AASCU Applauds President Biden’s FY25 Budget Request

Earlier this month, President Biden introduced his FY25 budget request for federal higher education program funding. The budget request offers Congress a starting point by highlighting the administration’s priorities for appropriations negotiations in the upcoming fiscal year. In the request, President Biden called for a 3.9% increase in overall education funding.

Within the higher education landscape, AASCU is overall supportive of President Biden’s FY25 budget and his request to increase the Pell Grant maximum award by $750 (to $8,145). The request to increase the funding for the Pell Grant marks another year of significant investment toward the overall goal of doubling it to $13,000 a year by 2029—an advancement long overdue for today’s students and families. AASCU also commends the increase in institutional support of $101 million for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), Minority-serving institutions (MSIs), and institutions facing resource constraints.

The Biden administration has committed to increasing educator preparation resources and placing an overall emphasis on student retention, success programs, and funding. AASCU applauds the $95 million request for Teacher Quality Partnership grants, including teacher residencies, Grow Your Own, and additional programs that improve educator diversity and impact. President Biden’s proposal also sets aside $30 million for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program, an increase of $15 million, to support high-quality teacher preparation at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.

The budget request also calls for more than doubling the funding for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program at $100 million, a sequential free community college proposal, and $12 billion in a new mandatory Reducing the Costs of College Fund. The latter will, among other provisions, fund strategies to lower college costs for students, including a new award for institutions that provide an “excellent education at an affordable price.” As this policy develops, AASCU will update you on potential impacts for regional comprehensive universities.

We continue to urge the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to increase in federal work-study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant funding. Under the current budget request, ED recommends flat funding levels (at current FY23 levels) for these crucial programs, which provide significant grant aid for low-income students.

For an in-depth look at the proposal, here is a comprehensive budget summary, a budget proposal overview, and a press release from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

If you have any questions about AASCU’s support for President Biden’s FY25 budget proposal or process, please contact GovRel@aascu.org.