Fair College Admissions for Students Act

Key Points

• This bill would ban colleges from giving preferential treatment to applicants based on their connections to alumni or donors. Any school that participates in federal student aid programs would have to stop these practices to keep receiving federal funding.
• The bill works by amending the Higher Education Act of 1965, adding the legacy/donor preference ban as a new condition that schools must meet to participate in federal student assistance programs. Since nearly all colleges accept federal aid, this would apply broadly.
• Schools would get roughly two years to change their admissions practices before the ban takes effect. The law would kick in on the first day of the second award year after it's enacted, giving colleges time to adjust.
• The bill has bipartisan support, introduced by Senators Merkley, Kennedy, and Padilla, crossing party lines. It was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.