H.R. 10786: Civic Literacy in Higher Education Act

This bill would require certain colleges and universities that participate in federal higher education programs to make U.S. citizens who were citizens by birth pass the U.S. naturalization test before they can graduate.

What the requirement would be

• The rule would apply to institutions covered by the Higher Education Act, except for institutions described in section 102(a)(2) of that law.
• As a condition of graduation from any program of study, a student who is a U.S. citizen by birth would have to demonstrate the knowledge required under section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which is the naturalization/civics test content used for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship.
• The test would have to be:
  • Proctored by a faculty member of the institution, and
  • Taken without books or notes.

What it means in practice

In practical terms, colleges covered by the bill would need to add a civics-test requirement for qualifying U.S.-born students before awarding a degree. The bill does not spell out how many questions must be answered correctly, whether students could retake the test, or what academic programs would be affected beyond the general graduation requirement. It also does not change the naturalization test itself; it uses the existing federal civics knowledge standard as the benchmark.

Relevant Companies

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