HR6472-119

What This Bill Does

The Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act adds a new Higher Education Act section 135A. A public institution of higher education that receives assistance under the Act could not charge a covered individual tuition or fees above the rate charged to residents of the state where the institution is located. Covered individuals are U.S. nationals who reside in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The bill also amends section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act so institutional program participation agreements must include compliance with the new section 135A rule. That turns the tuition cap into a federal higher-education compliance condition for covered public institutions. Students from the listed territories would receive in-state tuition treatment at public colleges and universities that participate in federal higher-education assistance programs, while those institutions would absorb the administrative and revenue effects of charging lower rates.

Who Benefits and How

Guam students who are U.S. nationals benefit from lower public-college tuition and fees outside Guam. CNMI students who are U.S. nationals benefit from the same in-state tuition cap at covered institutions. American Samoa students who are U.S. nationals benefit from reduced tuition barriers at public colleges and universities. U.S. Virgin Islands students who are U.S. nationals benefit from in-state rate treatment. Families of territorial students benefit because tuition bills can fall from out-of-state rates to in-state rates. Department of Education Title IV staff benefit from a clear compliance hook through program participation agreements.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Public colleges receiving federal higher-education assistance must identify covered territorial students and charge no more than in-state rates. State public university finance offices may lose out-of-state tuition revenue for covered students. Financial-aid administrators must update eligibility and billing processes. State higher-education systems must coordinate tuition policy with federal program participation agreements. Department of Education compliance staff must monitor institutional adherence to section 135A.

Key Provisions

• Adds section 135A to the Higher Education Act for in-state tuition rates for listed territory residents.
• Covers U.S. nationals residing in Guam, CNMI, American Samoa, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Bars covered public institutions from charging tuition or fees above in-state rates.
• Adds compliance with section 135A to Higher Education Act program participation agreements.
• Provides a federal compliance mechanism for territorial-student tuition treatment.