Access to higher education remains one of the most powerful pathways to economic mobility, yet students from low-income families face significant barriers to college enrollment and completion. Despite possessing equal talent and potential, these students are far less likely to attend collegeand,once enrolled, encounter greater challenges in persisting to graduation. This opportunity gap not only limits individual potential but also constrains our collective economic prosperity.
Federal policy plays a critical role in leveling the playing field for students from all economic backgrounds. Through strategic investments in financial aid, support services, and institutional capacity, we can remove barriers that prevent talented students from accessing and completing higher education. When more students have the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge, the benefits extend far beyond individual success—strengthening local communities, driving regional innovation, and fueling national economic growth. Creating
educational opportunity is not just a matter of fairness; it's an economic imperative.
Policies to Create Opportunity for All Students
Realize the Promise of FAFSA Simplification
The implementation of the FUTURE and FAFSA Simplification Actshas dramatically streamlined the process of applying for federal student aid.Now, Federal Student Aid should continue improving the form and processby providingreal-time results, allowing immediate corrections, andcontinuing to beta test language and other improvements. NCAN is working to drive anational record in FAFSA completion among high school graduates in 2026.
At its peak, the maximum Pell Grant was worth more than 75% of the average cost of attendance at a four-year public university. Today, it covers less than 30%. Congress should restore the maximumPell Grant to 50% of this cost and tie the Pell Grant to inflation to sustain its purchasing power.Congress should also ensurethat the new Workforce Pell program does not put the traditional Pell program’s solvency at risk.
Food insecurity affects nearly one in four college students, creating barriers to academic success,degree attainment,and overall well-being. Federal policies should reduce bureaucracy by simplifying theSNAP application and renewal process and provide emergency aid for unexpected challenges.
All students regardless of their race, ethnicity, or immigration status deserve the opportunity for affordable higher education. To support this goal, Congress should allow students from
low-income backgrounds who are DACA/TPS recipients or those meeting similar requirements to be eligible for federal financial aid.
While the benefits of a college degree are profound, they accrue disproportionately to students with greater advantage in life. Congress shouldinvest in programs and strategies proven to help more students attain a degree and permit non-profit organizations to participate in the Postsecondary Student Success Program.
Improve Communication About College Cost and Value
Students should have clear information about the cost and payoff of a postsecondary education. Financial aid award letters can be difficult to decipher, and key terms, definitions, and calculations can vary from institution to institution. Congress shouldrequire standardized terms and definitions for award letters and provide more detailed information about the return on investment to help students make informed postsecondary decisions.
Congress should create a federal-state partnership that incentivizes states to invest in need-based aid and in stabilizing or reducing the cost of college. Doing so would provide additional
support to students from low-income backgrounds.
The U.S. Department of Education should ensure student loan counseling is consumer-tested with students and balances an informative process with one that does not create barriers to aid.
Counseling provided to borrowers should include the cumulative student loan debt accrued and should advise borrowers to not to take on more debt than their expected starting salary.
Federal Work-Study and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) provide critical resources to help students afford college. Lawmakers should invest in SEOG, which provides grants to students with exceptional financial need, and reform and invest in Federal Work-Study tobetter target funds to schools with the largest portions of students from low-income backgrounds.
TRIO, GEAR UP and national and community service programs play an important role in the college access and success movement. Support for these federal programswill help more students engage with advisers and others who can help them navigate the path to and through college.
October 24, 2025: NCAN submitted public comment in response to Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy's (R-LA) request for information (RFI) on improving transparency in higher education and lowering costs for students.
October 15, 2025: NCAN joined a comment letter signed by 50 organizations in the Postsecondary Data Collaborative responding to the Department of Education's request for information (RFI) on the redesign of the Institute for Education
Sciences (IES).
September 17, 2025: NCAN endorsed a letter led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) opposing changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
September 17, 2025: NCAN submitted public comment on the proposed changes to employer eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
September 15, 2025: NCAN co-led a sign on letter joined by 88 organizations urging Congress to protect the Pell Grant in FY26 and to offset the impact of inflation with an increase to the maximum award.
July 29, 2025: NCAN endorsed the College Transparency Act,
introduced by Senators Cassidy (R-LA) and Warren (D-MA).
