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Title II — Grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions

S. 2483 · 115th Congress · Mar 1, 2018 · Lineage

II Grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions

Sec. 201 Pathways to student success for historically Black colleges and universities

(a)
In general— From amounts appropriated under section 204(a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to participating 4-year historically Black colleges or universities that meet the requirements of subsection (b) to—
(1)
encourage students to enroll and successfully complete a bachelor’s degree at institutions eligible under subsection (b);
(2)
provide incentives to community college students to transfer to institutions eligible under subsection (b) through strong transfer pathways to complete a bachelor’s degree program; and
(3)
support institutions eligible under subsection (b) to better serve new and existing students by engaging in reforms and innovations designed to improve completion rates and other student outcomes.
(b)
Eligibility— To be eligible to receive a grant under the program under this section, an institution shall be a historically Black college or university that—
(1)
has a student body of which not less than 35 percent are low-income students;
(2)
commits to maintaining or adopting and implementing promising and evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative practices to improve the completion rates and other student outcomes, such as—
(A)
providing comprehensive academic and student support services, including mentoring and advising;
(B)
providing accelerated learning opportunities and degree pathways, such as dual or concurrent enrollment programs and pathways to graduate and professional degree programs;
(C)
advancing distance and competency-based education;
(D)
partnering with employers, industry, nonprofit associations, and other groups to provide opportunities to advance learning outside the classroom, including work-based learning opportunities such as internships or apprenticeships or programs designed to improve inter-cultural development and personal growth, such as foreign exchange and study abroad programs;
(E)
reforming remedial education, especially for low-income students, first generation college students, adult students, and other underrepresented students; or
(F)
implementing course redesigns of high-enrollment courses to improve student outcomes and reduce cost;
(3)
sets performance goals for improving student outcomes for the duration of the grant; and
(4)
if receiving a grant for transfer students, has articulation agreements with community colleges at the national, State, or local level to ensure that community college credits can fully transfer to the institution.
(c)
Grant amount—
(1)
Initial amount— For the first year that an eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), participates in the grant program under this section and subject to paragraph (3), such eligible institution shall receive a grant in an amount based on the product of—
(A)
the actual cost of tuition and fees at the eligible institution in such year (referred to in this section as the per-student rebate); multiplied by
(B)
the number of eligible students enrolled in the eligible institution for the preceding year.
(2)
Subsequent increases— For each succeeding year after the first year of the grant program under this section, each eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), that participate in the grant program shall receive a grant in the amount determined under paragraph (1) for such year, except that in no case shall the amount of the per-student rebate for an eligible institution increase by more than 3 percent as compared to the amount of such rebate for the preceding year.
(3)
Limitations—
(A)
Maximum per-student rebate— No eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), participating in the grant program under this section shall receive a per-student rebate amount for any year that is greater than the national average of annual tuition and fees at public 4-year institutions of higher education for such year, as determined by the Secretary.
(B)
First year tuition and fees— During the first year of participation in the grant program under this section, no eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), may increase tuition and fees at a rate greater than any annual increase at the eligible institution in the previous 5 years.
(d)
Application— An eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), that desires a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(e)
Use of funds— Funds awarded under this section to an eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), shall be used to waive or significantly reduce tuition and fees for eligible students in an amount of not more than up to the annual per-student rebate amount for each student, for not more than the first 60 credits an eligible student enrolls in the eligible institution.

Sec. 202 Pathways to student success for Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, predominantly Black institutions, and Native American-serving nontribal institutions

