House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

In 1965, the Higher Education Act (HEA) was established to help low- and middle-income students gain access to college. Today, the federal government is investing tens of billions of dollars annually in direct aid to students, and hundreds of millions of dollars more are provided to colleges and universities.  Yet many of these resources are no longer focused on expanding access for students, the purpose for which the HEA was established four decades ago.  And troubling cost increases, year after year, have made it clear that colleges and universities must remain accountable to students and parents, the consumers of higher education.

With the College Access & Opportunity Act, Republicans will restore the HEA to its original mission of providing access to college for low- and middle-income students.  The bill will empower consumers through sunshine in college costs, financial aid, and accreditation; update programs to better meet the needs of changing student populations; and strengthen financial aid opportunities.  Together, these reforms will strengthen America’s higher education system by expanding college access and restoring the focus on students.

Empowering consumers through “sunshine” in college costs, financial aid & accreditation:

• Giving consumers more information about what they’re getting for their money.  The bill calls for greater disclosure of comparable, useful data to help students and families make educated higher education choices.

• Shining a spotlight on excessive tuition hikes.  For students and families grappling with rising college costs, the bill establishes a college affordability comparison to help put the cost increases into perspective.  Schools may also provide information about what is causing cost increases, and identify strategies that can be used to help hold costs down.

• Protecting students from financial aid conflicts of interest.  The bill requires additional disclosure for lenders and colleges to ensure students are protected and their interests come first.  It requires institutions to establish codes of conduct, and clarifies what actions would be considered illegal inducements.

• Making accrediting agencies more accountable by making information more public.  Accreditation is a fundamental component of our nation’s higher education system, with many consumers viewing accreditation as a seal of quality.  The bill will help make the accreditation system more transparent and understandable to the public.

• Making transfer of credit policies public.  To help students better prepare for a higher education path that might involve multiple schools, the bill calls for transfer of credit policies to be made public.
  

Updating programs to better meet the needs of changing student populations:

• Strengthening Pell Grants.  The bill will allow year-round Pell Grant aid for students attending school throughout the year, and encourage students to make progress toward degree completion.

• Simplifying the financial aid process for needy students and families.  To ease the financial aid application process, the bill would encourage a reduction in the number of questions on the FAFSA form, take steps to make reapplying for aid easier.  

• Ensuring fair treatment of institutions of higher education.  The bill will protect low-income and non-traditional students by ensuring student aid isn’t jeopardized by the burdensome “90/10” rule, and will ensure more equitable recognition of institutions under the law.

• Strengthening federal college access programs.  The bill will reauthorize and strengthen federal college access programs for low- and middle-income students, including TRIO and GEAR UP.  

• Supporting minority serving institutions.  The bill reauthorizes and strengthens minority serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), which play a key role in providing access to higher education for American students.
  

Strengthening financial aid opportunities:

• Ensuring fair loan terms for parents and graduate students.  The bill will reduce interest rates for parent and graduate PLUS borrowers in the Federal Family Education Loan Program, aligning rates with the 7.9% currently offered in the Direct Loan program.  It will also eliminate the untested auction scheme recently enacted, which would strip parent borrowers of the right to choose a lender.

• Creating a one-stop financial aid website.  To streamline and improve access to information about federal financial aid programs, the bill requires that the Department of Education provide easier access to its student financial assistance website and share information about financial aid opportunities available through other federal agencies.

• Targeting loan forgiveness to priority fields.  The bill will provide loan forgiveness opportunities for professionals in high-demand fields including nurses, early childhood educators, foreign language specialists, speech language pathologists, and medical specialists.
  

Other features:

• Protecting students’ rights and personal privacy.

• Creating opportunities for graduate study that will improve K-12 education.

• Strengthening international and foreign language studies programs for the post-9/11 era.

• Improving teacher training by increasing accountability.

• Strengthening higher education opportunities for military personnel.

• Promoting financial and economic literacy.

• Reducing red tape for schools.

• Strengthening U.S. competitiveness through math and science programs.

• Repealing duplicative, expired, and/or unnecessary programs.