Higher Education Act of 1965

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (Pub. L. No. 89-329) was legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. The law was intended “to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education.” It increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships, gave low-interest loans for students, and established a National Teachers Corps.

The Higher Education Act of 1965 was reauthorized in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 1998. Current authorization for the programs in the Higher Education Act expired at the end of December 2006. Before each reauthorization, Congress amends additional programs, changes the language and policies of existing programs, or makes other changes. For example, the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) was first authorized under the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. Also in the amendments of 1998 is the Aid Elimination Provision, which prevents students with drug charges from receiving federal aid for colleges and universities. This is where question 31 on the FAFSA forms originates from. The question asks if the student has ever been convicted of a drug crime while receiving federal financial aid. If the answer is "Yes" or the question is left blank, the student is denied aid. There is currently a case supported by the ACLU going against this provision, titled SSDP vs. Spellings.

Changes in 2003

In 2003, many of the parts of the Higher Education Act were set to expire. In order to be the most effective, different minority groups decided to come together and ask for these changes. They called themselves the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education. This group was made up of “the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, an advocacy group for historically black colleges and universities, [and they] presented their joint recommendations for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.”^[1] These groups found that by coming together, they could help all minority groups achieve the same goals. The goals that the Alliance set up involved helping minority students enter fields where they were underrepresented, and to give incentives to encourage their entrance into these programs. These incentives included programs to be more lenient on loan collecting, and having the government provide full funding for their education. There was also a call to help out minorities in graduate programs with funding. Just like with undergraduate programs, the Alliance called for the government to create funding for students in the graduate programs of universities serving the minority population.^[1] Yet, the Alliance was also asking for funds to help its institutions, as well as its students. There was a call for the federal government to give more funding to help keep these institutions up-to-date, and their programs current. Again, to keep students attending these universities, and to prepare these students for the real world, the Alliance was asking for the government’s help to make sure that they were on the same education level as other colleges and universities.^[1] Even though the Alliance was heard, with its request for change in the Higher Education Act, it did not mean that changed happened. In 2003, the request for increasing the amount offered in a Pell Grant, to better cover a student’s expenses, was denied by the Senate.^[2] Still, other issues were corrected. There was a section passed, by the House, that did allow more funds to go to institutions, in order to keep them current; and a grace period for colleges asking for more loans was eliminated. So, if more funding were needed, minority institutions would not have to wait.^[3]

Recent Activity

With the changes proposed in 2003, the actual Higher Education Act was not reestablished. Instead, many of its sections were renewed, with little radical change. Numerous extensions have followed, with the current extension lasting through July 2008. The Senate passed an HEA reauthorization bill in July 2007, as did the House of Representatives in February 2008. A final HEA bill has not yet been sent to the President for his signature.

Although HEA reauthorization has not yet occurred, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRA), a budget reconciliation bill signed into law in September 2007, made significant changes to federal financial aid programs included in HEA. In addition to increasing the maximum Pell grant award and reducing interest rates on subsidized student loans, this bill capped loan repayment at 15 percent of an individual’s discretionary income, raised the income protection allowance, enacted loan forgiveness for public servants in the Direct Loan program, and took actions to address problematic practices in the lending industry. Most CCRA provisions took effect on October 1, 2007.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Stephen Burd, “Institutions Serving Minority Students Propose Changes to Higher Education Act,” Chronicle of Higher Education 49, no. 26 (2003), http://web.ebscohost.com.
2. ^ “Capital briefs,” Community College Week 16, no. 4 (2003): 3, http://web.ebscohost.com.
3. ^ Kristina Lane, “Bill Would Expand Higher Ed. Access for Minorities, Low-Income Students,” Community College Week 16, no. 4 (2003): 3, http://web.ebscohost.com.
4. ^ American Association of University Women. Increasing Access to Higher Education. January 2008. http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/actionpages/upload/higherEdAct.pdf

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