activities — tuition-accepting schools focus on payors and sponsors, while research universities also screen for BIS Entity List and embargo country exposure.

SecurePoint USA supports customer compliance workflows for ITAR, EAR, NIST SP 800-171, and CMMC requirements. We do not imply government certification or endorsement.

Ready to automate education sanctions compliance?

Start a 7-day free trial to see how SecurePoint USA screens students, sponsors, and faculty with unlimited checks and audit-ready evidence packs.

Prefer to see it live first? Book a demo and we'll walk your compliance team through a typical education screening workflow.

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