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This bill would expand how long students can receive Federal Pell Grants. In general, Pell Grants help low-income students pay for college. Under this bill, students could use these grants not only for their first bachelor’s degree, but also for a first postbaccalaureate program at an eligible college or university, as long as they meet certain conditions. The bill also increases the total amount of time a student can receive Pell Grant support, giving some students more semesters of aid than current law allows.
- Students could keep receiving Pell Grants for a first postbaccalaureate course of study if they already used Pell Grants for their first undergraduate degree for at least 1 but fewer than 16 semesters.
- The bill raises the maximum Pell Grant eligibility period from 12 semesters to 16 semesters.
- Time spent in noncredit or remedial classes would not count against the eligibility period.
- A student could only use the extra Pell Grant time if they would otherwise still qualify for the grant and stay within the new lifetime limit.
Official Summaries
Pell to Grad Act
This bill raises from 12 to 16 the total number of semesters during which a student may receive a Pell Grant. It also allows income-eligible graduate students who received Pell Grants during their undergraduate education to utilize their remaining Pell Grant eligibility toward their first graduate degree, subject to this 16-semester duration limit. Currently, Pell Grants are available only to undergraduate students, subject to the 12-semester duration limit.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1635 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1635
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the period of
eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 26, 2025
Ms. Stevens (for herself and Mr. Gomez) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the period of
eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Pell to Grad Act''.
SEC. 2. PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS.
Section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(8)(A), by inserting ``or as a
postbaccalaureate student in accordance with subsection
(d)(1),'' after ``as an undergraduate,'';
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
``(1) The period during which a student may receive Federal
Pell Grants shall be the period required for the completion of
the first undergraduate baccalaureate course of study being
pursued by that student at the institution at which the student
is in attendance except that--
``(A) any period during which the student is
enrolled in a noncredit or remedial course of study, as
described in paragraph (2), shall not be counted for
the purpose of this paragraph; and
``(B) the period during which a student may receive
Federal Pell Grants shall also include the period
required for the completion of the first
postbaccalaureate course of study at an eligible
institution that is an institution of higher education
as defined in section 101, in a case in which--
``(i) the student received a Federal Pell
Grant during the period required for the
completion of the student's first undergraduate
baccalaureate course of study for at least 1
but fewer than 16 semesters, or the equivalent
of at least 1 but fewer than 16 semesters, as
determined under paragraph (5);
``(ii) the student would otherwise be
eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, but for the
completion of such baccalaureate course of
study; and
``(iii) the period during which the student
receives Federal Pell Grants does not exceed
the student's duration limits under paragraph
(5).''; and
(B) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ``12'' each
place it appears and inserting ``16''.
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