Sponsors (12)
The bill substantially expands federal support for college access—by reducing tuition barriers, increasing Pell and targeted institutional grants, and extending eligibility—at the cost of materially larger federal spending, implementation uncertainty, and potential unevenness in who benefits.
Students at eligible public colleges, private nonprofit HBCUs/MSIs, and residents of certain U.S. territories would pay reduced or no tuition and required fees when covered by the bill’s partnership grants, lowering out-of-pocket college costs and improving access.
Low-income and Pell-eligible students would receive substantially larger Pell Grants (specified higher maximums for 2026–27 and automatic CPI-indexing thereafter), Pell funds would be treated as tax-free qualified scholarships, and the bill authorizes indefinite funding to reduce risk of shortfalls—together increasing the real value and reliability of federal student aid.
The bill expands Pell eligibility to include many Dreamer/DACA/TPS and certain deferred enforced-departure beneficiaries, giving more immigrant students access to federal grant aid.
Taxpayers and the federal budget would face substantially higher spending and long‑term obligations from expanded tuition-free grants, bigger Pell maximums, increased TRIO/GEAR UP and HBCU/HSI/PBI funding—raising deficit pressure or requiring offsets and trade‑offs with other priorities.
The bill increases uncertainty and administrative burden because many eligibility, implementation, timing, and funding-availability details are unspecified, leaving students, institutions, and states unclear about who qualifies and when benefits will begin.
Replacing the existing 12‑semester equivalent cap with a 7‑years 6‑months time limit could harm part‑time, stop‑out, and other nontraditional students by shortening their eligible timeframe for aid.
Based on analysis of 15 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal–state tuition-elimination framework, raises and CPI-indexes Pell Grants starting 2026–27, and boosts authorizations for TRIO, GEAR UP, and related HEA funds.
Official title: Amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure College for All.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Bernard Sanders · Last progress May 21, 2025
Creates major changes to federal higher education policy, including a federal–state partnership to eliminate tuition and required fees, substantially raises and indexes maximum Pell Grant levels beginning in award year 2026–2027 with open-ended appropriation authority, and increases authorized funding levels for TRIO, GEAR UP, and other student-support programs. It also establishes a grant program to eliminate tuition/fees at eligible private nonprofit HBCUs and MSIs, adjusts program distributions, and preserves federal obligations under the Snyder Act. The bill mostly amends the Higher Education Act: it sets new Pell maximums ($14,790 for students at certain institutions and $7,395 for others for 2026–27) with CPI-based annual indexing, authorizes indefinite appropriations for Pell starting FY2026, doubles or raises several program authorizations and fund pools beginning FY2026, and makes multiple structural or placement edits to Title VII even where full operative text is not provided in the excerpt.