Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Student Housing
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
Government

What You Need to Know About Reauthorization

September 19, 2013

Congress is gearing up to “reauthorize,” or renew, the Higher Education Act, the major law that governs federal student aid. The following is a guide to reauthorization, with information about what’s at stake for colleges and resources to help make sense of the process.

What Is It?

The Higher Education Act is a law almost 50 years old that governs the nation’s student-aid programs and federal aid to colleges. It was signed into law in 1965 as part of President Johnson’s Great Society agenda of domestic programs, and it has been reauthorized nine times since then, most recently in 2008. It’s up for renewal again in 2014, and lawmakers have begun holding hearings and soliciting input to inform the process.

Why Does It Matter?

The Higher Education Act is the law that covers how federal dollars are awarded to colleges and students. It touches on everything from loan limits to accreditation, determining who gets money, how much, and when. What it doesn’t do is actually finance programs—that’s up to the Appropriations Committees in Congress.

But Isn’t Reauthorization Less Important Than It Once Was?

It’s true that major changes in student-aid policy are now being made outside of the reauthorization process, in spending bills and federal rules. That shift has made the act’s renewal less momentous than it used to be. Still, reauthorization remains a major legislative event, with consequences for all of higher education.

What Did Congress Change Last Time?

In the 2008 reauthorization, members of Congress sought to hold colleges and states accountable for rising tuition and to rein in abuses in the student-loan system. Lawmakers took steps to simplify the process of applying for federal student aid and to help students make better borrowing and college-going decisions. In some concrete ways, the bill achieved those goals. Yet the measure failed to attain its larger goals of making colleges more accountable and more affordable, and some lawmakers—and their constituents—are starting to question whether college is still worth it.

Read a news analysis about why the reauthorized act failed in its largest goals.

What Can We Expect This Time?

With tuition continuing to climb, and a growing number of graduates struggling to secure jobs and repay their student-loan debt, lawmakers will look for new ways to hold colleges accountable for their costs and outcomes. They’ll pursue changes in the nation’s accreditation system that colleges probably won’t like, and they’ll seek to promote new, cheaper models of learning, such as competency-based education. Democrats will try to limit the flow of federal dollars to for-profit colleges, but they’ll face pushback from Republicans, particularly in the House of Representatives. And with the Pell Grant program facing a financing shortfall, lawmakers are likely to make some changes in the federal student-aid system. The only question is how broad they will be.

Wondering what’s on colleges’ reauthorization wish lists? Consult this guide to find out.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Congress is gearing up to “reauthorize,” or renew, the Higher Education Act, the major law that governs federal student aid. The following is a guide to reauthorization, with information about what’s at stake for colleges and resources to help make sense of the process.

What Is It?

The Higher Education Act is a law almost 50 years old that governs the nation’s student-aid programs and federal aid to colleges. It was signed into law in 1965 as part of President Johnson’s Great Society agenda of domestic programs, and it has been reauthorized nine times since then, most recently in 2008. It’s up for renewal again in 2014, and lawmakers have begun holding hearings and soliciting input to inform the process.

Why Does It Matter?

The Higher Education Act is the law that covers how federal dollars are awarded to colleges and students. It touches on everything from loan limits to accreditation, determining who gets money, how much, and when. What it doesn’t do is actually finance programs—that’s up to the Appropriations Committees in Congress.

But Isn’t Reauthorization Less Important Than It Once Was?

It’s true that major changes in student-aid policy are now being made outside of the reauthorization process, in spending bills and federal rules. That shift has made the act’s renewal less momentous than it used to be. Still, reauthorization remains a major legislative event, with consequences for all of higher education.

What Did Congress Change Last Time?

In the 2008 reauthorization, members of Congress sought to hold colleges and states accountable for rising tuition and to rein in abuses in the student-loan system. Lawmakers took steps to simplify the process of applying for federal student aid and to help students make better borrowing and college-going decisions. In some concrete ways, the bill achieved those goals. Yet the measure failed to attain its larger goals of making colleges more accountable and more affordable, and some lawmakers—and their constituents—are starting to question whether college is still worth it.

Read a news analysis about why the reauthorized act failed in its largest goals.

What Can We Expect This Time?

With tuition continuing to climb, and a growing number of graduates struggling to secure jobs and repay their student-loan debt, lawmakers will look for new ways to hold colleges accountable for their costs and outcomes. They’ll pursue changes in the nation’s accreditation system that colleges probably won’t like, and they’ll seek to promote new, cheaper models of learning, such as competency-based education. Democrats will try to limit the flow of federal dollars to for-profit colleges, but they’ll face pushback from Republicans, particularly in the House of Representatives. And with the Pell Grant program facing a financing shortfall, lawmakers are likely to make some changes in the federal student-aid system. The only question is how broad they will be.

Wondering what’s on colleges’ reauthorization wish lists? Consult this guide to find out.

Previous Coverage


5 Years On, Renewed Act Has Lost Its Luster

It has spurred an increase in consumer information but has failed in its larger goals.

Reauthorization Redux: Colleges’ Wish List

Here’s what they would like to see included this time around.


We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Law & Policy Political Influence & Activism
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

UCLA students, researchers and demonstrators rally during a "Kill the Cuts" protest against the Trump administration's funding cuts on research, health and higher education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles on April 8, 2025.
Scholarship & Research
Trump Proposed Slashing the National Science Foundation’s Budget. A Key Senate Committee Just Refused.
Illustration of a steamroller rolling over a colorful road and leaving gray asphalt in its wake.
Newly Updated
Oregon State U. Will End a Renowned Program That Aimed to Reduce Bias in Hiring
Dr. Gregory Washington, president of George Mason University.
Another probe
George Mason President Discriminated Against White People After George Floyd Protests, Justice Dept. Says
Protesters gather outside the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 14, 2025 to protest the Trump administrations cuts at the agency.
An Uncertain Future
The Education Dept. Got a Green Light to Shrink. Here Are 3 Questions About What’s Next.

From The Review

Photo-based illustration with repeated images of a student walking, in the pattern of a graph trending down, then up.
The Review | Opinion
7 Ways Community Colleges Can Boost Enrollment
By Bob Levey
Illustration of an ocean tide shaped like Donald Trump about to wash away sandcastles shaped like a college campus.
The Review | Essay
Why Universities Are So Powerless in Their Fight Against Trump
By Jason Owen-Smith
Photo-based illustration of a closeup of a pencil meshed with a circuit bosrd
The Review | Essay
How Are Students Really Using AI?
By Derek O'Connell

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin