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Higher Education Act

The Higher Education Act (HEA) is a federal law that governs the administration of federal higher education programs. Its purpose is to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education.

First passed in 1965 to ensure that every individual has access to higher education, regardless of income or zip code, the HEA governs student-aid programs, federal aid to colleges, and oversight of teacher preparation programs. It is generally scheduled for reauthorization by Congress every five years to encourage growth and change.

The HEA has been reauthorized in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2008. Current authorization for the programs in the Higher Education Act expired at the end of 2013, but has been extended while Congress prepares changes and amendments.
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Efforts to update the Higher Education Act have stalled after the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of cooperation. While efforts were made in the 118th Congress to include aspects of the Higher Education Reauthorization Act in education bills, including the and the , these bills failed to gain support and did not pass on the House floor. 

What is the Higher Education Act?

 

The Higher Education Act governs the administration of higher education programs. Below are the titles of the Higher Education Act, along with a brief summary of each title.  

  • Title I- Outlines general provisions and definitions for the Higher Education Act, including costs, funding, provisions, and requirements
  • Title II- Authorizes grants to improve the quality of teacher education programs and recruitment initiatives.
  • Title III- Provides programs, support, and provisions for developing institutions that serve low-income and minority students.
  • Title IV- Authorizes student assistance programs like scholarships, work-study programs, and low-interest loans.
  • Title V- Authorizes provisions and grants to assist developing institutions and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
  • Title VI- Authorizes international education programs to improve undergraduate studies.
  • Title VII- Authorizes grants for improved education and community service programs to foster innovation in postsecondary education.
  • Title VIII- Enables other programs that support higher education.
  • Title IX- Prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity that recieves federal funds.

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STATEMENTS/LETTERS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE(S)

House Democrats Unveil Comprehensive Overhaul of HEA

October 17, 2019
  • ̽»¨Â¥ Transcript
  • Advocacy
  • Higher Education Act

House Democrats this week introduced the , which is their proposal for a comprehensive overhaul of the Higher Education Act (HEA) that has not be reauthorized in 11 years.

As with Aim Higher and the PROSPER Act, the HEA reauthorization bills that were introduced by each political party in the last Congress, we are happy to say that the College Affordability Act includes the Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act, which ̽»¨Â¥ strongly supports and has advocated for over the past several years. This legislation would create a new exemption under FERPA and facilitate a four-year institution's ability to share an education record with the two-year institution where a student was previously enrolled for the purpose of evaluating whether between the two institutions the student has enough credits for a credential from the community college. The student must still provide consent that they would want the credential.

Some of the other important provisions that may be of interest to ̽»¨Â¥ members include:

  • Creates a national tuition-free community college through a federal-state partnership model where the federal government contributes a per student amount at least 75 percent of the average resident tuition for public community colleges and states contribute 25 percent
  • Changes the 90/10 rule ratio (the percentage cap of Title IV aid an institution may receive) to 85/15 and expand it to include all educational programs
  • Increases the maximum Pell Grant award by $500 and permanently indexes the award to inflation.
  • Repeals the ban on incarcerated individuals from accessing Pell Grants
  • Allows DACA, DAPA and individuals with Temporary Protective Status access to federal student aid.
  • Simplifies FAFSA, including an automatic zero EFC for recipients of means-tested benefits
  • Includes the College Transparency Act, which strikes the "student unit record" ban, and would require the Department of Education to develop a system that uses student-level data to evaluate postsecondary outcomes
  • Prohibits the Department of Education from issuing or enforcing the proposed Title IX rules that the Administration published in November 2018.

The bill is nearly 1200 pages long, so we are still reviewing it more closely. We will obviously follow the bill's progress on Capitol Hill and keep ̽»¨Â¥ members and stakeholders informed.

In the meantime, please join the ̽»¨Â¥ Government Relations team on Wednesday, October 23 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) for a more in-depth analysis of this legislation.  Click here for more information.

- Mike

 

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