AASCU Federal Highlights – December 2025
A compilation of policy news shared in AASCU’s Weekly Federal Policy Update.
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December’s Lead Story
AHEAD Committee Reaches Consensus on Workforce Pell Regulations
The agreed-upon framework would expand Pell Grant eligibility to include Workforce Pell Grants supporting high-quality, career-oriented short-term training programs.
Read more.Other news and resources
December Documents & resources
From the week of Dec. 4
SCORE Act is Pulled from House Floor
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives was scheduled to debate and vote on the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, legislation that would regulate college athletics. Just prior to debate on the legislation, however, House GOP leadership pulled the bill from the floor. House GOP leadership did not publicly state a reason for this action, but the procedural motion that permitted floor consideration of the measure only passed by one vote, and it was thought that other GOP Members might oppose the legislation on final passage. A new timeline for consideration of the SCORE Act has not been announced, but AASCU will keep you updated.
ED Updates Portal for College and University Foreign Gift Reporting
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that on January 2, 2026, the agency will release a new and improved portal for colleges and universities to report foreign funding. As a reminder, under the Higher Education Act, postsecondary institutions receiving Federal financial assistance must disclose foreign source gifts and contracts with a value of $250,000 or more annually to ED. According to ED, improved features include the ability to upload foreign funding disclosures in bulk rather than individually, executive summary visualizations to improve public transparency, and other tools to help with drafting, reviewing, and submitting reports.
ED Publishes Blog Clarifying Treatment of Nursing Programs Under New Professional Degree Definition
On Monday, ED published a blog post responding to heightened concern from nursing and healthcare groups regarding whether nursing is a “professional” program following this Fall’s RISE committee negotiated rulemaking sessions. The Department clarified that the new “professional degree” definition under H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is simply an internal classification used to determine which graduate programs qualify for higher Federal loan limits. The agency stated that it is not a judgment on the value of nursing as a profession. ED noted that most nursing students already borrow below the new caps, meaning their access to Federal loans will remain largely unchanged, and emphasized that the limits may help restrain tuition increases in high-cost graduate programs. The agency also emphasized that the caps apply only to graduate programs, leaving undergraduate nursing pathways, which train the majority of the nursing workforce, unaffected. It reiterated that the proposal emerged from negotiated rulemaking and will still undergo public comment.
Chair Cassidy Launches Investigations Regarding Women’s Sports
Last Tuesday, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) launched an investigation into 18 States and the District of Columbia regarding the participation of transgender women and girls in sports. As Chair Cassidy writes in his press release, “These states and the District of Columbia are putting women and girls in danger by allowing biological men to participate in women’s sports and access their locker rooms and restrooms.” He emphasized the importance of ensuring that States receiving Federal financial assistance for educational programs comply with Executive Order 14201(“Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”) and Title IX more broadly.
Sec. McMahon Appoints Five New NACIQI Members
Last Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon appointed five new members to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI): higher education experts Robert Eitel, Joshua Figueira, Dr. Jay Greene, and Dr. Steven Taylor, along with Emilee Reynolds, the student representative. NACIQI operates as an independent advisory body that provides recommendations to the Secretary on accreditation issues, including the recognition of institutional and programmatic accrediting agencies. U.S. Under Secretary Nicholas Kent stated that these new appointees will help carry out the Administration’s priorities and realign the accreditation system to better serve students and families.
From the week of Dec. 11
Update on AHEAD Committee’s First Negotiated Rulemaking Session
This week, the Advisory Committee on Accreditation and Higher Education Development (AHEAD) began its negotiated rulemaking sessions on Workforce Pell Grants as well as Pell Grant eligibility pertaining to cost of attendance and nonfederal aid receipt. The sessions opened with a discussion of the provision that would make students ineligible for Pell if they receive nonfederal aid equal to or exceeding their cost of attendance. While consensus has not yet been reached, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) agreed to two key adjustments:
- Limiting the timeframe when schools would be required to adjust a student’s Federal aid package to account for such nonfederal aid before the last payment period of the award year, and
- Applying an existing policy that does not factor emergency aid into financial aid calculations for this new requirement (i.e. emergency aid receipt would not be counted when determining whether nonfederal aid is at or exceeds the cost of attendance).
The Committee also discussed details regarding the implementation of Workforce Pell programs, including value-added earnings requirements. As a reminder, Workforce Pell Grants support high-quality, career-oriented training programs. The value-added earnings requirements stipulate that participants must demonstrate earnings gains three years after program completion for a program to be considered eligible. ED aims to have a final consensus check on both provisions by the end of the day tomorrow. AASCU will provide an update next week on whether consensus was achieved.
House Education and Workforce Committee Marks Up Higher Education Related Bills
Today, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a markup of several bills: H.R. 6498, the Student Financial Clarity Act; H.R. 6502, the College Financial Aid Clarity Act; H.R. 6392, the Home School Graduation Recognition Act; and H.R. 6472. H.R. 6472 would provide in-state tuition rates for residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands. H.R. 6498 seeks to improve ED’s college scorecard website and also requires the agency website to have a universal net price calculator. H.R. 6502 seeks to standardize and streamline financial aid award offers and letters that schools provide to prospective students. H.R. 6392 recognizes students who have completed secondary school education in a home school setting as high school graduates and clarifies that they are eligible for Federal student aid.
The Committee passed all four bills: H.R. 6472 on a 32-1 margin, H.R. 6498 on a 27-6 margin, H.R. 6502 on a 23-10 margin, and H.R. 6392 on a 33-0 margin. The bills will now proceed to the House floor for consideration.
ED Launches New Earnings Indicator Component of FAFSA Application
On Monday, ED launched a new earnings indicator within the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process to provide students and families with information on post-graduation earnings at prospective institutions. Drawn from existing Department data, the indicator flags schools that students select as part of their FAFSA process where average graduate earnings fall below those of a typical high school graduate, with the goal of helping students assess potential financial outcomes as they navigate college decisions. In its announcement, ED stated that the measure aims to increase transparency in higher education, empower students to make data-driven choices, and support counselors and student-access professionals in guiding decisions. ED emphasized that the indicator is one of multiple factors students should consider and noted that the underlying data are publicly available via the Federal Student Aid Data Center and College Scorecard, with periodic updates planned as more recent earnings information becomes available.
ED Request for Feedback on Accreditation Handbook
On Wednesday, ED issued a Request for Information seeking public input on updates to its Accreditation Handbook as part of an effort to modernize the accreditor recognition process and reduce administrative burdens. The Department is specifically requesting feedback on:
- Which policies or standards encourage innovation or reduce college costs and should be retained or added;
- How the Handbook can better assist accrediting agencies in evaluating institutional quality and in applying for Federal recognition;
- Ways accreditation standards could be updated to incentivize intellectual diversity on campus; and
- Which assessment benchmarks, data sources, and validation methods should be incorporated to better measure student competency.
Public comments are due in 45 days. AASCU also expects ED, in the coming months, to begin a new negotiated rulemaking process on accreditation issues.
Administration Reaches Settlement on Biden SAVE Student Loan Repayment Program
On Tuesday, ED announced that it reached a proposed settlement with the State of Missouri to end the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, pending court approval. ED stated that borrowers currently enrolled in SAVE will have limited time to transition into other legal repayment plans. Meanwhile, pending applications will be denied and new enrollments will be barred. ED is still working to get the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) fully operational, leaving the more than seven million students currently enrolled in SAVE in a state of uncertainty. This transition poses a significant logistical challenge that could affect borrowers’ ability to remain current on their loans and may also impact institutions’ cohort default rates.
ED Transitions WIOA State Plan Portal to DOL
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and ED announced that the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State plan portal has been transitioned to DOL to streamline Federal workforce development programs and support joint administration of core WIOA activities, including adult education and family literacy. Forthcoming efforts will focus on integrating the Perkins State plan portal into the WIOA portal so States with combined plans can submit information through a single system. This transition is notably one of many steps the Administration has taken to shift responsibilities from ED to other agencies.
From the week of Dec. 18
FY26 Appropriations Update
This week, the Senate is aiming to advance a fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations minibus that includes the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill, along with the Defense, Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Interior- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bills. Senate leaders continue to work on resolving objections, or “holds,” by Senators to moving forward, with Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) reporting that all GOP holds have been listed, but Democratic holds remain. While Senate leadership has expressed optimism about floor action today, further steps are still pending. Even if the Senate advances the package, it does not reflect a bicameral agreement, as House appropriators have not signed off, and broader negotiations on overall spending levels between the House and Senate have yet to begin. AASCU will continue to keep you updated on this process in the new year.
AHEAD Committee Reaches Consensus on Workforce Pell Regulations
Last Friday, the Advisory Committee on Accreditation and Higher Education Development (AHEAD) reached consensus on a regulatory framework to implement the new Workforce Pell Grant program following a five-day negotiated rulemaking session convened by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The agreed-upon framework would expand Pell Grant eligibility to include Workforce Pell Grants supporting high-quality, career-oriented short-term training programs. While negotiators raised concerns about certain implementation details, including tuition-setting authority and earnings-based eligibility thresholds, nearly all committee members supported the final proposal. ED will now draft a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which AASCU expects to be released in early 2026.
Senate Clears Additional Nominations Including Assistant Secretary of Labor for ETA
Today, the Senate is expected to pass a resolution authorizing the en bloc confirmation of several nominations, including the nomination of Henry Mack to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employment and Training Administration. If the Senate confirmation occurs, Mack would be expected to be sworn in and formally assume his duties at the U.S. Department of Labor in the coming days. AASCU will continue to follow developments with the nominees and report on the results of the confirmation vote.
