Sponsors (3)
The bill increases per‑term Pell support and formalizes accommodation approvals for students with disabilities—improving access and reducing course‑load pressure—while raising federal costs, leaving lifetime Pell eligibility unchanged, and adding administrative burden for institutions.
Students with disabilities who are approved for a reduced course load can receive full‑time Pell Grant amounts when enrolled at that reduced load or at least 5 credits, increasing grant aid per term and reducing the need to carry excess credits.
Colleges and universities must assess and approve appropriate reduced course loads, formalizing an accommodation process that can improve access to higher education and academic retention for students with disabilities.
Treating approved reduced loads as full‑time for award amounts will likely increase Pell spending per recipient, raising federal costs and potentially crowding other budget priorities.
The rule does not extend a student's total semester eligibility for Pell, so some students may still exhaust their lifetime Pell semesters despite receiving larger per‑term awards.
Institutions must implement determinations of appropriate reduced loads, creating additional administrative work and potential inconsistencies in how accommodations are applied across schools.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows institution-approved reduced course loads for students with disabilities to count as full-time for Pell award calculations (with a 5-credit minimum), but not to extend semester eligibility.
Official title: To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to change certain Federal Pell Grant requirements for certain students with disabilities, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Joseph Morelle · Last progress April 8, 2025
Treats an approved reduced course load for a student with a disability as full-time enrollment when calculating Pell Grant award amounts, provided the student is enrolled in the reduced load or at least 5 credits (or equivalent), whichever is greater. It also clarifies that this treatment does not extend the student's maximum number of semesters of Pell eligibility.