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S5626119th CongressWALLET

Higher Education Grant Flexibility Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

Introduced

Summary

Treats approved reduced course loads for students with disabilities as full-time when calculating grant amounts. It would apply this rule to Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and TEACH Grants and tie the change to existing FAFSA and appropriations effective dates.

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  • Students with disabilities: A student with a disability who has a reduced course load approved as a reasonable accommodation would have that reduced load or 5 credits, whichever is greater, deemed full-time for the elements of cost of attendance used to set Pell Grant amounts. Section 472(b) would not apply to these calculations and semester-by-semester Pell eligibility rules remain unaffected.
  • FSEOG recipients: The bill would treat similarly situated students as full-time when calculating the cost-of-attendance elements that determine Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant amounts.
  • TEACH Grant candidates: Teacher candidates with an approved reduced load would have that reduced load or 5 credits treated as full-time for calculating TEACH Grant amounts.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Full-time grants for students with disabilities

If enacted, this bill would treat certain reduced course loads as full-time when calculating federal grant amounts. A student or teacher candidate with a disability who has a reduced course load approved as a reasonable accommodation would be deemed full-time for cost-of-attendance calculations for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and TEACH Grants. The deemed enrollment would be the approved reduced course load or 5 credits (or the equivalent), whichever is greater. Section 472(b) would not apply for these calculations, and the Pell semester-eligibility rule would not change. The amendments would take effect as if included in a 2021 appropriations law and follow the FAFSA Simplification Act effective-date rules.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

MD • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

    VT • I

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

  • Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

  • Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

  • Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

  • Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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