College in High School Alliance

Back to page >>

Higher Education Act

College in High School Alliance Policy Recommendations for the Biden-Harris Administration

HIGH EDUCATION ACT

The Higher Education Act (HEA) was last reauthorized in 2008. The current version of the law includes an allowable use for dual or concurrent enrollment programs under the GEAR-UP programs, but that is the only current opportunity available for colleges seeking federal support to establish or grow a college in high school program like dual enrollment or early college.

The College in High School Alliance is working to change that. You can read our recommendations for reauthorizing HEA, which have been endorsed by a number of our members.

In addition, the College in High School Alliance has published a series of federal design principles for policymakers considering different approaches for supporting expanding equity of access to college in high school programs.

FEDERAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR:

There are a number of bills currently in Congress that would provide significant new support to these programs. They include:

H.R. 4108 / S. 2395 - THE JUMPSTART ON COLLEGE ACT

The Jumpstart on College Act, which was introduced in the House by Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and in the Senate by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) would provide $250 million per year in new federal support to college in high school programs, in the form of grants to states and grants to institutions of higher education. State grants would be used to support statewide initiatives to advance college in high school programs in the state, while grants to colleges would be for those colleges to establish a new program or scale an existing one. The provisions of the Jumpstart on College Act have been included in the House Democratic proposal to comprehensively reauthorize HEA, the College Affordability Act.

H.R. 3891 / S. 718 - MAKING EDUCATION AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE ACT

A bipartisan bill introduced in both the House and Senate, the bill is sponsored by Representatives Josh Harder (D-CA) and Tom Reed (R-NY) in the House and by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in the Senate. The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) would authorize a new grant program under Title VII of HEA to support establishing and scaling up dual or concurrent enrollment and early college high schools.

H.R. 3268 / S. 1888 - THE GO TO HIGH SCHOOL, GO TO COLLEGE ACT

A bipartisan bill introduced in both the House and Senate, the bill is sponsored by Representatives Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in the House and by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) in the Senate. The Go to High School, Go to College Act would authorize a pilot program for evaluating expanding Pell eligibility to high school students participating in dual enrollment courses. The pilot would allow institutions with strong programs to apply to participate. Students using Pell grants to pay the tuition costs associated with dual enrollment programs would be able to earn up to two semesters worth of college credit before drawing down from their 12 semester lifetime limit.

  • Bill Text - Click to download a copy of the bill text for the Go to High School, Go to College Act.
  • Summary - Click to download a summary of the Go to High School, Go to College Act.
  • Press Release from Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) - Read the press release from the bill’s introduction, which includes a number of quotes from supportive CHSA members.

S. 2736 - THE FAST TRACK TO AND THROUGH COLLEGE ACT

This bill is sponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN). The Fast Track to and Through College Act would establish a state grant program to encourage states to increase opportunities for high school students to earn college credit prior to graduation. In addition, the bill would make low income students in grantee states be able to use Pell Grants to pay the cost of tuition associated with the courses.

  • Bill Text - Click to download a copy of the bill text for the Fast Track to and Through College Act.
  • Summary - Click to download a summary of the Fast Track to and Through College Act.
  • Press Release from Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) - Read the press release from the bill’s introduction, which includes a list of supportive organizations.

S. 3273 - THE ASSISTING COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN EDUCATING SKILLED STUDENTS (ACCESS) TO CAREERS ACT

A bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN), the ACCESS to Careers Act would launch a community college and career training grant program to provide funding to states and community colleges to address the evolving demands of the labor market. The bill includes both grants to states and grants to community colleges, and includes allowable uses within both funding streams to expand dual or concurrent enrollment and early college high schools.

H.R. 7925 / S.4480 - ADVANCED COURSEWORK EQUITY ACT 

Sponsored by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) in the House, the Advanced Coursework Equity Act would establish an $800 million competitive grant program for states and school districts to increase the enrollment and performance of underrepresented students in advanced courses and programs. Under the proposal, eligible states and school districts could receive up to $60 million in grants to do things like expand enrollment in advanced courses such as dual enrollment and early college high school, cover the costs of exam fees for low-income students and train and hire teachers to teach advanced courses. Note: This bill is written as more of a K-12 than a higher education bill, but is being listed here for ease of finding all the major proposals to expand support for college in high school programs.