Skip to content
Govbase
Govbase
Congress·In Committee·H.R. 2374

Congress moves to cut federal aid to public colleges that offer in‑state tuition or state aid to undocumented students

American Students First Act

12 months ago·View on Congress.gov
⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • Congress would block federal financial help for a public college or university if it gives certain benefits to students who are not lawfully in the U.S.
  • A school could be penalized if it charges an undocumented student in‑state tuition (or cheaper) compared with in‑state U.S. citizens.
  • A school could also be penalized if it gives state-funded financial aid to an undocumented student.
  • The Education Secretary would decide whether a school broke these rules, and the school would lose federal assistance for the next budget year.
  • This could push some public colleges to change tuition and aid policies to avoid losing federal money, which may affect students and school budgets.
EducationImmigration

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Negative Impacts(5)
Immigrant
Hurts
Student Loans
Hurts
Undocumented
Hurts
Student
Hurts
Child Tax Credit
Hurts

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Mar 26, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Mar 26, 2025

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

After the bill becomes law

Education Department sets up a process to decide whether a public college is ‘ineligible’ under the new rule

Public colleges may start changing tuition classification rules and state-aid eligibility earlier to avoid being flagged and losing federal money later

In the months after the law takes effect (often aligned to the next academic year)

Public colleges review and possibly change in-state tuition and state-aid policies for undocumented students

Students may be told their tuition rate or aid eligibility will change for an upcoming term, affecting whether they can afford to enroll or stay enrolled

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

American Students First Act

Bill NumberHR 2374
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(3)
R: 3

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.