(a)
In general— From amounts appropriated under section 204(a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to eligible minority-serving institutions to—
(1)
encourage students to enroll and successfully complete a bachelor’s degree at institutions eligible under subsection (b);
(2)
provide incentives to community college students to transfer to institutions eligible under subsection (b) through strong transfer pathways to complete a bachelor’s degree program; and
(3)
support institutions eligible under subsection (b) to better serve new and existing students by engaging in reforms and innovations designed to improve completion rates and other student outcomes.
(b)
Institutional eligibility— To be eligible to participate and receive a grant under this section, an institution shall be a minority-serving institution that—
(1)
has a student body of which not less than 35 percent are low-income students;
(2)
commits to maintaining or adopting and implementing promising and evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative practices to improve the completion rates and other student outcomes, such as—
(A)
providing comprehensive academic and student support services, including mentoring and advising;
(B)
providing accelerated learning opportunities and degree pathways, such as dual or concurrent enrollment programs and pathways to graduate and professional degree programs;
(C)
advancing distance and competency-based education;
(D)
partnering with employers, industry, nonprofit associations, and other groups to provide opportunities to advance learning outside the classroom, including work-based learning opportunities such as internships or apprenticeships or programs designed to improve inter-cultural development and personal growth, such as foreign exchange and study abroad programs;
(E)
reforming remedial education, especially for low-income students, first generation college students, adult students, and other underrepresented students; and
(F)
implementing course redesigns of high-enrollment courses to improve student outcomes and reduce cost;
(3)
sets performance goals for improving student outcomes for the duration of the grant; and
(4)
if receiving a grant for transfer students, has articulation agreements with community colleges at the national, State, or local levels to ensure that community college credits can fully transfer to the institution.
(c)
Grant amount—
(1)
Initial amount— For the first year that an eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), participates in the grant program under this section and subject to paragraph (3), such eligible institution shall receive a grant in an amount based on the product of—
(A)
the actual cost of tuition and fees at the eligible institution in such year (referred to in this section as the per-student rebate); multiplied by
(B)
the number of eligible students enrolled in the eligible institution for the preceding year.
(2)
Subsequent increases— For each succeeding year after the first year of the grant program under this section, each eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), that participate in the grant program shall receive a grant in the amount determined under paragraph (1) for such year, except that in no case shall the amount of the per-student rebate increase by more than 3 percent as compared to the amount of such rebate for the preceding year.
(3)
Limitations—
(A)
Maximum per-student rebate— No eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), participating in the grant program under this section shall receive a per-student rebate amount for a grant year greater than the national average of public 4-year institutional tuition and fees, as determined by the Secretary.
(B)
First year tuition and fees— During the first year of participation in the grant program under this section, no eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), may increase tuition and fees at a rate greater than any annual increase made by the institution in the previous 5 years.
(d)
Application— An eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such a manner, and containing such information as determined by the Secretary.
(e)
Use of funds— Funds awarded under this section to an eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), shall be used to waive or significantly reduce tuition and fees for eligible students in an amount of not more than up to the annual per-student rebate amount for each student, for not more than the first 60 credits an eligible student enrolls in the eligible institution.

Sec. 203 Definitions

In this title:
(1)
Eligible student—
(A)
Definition— The term eligible student means a student, regardless of age, who—
(i)
(I)
enrolls in a historically Black college or university, or minority-serving institution; or
(II)
transfers from a community college into a historically Black college or university, or minority-serving institution;
(ii)
attends the historically Black college or university, or minority-serving institution, on at least a half-time basis;
(iii)
is maintaining satisfactory progress, as defined in section 484(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(c)), in the student’s course of study; and
(iv)
is a low-income student.
(B)
Special rule— An otherwise eligible student shall lose eligibility 3 calendar years after first receiving benefits under this title.
(2)
Historically Black college or university— The term historically Black college or university means a part B institution described in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)).
(3)
Low-income student— The term low-income student—
(A)
shall include any student eligible for a Federal Pell Grant under section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a); and
(B)
may include a student ineligible for a Federal Pell Grant under section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) who is determined by the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled to be a low-income student based on an analysis of the student’s ability to afford the cost of attendance at the institution.
(4)
Minority-serving institution— The term minority-serving institution means any public or nonprofit institution of higher education—
(A)
described in paragraphs (2) through (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); and
(B)
designated as a minority-serving institution by the Secretary.
(5)
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.

Sec. 204 Appropriations

(a)
Authorization and appropriations for HBCU and MSI grants— For the purpose of carrying out sections 201 and 202, there are authorized to be appropriated, and there are appropriated—
(1)
$61,050,000 for fiscal year 2019;
(2)
$199,800,000 for fiscal year 2020;
(3)
$1,189,920,000 for fiscal year 2021;
(4)
$1,237,650,000 for fiscal year 2022;
(5)
$1,287,600,000 for fiscal year 2023;
(6)
$1,338,660,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(7)
$1,359,750,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(8)
$1,449,660,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(9)
$1,508,490,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(10)
$1,569,540,000 for fiscal year 2028 and each succeeding fiscal year.
(b)
Availability— Funds appropriated under subsection (a) are to remain available to the Secretary until expended.
(c)
Insufficient funds— If the amount appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year is not sufficient to award each participating institution in the grant programs under sections 201 and 202 a grant under this part that is equal to 100 percent of the grant amount determined under sections 201(c) and 202(c), as applicable, the Secretary may ratably reduce the amount of each such grant or take other actions necessary to ensure an equitable distribution of such amount.