Student Aid Policy

Although not likely to become law anytime soon, the package of bills shows that Senate Republicans are ready to step up to the plate on higher education policy.

As more families with fewer resources turn to Parent PLUS loans to afford higher education, policy makers need to seek broader reforms to improve college affordability, a new study says.

With student loan payments set to resume, a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report shows more borrowers are struggling. “The situation is worse than we could have imagined,” one advocate said.

The proposed ban comes as more states are restricting colleges and universities from withholding transcripts when a student owes money to the institution. The planned federal ban would only apply in some cases.

Biden administration wants to add a host of new conditions to the agreements that allow colleges and universities to receive financial aid. Critics say those proposals need more work.

President Biden has said he would veto the resolution, while some said it would cause “irreparable damage” to the federal student loan system.

Informal negotiations over how to expand the Pell Grant to job-training programs have begun but lawmakers face uphill challenge in getting a bill through Congress.