Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7117

Fast Track To and Through College Act

Congress Proposes Plan to Let High Schoolers Use Pell Grants for College Credits

Jan 15·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 6 months

This bill is currently sitting in the House Committee on Education and Workforce where it was sent in January 2026. No action has been taken on the proposal for about five months. The committee must review the bill before it can move forward, but it is not showing any signs of progress.

Legislative Progress

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How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from S. 3952 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
S. 3952 (118th) →

Key Points

This plan creates 'fast track' paths for high school students to earn up to a full year of college credit for free. It aims to help students graduate from college faster and with less debt by making sure high school classes actually count toward their future degrees.
For the first time, eligible high school students could use federal Pell Grants to pay for college-level classes, books, and fees. Usually, these grants are only available to students who have already graduated high school and are enrolled in college.
Students who finish high school in three years or less would be eligible for special scholarships to help pay for their first year of college. This rewards students who work ahead and helps them move into higher education more quickly.
States that join the program must guarantee that credits earned in high school will transfer to all public colleges in that state. This prevents students from wasting time and money on classes that a college might otherwise refuse to accept.
The program focuses on helping students from low-income families and those who would be the first in their family to go to college. At least half of the grant money must be used to support these specific groups of students to ensure they have equal access to advanced classes.

EducationEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works

Life & Work

The bill explicitly requires consultation with representatives of Indian Tribes in each participating state during the development and ongoing implementation of the program. It also defines "historically underrepresented students" in a way that includes Native youth, making them a priority population for receiving at least half of the grant funding. This could meaningfully expand access to advanced coursework and college pathways in tribal communities that often lack these opportunities.

ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Programs

Disabilities

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 15, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Jan 15, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related News

2 articles

WIBC·Jan 15

Sen. Young’s Bill to Make Early College Courses & Credits More Accessible

Indiana Senator Todd Young and New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan have reintroduced the Fast Track To and Through College Act. The bipartisan legislation proposes a federal grant program to help students earn college credits while in high school, potentially saving families thousands in tuition.

Center

The Hill·Jan 16

Bipartisan House duo seeks to expand Pell Grants to high school students

Reps. Olszewski and Moylan are championing a new bill that would fundamentally change Pell Grant eligibility. The proposal would allow high school seniors to use the grants for dual-enrollment tuition and books, rewarding students who graduate high school early with additional scholarships.

Center

No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.