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ARTICLE · 06 MARCH 2018

Will The Higher Education Act Be Reauthorized In 2018?

The Higher Education Act (HEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson as part of his Great Society initiative. It is the basic federal law intended to increase accessibility to higher education by all.

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The Higher Education Act (HEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson as part of his Great Society initiative. It is the basic federal law intended to increase accessibility to higher education by all. About 75% of all federal higher education student aid flows through HEA programs. Like most federal laws, Congress periodically will reauthorize the HEA and we are in the midst of the ninth reauthorization. While the major players in the House and Senate are publicly committed to reauthorizing the HEA this year, the question is, will they get the job done before or have to start over when the new Congress convenes next January?

Background

A reauthorization makes some amendments to the HEA. Some are major and some are tweaks. For example, the 1992 amendments made students enrolled in distance education courses eligible for the first time to receive federal student aid loans and grants. The HEA has been reauthorized 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1992,

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