# 119-s-1253: College Admissions Accountability Act of 2025

119-s-1253, College Admissions Accountability Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-03).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1253
- As of: 2026-10-03
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1253
- Congress: 119
- Title: College Admissions Accountability Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-02
- Sponsor: Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-03

## Summary

**Prevent race-based discrimination in college admissions.** This bill would create a Special Inspector General for Unlawful Discrimination in Higher Education to investigate complaints, assess whether policies incentivize racial bias, and recommend remedies. It would also bar institutions from receiving federal student or institutional aid if the Secretary determines they discriminated on the basis of race in admissions or financial aid, citing Harvard College v. Students for Fair Admissions (2023) as the Equal Protection standard reference. - Students, especially students of color: Would get a new pathway to file complaints and see disaggregated data on alleged racial bias, plus institutional reform recommendations when violations are found. - Colleges and universities: Would face investigations, remedial recommendations, possible discipline of responsible personnel, and loss of federal student or institutional aid if found to have racially discriminatory admissions or financial aid policies. - Department of Education and oversight: Would host an independent Office of the Special Inspector General with authority to review systems, maintain confidentiality, and report quarterly to Congress; the office would have $25 million in authorized funding and a 12-year sunset. *Would authorize $25 million in federal funding for the new inspector general office, with funds available until expended.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-09-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-04-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New inspector for college discrimination: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create an Office of the Special Inspector General for Unlawful Discrimination in Higher Education inside the Department of Education. The Special Inspector General would be appointed by the President with Senate approval and paid at the inspector general rate. The office…
- Colleges could lose federal aid: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would bar any college from receiving Federal student assistance or Federal institutional aid if the Secretary of Education determines the school discriminated on the basis of race in admissions, financial aid, or programs. The legal standard cited includes the Equal Protection…
- Investigate race-based college complaints: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Special Inspector General would be required to receive, review, and investigate complaints from students or employees about race-based discrimination in admissions, financial aid, or academic programs. The office would apply standards under the Equal Protection Clause as interpreted…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-s-1253 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1253)

## Related
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4378)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-554)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1253 (as of 2026-10-03).