# 119-s-880: Fair College Admissions for Students Act

119-s-880, Fair College Admissions for Students Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-880
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-880
- Congress: 119
- Title: Fair College Admissions for Students Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-03-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Ban on admissions preference for donor and alumni ties.** The bill would amend the Higher Education Act to stop institutions that receive federal student aid from giving any preferential treatment in admissions to applicants because of their relationships to donors or alumni, taking effect on the first day of the second award year after enactment.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Colleges banned from legacy preferences: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would bar colleges that participate in federal student aid programs from giving any special admission treatment to applicants because of ties to donors or alumni. It would apply to institutions covered by HEA section 487(a). The ban would start on the first day of the second aw…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-93: Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-s-880 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/880)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-93: Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-93)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-880 (as of 2026-04-21).