College for All Act of 2025

Full Title:
College for All Act of 2025

Summary#

This bill, the College for All Act of 2025, would change the Higher Education Act to reduce or eliminate tuition and required fees for many undergraduate students. It creates a federal–state grant program to cover tuition and fees at public community colleges and public 4‑year colleges for eligible students. It also creates grant programs to eliminate tuition and fees at eligible private nonprofit historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority‑serving institutions (MSIs). The bill raises maximum Federal Pell Grant amounts for 2026–2027, expands Pell eligibility for certain non‑citizen students (including defined “Dreamer” students), and allows Pell funds to be used for living and nontuition expenses. It adds new competitive grants to improve student success, increases funding authorizations for TRIO and GEAR UP, and increases annual appropriations for HBCU and MSI programs. The bill includes rules about how federal and state shares of grants are calculated, special rules for Tribal Colleges and Universities, protections for institutional spending on instruction, and limits on how grant funds may be used.

What it means for you#

  • Students at public community colleges: Eligible students (as defined in the bill) would have tuition and required fees fully eliminated under the federal–state partnership when a State receives a grant and meets program rules.
  • Students at public 4‑year colleges: Eligible students could have tuition and required fees eliminated under the program, subject to phased income eligibility in early years and State participation.
  • Students at Tribal Colleges and Universities: Tribal colleges have special rules that can provide a higher federal share and separate grant opportunities.
  • Students at private nonprofit HBCUs and MSIs: Eligible students at participating institutions could have tuition and required fees eliminated through a new grant program for those institutions.
  • Pell Grant recipients: The bill sets higher maximum Pell Grant amounts for award year 2026–2027 ($14,790 for students at institutions described in section 101 or Tribal Colleges and $7,395 for other institutions) and requires annual adjustments. Pell may be used for living and nontuition expenses. Certain non‑citizen students (including "Dreamer" students and some other protected statuses) are made explicitly eligible for federal student aid. Pell grant payments would be excluded from gross income for tax purposes.
  • States and institutions: To receive and keep grant funds, States and institutions must meet program requirements such as maintenance of effort on per‑student instructional spending, transfer pathway improvements, faculty hiring assurances, and limits on how grant funds are used.

Expenses#

  • Many authorizations are "such sums as may be necessary" for various periods (for example, fourth quarter of FY2026 and FY2027–2035) for the main federal–state grant program and several subparts.
  • Supplemental appropriations for the federal–state partnership (FY2026): up to $9,844 per student enrolled at 4‑year public institutions and up to $6,073 per community college student to help certain States participate (available until Sept. 30, 2031).
  • Inclusive Student Success Grants (Subpart 4) specifically: $10,000,000,000 authorized for FY2026 and such sums as necessary thereafter.
  • TRIO programs: authorization increased to $3,000,000,000 for FY2026 and such sums as necessary FY2027–2035.
  • GEAR UP: $736,000,000 for FY2026 and such sums as necessary for FY2027–2029.
  • HBCU and MSI appropriations: amended to $510,000,000 for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, with changes to allocation amounts between program components.
  • Pell Grants: the bill authorizes and appropriates "such sums as may be necessary" out of the Treasury for FY2026 and subsequent years to fund the higher maximum Pell Grant amounts.
  • Outlying areas grants: for students from the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Freely Associated States, the program may pay up to $15,950 per student per award year and up to $79,750 in the aggregate per student.
  • Where the bill uses the phrase "such sums as may be necessary," no fixed total dollar amount is specified in the text.

Proponents' View#

The bill’s stated purpose is to create a federal–state partnership to eliminate tuition and required fees for eligible undergraduate students, strengthen Pell Grants, expand college access for underrepresented groups, increase support for student success programs, and invest in HBCUs, Tribal colleges, and other MSIs. Sponsors propose that the changes will reduce student costs, expand access to higher education, and fund reforms and services to improve enrollment, retention, transfer, and completion.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.