HR 6739, the Clarity in Professional Degree Act, amends the Higher Education Act to restore federal student aid eligibility for specific professional degree programs that were excluded under a recent Department of Education rule change. It directly affects students pursuing degrees in nursing (ADN, RN, BSN), occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, accounting, architecture, education specialties, and public health. The bill adds these 10 degree types to the official definition of "professional degree" under federal aid rules, reversing a policy expected to take effect July 1, 2026, which would have removed their aid eligibility. This change ensures students in these critical fields can continue accessing federal loans and grants.
This bill changes tax rules for specific education loan repayments. It allows graduates to exclude from taxable income amounts received through "post-graduation scholarship grants" that repay part of their student loans. These grants must be provided by qualified nonprofits (like private foundations or community trusts) to individuals who agree to live and work in communities with below-average bachelor's degree attainment rates. The grants require direct payments to loan holders, exclude employees of the granting organization, and include reporting requirements for the Treasury Department on program effectiveness within three years.
Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act This bill requires public institutions of higher education that participate in federal student aid programs to charge no more than in-state tuition and fee rates to students who are residents of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, provided they are also U.S. nationals.
The Increasing Access to Mental Health in Schools Act creates a federal grant program to increase the number of mental health professionals (counselors, social workers, and psychologists) in low-income public schools. It provides funding for partnerships between schools serving high percentages of low-income students and graduate institutions that train mental health professionals, aiming to reach recommended staff-to-student ratios (such as 1 counselor per 250 students). The bill also establishes a student loan repayment program for mental health professionals working in these schools, offering up to $200,000 in total repayment over five years. This legislation directly affects low-income school districts and mental health professionals working in those schools, with the goal of improving mental health support for students facing challenges like poverty, homelessness, or trauma.
This bill expands educational benefits under three Department of Veterans Affairs programs to include siblings of veterans who died in service or were killed in action. It amends eligibility criteria in the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program, the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill to explicitly include "siblings" alongside spouses and children. The bill defines "sibling" broadly to cover blood relatives, adopted siblings, or those in recognized guardianship relationships. It also creates a special provision allowing siblings acting as primary caregivers for injured veterans to pause and resume benefit use, with benefits usable until age 26 or the standard 15-year delimiting date. This change directly affects siblings of fallen service members who previously did not qualify for these educational benefits.
HR 808, the "Fairness for the Trades Act," would allow individuals using 529 college savings accounts to cover certain trade-related business expenses as qualified higher education costs. Specifically, it expands the definition of "qualified expenses" to include tools and equipment (like hand tools or specialized machinery) used in designated skilled trades, such as construction, plumbing, electrical work, and maintenance, as listed by specific industry codes. This change directly affects people saving for trade careers through 529 plans, enabling them to use account funds for equipment purchases instead of just tuition or books. The bill does not alter tax rates or create new funding but modifies existing 529 account rules to support trade training costs.
The LOAN Act would significantly reform federal student loan programs by doubling Federal Pell Grants for eligible students (from $5,000 to $14,000 over several years), eliminating origination fees on new federal loans, and creating two new repayment plans: a fixed repayment plan and an Income-Driven Repayment Plan. It would automatically enroll borrowers who are delinquent or rehabilitating defaulted loans into income-driven repayment plans, eliminate interest capitalization (preventing interest from being added to the principal balance), and streamline Public Service Loan Forgiveness requirements. The bill would also provide refinancing options for existing federal student loans and private student loans with interest rates capped at 5%. These changes would directly affect millions of current and future student loan borrowers and Pell Grant recipients across the United States.
The Educational Opportunity and Success Act of 2025 increases funding for Federal TRIO programs, which support low-income and first-generation college students, by raising minimum grant amounts and authorizing $1.1 billion for fiscal year 2025. It shifts grant award criteria from "prior experience" to "prior success" in achieving quality service delivery, and adds protections to prevent rejections for minor technical errors like formatting mistakes or small budget rounding errors - allowing applicants 14 days to correct these before final decisions. The bill also updates documentation requirements for proving low-income status (e.g., using Pell Grant eligibility or school lunch program data) and increases per-student funding for specific programs like Upward Bound and the Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. These changes aim to streamline access to support while ensuring fairer grant evaluations.
The Student Financial Clarity Act of 2025 requires colleges and the Department of Education to provide more transparent financial information about college costs and aid to prospective students. It establishes standardized definitions for terms like "net price required for completion" and mandates that the College Scorecard website include detailed, disaggregated data on costs, financial aid, time to completion, and student earnings by program of study and student characteristics such as income, race, and enrollment status. The bill also creates a Universal Net Price Calculator to help students estimate their costs based on their specific circumstances and requires colleges to make their own net price calculators available on their websites. This information aims to help students and families make more informed decisions about college affordability and financial aid. The changes will take effect for the 2027-2028 academic year.
This bill helps National Guard and Reserve members who make student loan payments while serving by counting their service time toward student loan forgiveness. It allows the government to automatically count each month of qualifying service (based on retirement points) as a qualifying payment for loan forgiveness programs, without requiring members to apply separately. The Department of Defense and Department of Education will jointly match service records with loan payment data to verify eligibility. This directly benefits reserve members who serve full or partial years (measured in retirement points) while making eligible student loan payments.
