Sponsors (12)
The bill greatly expands federal support to improve college access and strengthen minority, tribal, and underserved institutions and students, but does so at significant new taxpayer cost and with important implementation, oversight, and equity challenges for states, colleges, and applicants.
Low- and moderate-income college students (including Dreamers who meet the criteria) receive much larger, inflation‑indexed Pell Grants usable for tuition and living expenses, and those Pell awards are excluded from taxable income.
Students at public colleges and their families could see tuition and required fees eliminated if federal‑state partnerships cover those costs, substantially lowering direct college price barriers.
HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, other minority‑serving institutions, and eligible private nonprofit HBCUs/MSIs (and their students) receive substantially increased federal grants and targeted support—improving institutional capacity, programs, and access (including in territories and Freely Associated States).
Taxpayers face substantially higher federal spending obligations—from expanded Pell funding, tuition‑support programs, larger HBCU/MSI suballocations, and bigger TRIO/GEAR UP authorizations—potentially increasing deficits or requiring offsets.
States and institutions face implementation uncertainty and possible unfunded mandates because the bill lacks detailed timelines, funding mechanisms, and administrative rules, creating budgetary and operational pressure on colleges and state governments.
Complex eligibility distinctions and unclear definitions (e.g., different maximums by institution type, limited detail on grant eligibility) risk excluding or confusing students and institutions and create transfer/benefit disparities.
Based on analysis of 15 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal–state tuition‑elimination partnership, raises Pell Grant maximums and duration, funds tuition‑elimination grants for HBCUs/MSIs, and boosts TRIO/GEAR UP/HBCU program authorizations.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Bernard Sanders · Last progress May 21, 2025
Creates a major set of higher-education changes that aim to make college more affordable by establishing a federal–state tuition-elimination partnership, expanding grants to eliminate tuition and fees at private nonprofit HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions, and sharply increasing Pell Grant amounts and authorized funding for student-support programs. The bill also raises multi-year authorizations for TRIO and GEAR UP, increases annual funding for HBCU/TCU/MSI programs, broadens permitted uses of some student disbursements, and preserves federal obligations to Native American tribes. Many sections insert new parts or headings but the provided text includes several placeholders and missing operative language, so key program details, funding mechanics, state roles, and deadlines are not specified in the excerpt.