The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer

1 The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer Alexandra Hegji Analyst in Social Policy January 2, 2014 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 R43351 The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer Congressional Research Service Summary The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; 89-329) authorizes numerous federal aid programs that provide support to both individuals pursuing a postsecondary Education and institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). Title IV of the HEA authorizes the federal government s major student aid programs, which are the primary source of direct federal support to students pursuing postsecondary Education . Titles II, III, and V of the HEA provide institutional aid and support. Additionally, the HEA authorizes services and support for less-advantaged students (select Title IV programs), students pursing international Education (Title VI), and students pursuing and institutions offering certain graduate and professional degrees (Title VII).

2 Finally, the most recently added title (Title VIII) authorizes several other programs that support Higher Education . The HEA was last comprehensively reauthorized in 2008 by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA; 110-315), which authorized most HEA programs through FY2014. Following the enactment of the HEAO, the HEA has been amended by numerous other laws, most notably the SAFRA Act, part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 ( 111-152), which terminated the authority to make federal student loans through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. This report provides a brief overview of the major provisions of the HEA. The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer Congressional Research Service Contents Introduction.

3 1 Title I: General Provisions .. 2 Part A: Definitions .. 2 Part B: Additional General Provisions .. 2 Part C: Cost of Higher Education .. 3 Part D: Administrative Provisions for Delivery of Student Financial Assistance .. 4 Part E: Lender Institution Requirements Relating to Education Loans .. 4 Title II: Teacher Quality Enhancement .. 4 Part A: Teacher Quality Partnership Grants .. 5 Part B: Enhancing Teacher Education .. 5 Title III: Institutional Aid .. 5 Part A: Strengthening Institutions .. 6 American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities .. 6 Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions .. 6 Predominantly Black Institutions .. 6 Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institutions.

4 7 Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions .. 7 Part B: Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities .. 7 Historically Black Graduate and Professional Institutions .. 8 Part C: Endowment Challenge Grants .. 8 Part D: Historically Black College and University Capital Financing .. 8 Part E: Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program .. 8 Part F: Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority-Serving Institutions .. 9 Hispanic Serving-Institutions Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and Articulation Program .. 9 Part G: General Provisions .. 9 Title IV: Student Assistance .. 9 Part A: Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education .

5 10 Subpart 1: Federal Pell Grants .. 10 Subpart 2: TRIO and GEAR UP .. 11 Subpart 3: Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) .. 12 Subpart 4: LEAP and GAP .. 13 Subpart 5: Special Programs for Students Whose Families Are Engaged in Migrant and Seasonal Farmwork .. 13 Subpart 6: Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program (Byrd) .. 13 Subpart 7: Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) .. 14 Subpart 9: TEACH Grants .. 14 Subpart 10: Scholarships for Veteran s Dependents .. 14 Part B: Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program .. 14 Part C: Federal Work-Study Programs .. 15 Part D: William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program .. 16 Direct Subsidized Loans.

6 17 Direct Unsubsidized Loans .. 17 Direct PLUS Loans .. 17 Consolidation Loans .. 18 The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer Congressional Research Service Part E: Federal Perkins Loans .. 18 Part F: Need Analysis .. 19 Part G: General Provisions Relating to Student Assistance Programs .. 19 Part H: Program Integrity .. 20 Subpart 1: State Role .. 20 Subpart 2: Accrediting Agency Recognition .. 21 Subpart 3: Eligibility and Certification 21 Part I: Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program .. 21 Title V: Developing Institutions .. 21 Part A: Hispanic-Serving Institutions .. 21 Part B: Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans .. 21 Part C: General Provisions .. 22 Title VI: International Education Programs.

7 22 Part A: International and Foreign Language Studies .. 22 Part B: Business and International Education Programs .. 23 Part C: Institute for International Public Policy .. 23 Part D: General Provisions .. 23 Title VII: Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs .. 23 Part A: Graduate Education Programs .. 23 Part B: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) .. 24 Part D: Programs to Provide Students with Disabilities with a Quality Higher Education .. 24 Part E: College Access Challenge Grant Program (CACG) .. 25 Title VIII: Additional Programs .. 25 Ta b l e s Table A-1. Funding for HEA-authorized programs, FY2009-2013 .. 28 Table C-1. Comprehensive Reauthorizations of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

8 45 Appendixes Appendix A. History of Funding for HEA Programs: FY2009-FY2013.. 27 Appendix B. General Education Provisions Act .. 43 Appendix C. Previous HEA Reauthorizations .. 45 Contacts Author Contact 46 Key Policy Staff .. 46 The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer Congressional Research Service 1 Introduction The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; 89-329), as amended, authorizes a broad array of federal student aid programs that assist students and their families with financing the cost of a postsecondary Education , as well as programs that provide federal support to postsecondary institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). Programs authorized by the HEA provide support for Higher Education in several ways, including providing support to students in financing a postsecondary Education , with additional support and services given to less-advantaged students; providing support to students pursing international Education and certain graduate and professional degrees; and providing support to IHEs in improving their capacity and ability to offer postsecondary Education programs.

9 The Department of Education (ED) administers the programs authorized by the HEA. The most prominent programs under the HEA are the Title IV programs that provide financial assistance to students and their families. In FY2013, approximately $ billion in financial assistance was made available to 15 million students under these In the same year, ED provided approximately $ billion in federal support to institutions of Higher Education under the The HEA was first enacted in 1965 and has since been amended and extended numerous times, and it has been comprehensively reauthorized eight times. The most recent comprehensive reauthorization of the HEA occurred in 2008 under the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA; 110-315), which authorized most HEA programs through FY2014.

10 Following the passage of the HEAO, the SAFRA Act, as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 ( 111-152), made several notable changes to the HEA. Current HEA authorization is set to expire at the end of FY2014. However, the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) authorizes the appropriation of funds for HEA programs for an additional year through FY2015. The HEA is organized into eight titles: Title I, General Provisions; Title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement; Title III, Strengthening Institutions; Title IV, Student Assistance; Title V, Developing Institutions; Title VI, International Education Programs; Title VII, Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs; and Title VIII, Additional Programs.