Federal regulations (34 CFR 668.16(g) require a school to refer to the Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) any credible information indicating that an applicant for Federal Student aid may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application. Commonly falsified items include false claims of independent student status, false claims of citizenship, use of false identities, forgery of signatures of certifications and false statements of income.

If such intent is suspected on the part of a student, employee or third-party servicer, the case will be referred to the University of Houston's legal council immediately for initial investigation, followed by a formal report made to the OIG. You may be fined up to $20,000, sent to prison or both.

Code of Conduct for Education Loans