Sponsor
Rich McCormick
Representative · R-GA
Representative · R-GA
The bill extends federal HBCU Part B eligibility to more institutions—boosting access, services, and racial equity for students and colleges—while risking reduced per-school grant amounts unless funding is increased and imposing modest additional administrative costs.
HBCUs established between 1964 and Nov 8, 1965 will become eligible for Department of Education HBCU Part B programs, giving those institutions access to federal grants and program resources.
Students at the newly eligible HBCUs will gain improved services, financial aid opportunities, and capacity-building support funded through Part B programs, which can enhance educational quality and student supports.
Students and communities tied to these HBCUs—particularly Black and other racially marginalized groups—will benefit from expanded federal recognition and investment, advancing racial equity in higher education.
Taxpayers and existing HBCUs could see smaller average Part B grant awards per institution unless Congress increases total appropriations, because adding more eligible schools spreads the same funding across more recipients.
The Department of Education will face added administrative work to update eligibility lists and process applications from additional schools, creating modest operational costs and staff time demands.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Moves the statutory HBCU "part B institution" cutoff from "prior to 1964" to "prior to November 8, 1965," expanding eligibility.
Changes the legal cutoff date used to define which historically Black colleges and universities qualify as “part B institutions” by moving the cutoff from “established prior to 1964” to “established prior to November 8, 1965,” thereby expanding the pool of institutions that meet that statutory definition. The bill otherwise only supplies a short title and does not create new programs or appropriate funding.
Official title: To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the definition of a historically Black college or university to include schools established prior to November 8, 1965, so long as such schools meet all other required criteria, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 24, 2026 by Rich McCormick · Last progress February 24, 2026