The U.S. Department of
Education (ED) administers most federal student financial aid, collects data on
the nation’s colleges and universities, and implements most of the federal
higher education policies created by Congress. It also enforces laws regarding
privacy, civil rights, and other issues for institutions that accept federal
funds.
The primary
law through which ED administers these programs is the Higher Education Act
(HEA), first passed in 1965. Since then, HEA has been rewritten eight times.
The current HEA was last reauthorized in 2008 and expired at the end of fiscal
year 2014.
As Congress works towards a long-overdue
reauthorization, among the issues that will be debated are affordability and
college costs; access, retention, and completion; better information for
consumers; student loan programs and student loan repayment; accreditation and
oversight; innovation; campus safety, and the burden of federal regulations. The
American Council on Education works with Congress and the presidential administration
on an ongoing basis to ensure the views of its members are reflected in policy
discussions and during the reauthorization process.