S. 5146: Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2026

This bill would change federal higher education rules to make it easier for homeless youth and foster care youth to apply for, qualify for, and stay enrolled in college.

Definitions and eligibility

The bill would add or update definitions in the Higher Education Act so that colleges and financial aid offices use clearer, more specific categories for:

• foster care youth, including some young people who were in foster care at age 13 or older even if they were later adopted or placed in guardianship;
• homeless youth, using the definition already found in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
• unaccompanied youth, also using the McKinney-Vento definition.

It would also remove two existing subsections in the Higher Education Act as a technical correction.

Financial aid and student support

The bill would require the federal student aid ombudsman to help resolve complaints about whether a student counts as independent for aid purposes when the student is homeless or in one of the covered groups. The ombudsman would need to work with child welfare agencies and school homeless liaisons when reviewing these complaints.

It would also require the U.S. Department of Education to issue updated guidance to schools and financial aid administrators within 120 days after enactment, and to provide annual training for college liaisons and interested staff starting within one year.

College housing and campus assistance

Colleges that participate in federal student aid programs would have new obligations to support these students. They would need to:

• designate a trained staff member to serve as a liaison for homeless youth, unaccompanied students, and foster care youth;
• post the liaison’s contact information and key aid-related information on their websites;
• provide priority access to institution-owned or operated housing, including housing available during breaks or year-round;
• create a plan for how students in these groups can get housing during and between terms;
• include optional questions on admissions forms so applicants can self-identify for the limited purpose of receiving aid and support information;
• allow students to access campus housing even if they are temporarily unable to pay deposits or housing costs because of delayed voucher disbursement or delays caused by the institution.

The bill would also require colleges to help connect these students to services such as financial aid, academic advising, food, health care, mental health care, child care, transportation help, housing resources, mentoring, and public benefits.

Federal TRIO and related programs

The bill would direct several federal college-access programs to focus more on homeless and foster youth. This includes programs such as Talent Search, Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Educational Opportunity Centers, and GEAR UP. These programs would need to:

• identify and reach out to homeless and foster care youth;
• remove barriers to participation and retention;
• describe outreach activities in their applications;
• report at the end of the project on how many of these students they served and what strategies worked.

For some programs, the bill would also allow activities like partnerships with shelters, child welfare agencies, and school liaisons, plus policies that help students keep participating even if their housing or school situation changes.

Work-study, data, and tuition

The bill would tell colleges to prioritize students who are homeless youth or foster care youth for Federal Work-Study jobs.

It would also require more data transparency about unresolved requests for homelessness-related financial aid determinations, including cases where no decision was made.

For public colleges, the bill would require in-state tuition rates for homeless youth and foster care youth, rather than higher nonresident rates. This new tuition rule would apply starting with the first enrollment period in the first full award year after enactment.

Reporting and oversight

The Department of Education would have to collect reports and periodically provide Congress with information about effective strategies for helping these students, including ways to simplify financial aid rules and improve recruitment, retention, and completion.

Effective date

The bill would take effect on July 1, 2026.

Relevant Companies

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