Resources for college counseling and admission professionals related to the Higher Education Act (HEA) and related legislation.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (PL 110-315) is the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), which became law on August 14, 2008. Several of NACAC's recommendations were addressed by this legislation.
College Cost Reduction and Access Grant (CCRAA)
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (HR 2669 or CCRAA) was signed into law on September 27, 2007. The CCRAA reauthorizes a portion of the Higher Education Act, and is also a reconciliation bill, applying $21 billion in savings from cuts to lender subsidies to higher education initiatives. In addition to the College Access Challenge Grants, the CCRAA also includes a new loan forgiveness program for certain Direct Loan borrowers who are public service employees.
Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008
In response to the economic crisis and growing concerns regarding the availability of student loans for the 2008-2009 school year, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 (ECASLA) was passed to provide banks participating in the FFEL program the capital to continue disbursing student loans. This legislation also increased the annual loan amounts in the FFEL and Direct Loan programs and provided relief for certain PLUS Loan borrowers whose adverse credit history is related to payment of home mortgages or medical bills. Finally, the bill made important changes to the Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant) Programs.