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United States · Bill · S

S. 1263 (117th)

Debt-Free College Act of 2021

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

21 April 2021

Last action

21 April 2021 · Introduced

Status

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Sponsors

Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI], Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH], Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI], Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT], Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL], Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]

Subjects

Education

Source updated

21 January 2026

Education

Summary

Debt-Free College Act of 2021 This bill establishes measures to cover the unmet financial need of students who are enrolled at certain institutions of higher education (IHEs). Unmet financial need refers to the difference between a student's cost of attendance and the student's expected family contribution, plus any federal, state, and local sources of grant aid. In addition, the bill makes certain Dreamer students (i.e., students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status) eligible for federal financial aid. First, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to award grants for state-federal partnerships with a goal of providing debt-free college for all eligible students at in-state public IHEs. Eligible student refers to an individual who (1) is enrolled or is eligible to enroll in an in-state public IHE, (2) completes a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or demonstrates eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant through institutional financial-aid eligibility forms, and (3) demonstrates satisfactory academic progress. Next, the bill requires ED to award grants to historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions to cover the unmet financial need of enrolled students. ED must establish an office to administer grants and provide oversight. In addition, the bill makes Dreamer students who entered the United States before the age of 16 and who meet certain educational criteria eligible for federal student aid.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 21 April 2021

    Introduced

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 21 April 2021

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

3 official files

Introduced in Senate (text)

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  • Introduced in Senate (text)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 21 April 2021

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in Senate (PDF)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 21 April 2021

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in Senate

    summary · EN · 21 April 2021

    Open at official source

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Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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