H.R. 10451: Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act

This bill would create a new federal grant program to help college students cover sudden financial emergencies. The U.S. Department of Education would give grants to colleges and universities that apply to run their own emergency aid programs for enrolled students.

What the grants would be for

Schools that receive these funds could use them only to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. The bill says emergencies can include financial problems affecting any part of a student’s cost of attendance, or problems that could interfere with the student staying in school.

How schools would apply

Colleges and universities would have to submit applications to the Education Department. The department would have to do outreach at least 60 days before application deadlines to let institutions know about the program. Applications would need to explain:

• How many grants the school expects to give out
• Who would be eligible
• How the school would run the program
• How quickly aid would be disbursed
• How the school would let students know about the aid
• How the school would prioritize students with financial need

Student application and payment rules

Schools would need to let students apply online and give at least one chance to appeal a denial. The bill also says schools should respond to applications, approve them, and send money even outside normal business hours. Approved grants would have to be funded within 10 business days after approval.

Which schools get priority

The Education Department could give priority to certain kinds of schools, including:

• Community colleges
• Rural schools
• Schools where at least 33% of students receive Pell Grants
• Under-resourced schools with open admissions rates of 50% or higher
• Some other specifically defined institutions under existing higher education law

How much aid a student could receive

A student could receive enough aid that their total financial aid exceeds the school’s cost of attendance, but the student could not receive more than the maximum Pell Grant amount in one academic year under this program. Schools could also use scholarship-granting organizations to help accept applications or send out funds, if the full amount reaches students.

Reporting and oversight

Schools that get these grants would have to file at least annual reports with the Education Department. The reports would have to include information such as:

• How much money was awarded on average, and the minimum and maximum grants
• How many students applied, were approved, were denied, and appealed denials
• Which groups of students were prioritized, such as low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, student parents, and others
• How quickly the school responded and sent out grants
• Whether institutional funds were used to supplement the federal grants
• Outcomes for students who received aid, such as retention and completion rates

Other rules

Schools would get to decide which students receive grants. The bill says these grants would not count as income or assets for federal student aid calculations, would not affect eligibility for other public benefits, and would not count as taxable income. It also says a person could not be denied aid under this program because of citizenship or immigration status.

Funding and administration

The bill authorizes whatever money is needed for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 to run the program. It also says the Education Department cannot use agreements with other federal agencies to carry out the program’s administration, oversight, technical assistance, or related functions.

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