A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Student Protection and Success Act aims to hold colleges accountable for student loan repayment. Starting in fiscal year 2028, schools with cohort repayment rates of 15 percent or less will lose eligibility for various federal programs, including Pell Grants and student loans. The bill also requires these institutions to make risk-sharing payments based on unpaid loan balances. Money from these payments will fund the College Opportunity Bonus Program, providing grants to successful schools that help low- and moderate-income students. Additionally, the Secretary of Education must report on best practices to improve repayment rates.
Yes· 3 of 17
- Scored +6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Directly supports low-income students via the College Opportunity Bonus Program.
- Scored +6
Would students be better off under this?
Encourages institutions to improve student support and loan repayment success.
- Scored +5
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
Protects young adults from predatory colleges by holding institutions accountable for student success.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Support for Low-Income Students: The College Opportunity Bonus Program provides grants to institutions that improve access and success for low- and moderate-income students, which can be used for additional need-based financial aid, better student support services, and accelerated learning (Section 3).
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Increased Institutional Accountability: By making schools ineligible for federal programs if their cohort repayment rate is 15 percent or less, the bill pressures institutions to ensure students are prepared for successful loan repayment (Section 2).
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Funding for Success: Grants are awarded to institutions with a cohort repayment rate greater than 25 percent that have a strong record of making college affordable (Section 3).
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Guidance for Improvement: The Secretary of Education will provide a report on best practices and recommendations for schools to improve repayment rates, specifically for those serving many low-income students (Section 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of Financial Aid Access: Students attending institutions with low cohort repayment rates (15 percent or less) may lose access to Pell Grants, student loan insurance, and Federal Perkins loans (Section 2).
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Financial Burden on Schools: Institutions must make risk-sharing payments to the Secretary based on the amount of loans borrowers have not repaid, which could impact school budgets (Section 4).
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Risk of Program Ineligibility: Schools may be barred from participating in federal programs for three fiscal years if they fail to meet the repayment rate threshold (Section 2).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Directly supports low-income students via the College Opportunity Bonus Program. Would students be better off under this? — Encourages institutions to improve student support and loan repayment success. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Protects young adults from predatory colleges by holding institutions accountable for student success. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Provides targeted support for low-income students in higher education. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Provides targeted support for low-income students in higher education. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Improves transparency and quality of higher education options. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Provides targeted support for low-income students in higher education. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — Increases accountability in the higher education system. Would white Americans be better off under this? — Increases accountability in the higher education system.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Protects students from attending low-performing institutions with poor repayment outcomes. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Increases accountability for the use of federal student loan funds. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — Risk-sharing payments from institutions return funds to the Secretary of Education.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires the Secretary to publish cohort repayment rates for institutions. Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases the Department of Education's authority to penalize institutions based on loan repayment.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Provides grants to improve college success for low- and moderate-income students. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — Bonus grants target institutions serving low-income students, who are disproportionately from minority groups.
- Education And Technology
- Does this make college cost less? — Bonus grants are awarded to institutions with strong records of affordability.
- 3/17/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Todd YoungRepublican · Indiana