Grants to automatically award degrees and support students near graduation.
This Act aims to boost degree attainment by providing grants to states to identify and automatically confer associate degrees to students who accumulated sufficient credits but never formally graduated. Citizens who previously stopped their education but met the academic requirements may unexpectedly receive a degree, enhancing their professional qualifications and job market opportunities. Furthermore, the law facilitates the return to studies for individuals close to graduation, often by waiving administrative fees.
Key points
Automatic Degree Awarding: Colleges must identify former students who earned enough credits (typically 45 or more) and meet the requirements to receive an associate degree, even if they never formally applied for graduation.
Support for Returning Students: Individuals within 12 credits of earning a degree will receive outreach and information on next steps, including financial aid options, to encourage them to complete their studies.
Removal of Administrative Barriers: Institutions receiving grants are prioritized if they waive non-academic barriers to graduation, such as application fees, library fines, transcript exchange fees, or other nominal charges.
Easier Credit Transfer: The Act promotes the creation of articulation agreements between 2-year and 4-year institutions to strengthen transfer pathways and prevent students from losing earned credits.
Data Privacy Changes: Amendments to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allow the sharing of postsecondary coursework records between institutions to facilitate the award of a recognized credential, provided the student gives written consent.
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