State of Identity in Higher Education 2026
Higher-education identity benchmarks. InCommon + research-and-education federation depth, Shibboleth + SAML usage, student-staff-alumni lifecycle complexity, FERPA + research-grant identity controls.
Reviewed
2026-05-22
5 benchmarks · CC BY 4.0
Regulators
ED (FERPA, GLBA-applies) · NIH + NSF (research-grant cyber) · DoD CMMC (defense research) · state regulators
~1,150+
InCommon federation participants
InCommon (the US R&E federation) has 1,150+ participating organizations spanning universities, research labs, libraries, and federal research agencies. The single largest federated identity ecosystem in higher education.
Source: InCommon Federation · 2026
~60–70%
ObservationUS universities using Shibboleth as primary IdP
Practitioner aggregate. Shibboleth remains the dominant primary IdP for SAML federation at US R1 universities, though many institutions are layering modern IdPs (Okta, Entra) for non-research applications.
Source: askmeidentity practice observations + Internet2 / InCommon community data · 2026
~75%
Higher-ed institutions with mandatory MFA on student accounts
Driven by GLBA Safeguards Rule expansion (2023) + insurance carrier requirements. Student MFA mandates accelerated rapidly through 2024-2025. Faculty + staff coverage near 95% at large institutions.
Source: EDUCAUSE Core Data Service + Cybersecurity Almanac · 2025
Expanding
NIH-funded institutions adopting research-grant cyber controls
NIH + NSF + DoD increasingly tie research grants to demonstrable cybersecurity baselines. CMMC for defense research is the most prescriptive — Levels 2-3 mandate IAM controls including phishing-resistant MFA + audit-log retention.
Source: NIH OD + NSF + DoD CMMC PMO · 2025
40+
ObservationYears a typical alumni identity stays active
A unique higher-ed challenge: alumni identities can persist for decades (for transcript requests, lifelong-learning portals, donor systems). This long-tail makes deprovisioning fundamentally different from any other vertical.
Source: askmeidentity practice observations · 2026
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Reference our benchmarks in your reporting.
These benchmarks are licensed under CC BY 4.0 — free to cite, quote, and link to with attribution. Pick a format below.
askmeidentity. (2026). The State of Identity, live (v2026.05). Retrieved 2026-05-22 from https://askmeidentity.com/resources/state-of-identity-higher-education/
"The State of Identity, live." askmeidentity, v2026.05, https://askmeidentity.com/resources/state-of-identity-higher-education/. Accessed 2026-05-22.
@misc{askmeidentity_state_of_identity_2026_05, title = {The State of Identity, live}, author = {{askmeidentity}}, year = {2026}, note = {Version 2026.05, retrieved 2026-05-22}, url = {https://askmeidentity.com/resources/state-of-identity-higher-education/} }