June 6, 2025: NCAN joined a coalition letter led by the
#DoublePellAlliance and signed by over 170 organizations, calling on Congress to fully fund the Pell Grant and reject any cuts to student eligibility proposed in the budget reconciliation
bill.
May 5, 2025: NCAN submitted public comment on proposed revisions to eligibility
for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
March 28, 2025: NCAN submitted comments on the draft 2026-27 FAFSA.
March 19, 2025: NCAN joined a coalition letter led
by the Student Aid Alliance asking leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to increase funding for key federal student aid programs for Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations.
March 15, 2025: NCAN co-led a coalition letter signed by
101 organizations, calling on Congress to avoid harmful cuts to the Pell Grant, federal student loans, SNAP, and Medicaid during budget reconciliation, as these programs provide crucial
support for students pursuing a postsecondary degree, and in turn, strengthen our nation’s workforce and economy.
March 10, 2025: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 87 organizations in the Postsecondary Data Collaborative, urging Congress to exercise its oversight authority to investigate and demand transparency regarding recent cuts
to the Institute for Education Sciences and concerns about access to sensitive student data.
February 26, 2024: NCAN co-led a coalition letter signed by over 100 organizations calling on Congress to shore up funding for the Pell Grant, and prevent a shortfall, by using savings from the budget reconciliation act.
December 19, 2024: NCAN wrote a transition memo outlining our federal policy priorities for improving postsecondary education and training in the Trump Administration.
November 13, 2024: NCAN wrote a letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in support of the FAFSA Deadline Act.
November 4, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 112 organizations, calling on the Biden Administration to take executive action and use regulatory and sub-regulatory tools to improve the SNAP program for students and address food insecurity in higher education.
November 1, 2024: NCAN submitted appropriations requests to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, advocating for increased funding for the Pell Grant and Office of Federal Student Aid in the final FY25 appropriations bill.
October 31, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter led by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) responding to a request for information from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) regarding its inaugural Data Users Conference.
September 25, 2024: NCAN joined a Student Aid Alliance coalition letter sent
to the US Department of Education and Office of Management and Budget, advocating for robust funding increases for federal student aid programs in the FY 2026 budget proposal.
September 10, 2024: NCAN submitted public comment in response to the Department
of Education's RFI regarding ways to support the successful completion and submission of the 2025-2026 FAFSA form.
July 23, 2024: NCAN, in coalition with NASFAA, NACAC, NASSGAP, and SHEEO, sent a letter to the US Department of Education expressing the need for the FAFSA to have full end-to-end functionality when it is released for the 2025-2026 cycle this year.
July 19, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 49 organizations urging Congress to reject the proposed elimination of the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students (Basic Needs Grant) Program and increase funding to $45
million for FY 2025.
July 5, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed
by 44 organizations in the Student Aid Alliance expressing concern to the House Committee on Appropriations about proposed funding cuts to Federal Work Study and SEOG programs for
FY25 and urging Congress to increase funding levels for federal student aid programs.
June 28, 2024: NCAN submitted public comment on the Department
of Education's proposed rule for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant program.
June 10, 2024: NCAN worked with NASFAA to organize a coalition letter signed by 25 organizations urging the US Department of Education to commit to an October 1 launch date for the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle.
May 31, 2024: NCAN submitted public comment on the FSA ID account
creation process for individuals without a social security number and provided suggestions to address and improve ongoing issues with the FAFSA form.
May 24, 2024: NCAN submitted public comment on the Department
of Education's process to determine high-quality college completion programs and award Postsecondary Student Success Grants for institutions of higher education.
May 23, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 63 organizations asking Congress to increase SNAP funding for college students without cutting any existing benefits in this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization.
May 22, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 97 organizations
in the Double Pell Alliance advocating for increased investments in the Federal Pell Grant program for fiscal year 2025.
May 3, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed
by 24 members of the Postsecondary Data Collaborative to the Department of Education, providing input and support for proposed changes to the 2024-25 through 2026-27 IPEDS data collection.
April 30, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed
by 60 organizations asking Congress to increase funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program to $500 million for fiscal year 2025.
April 26, 2024: NCAN submitted appropriations requests for fiscal year 2025 to the leadership of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
April 22, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 16 organizations
asking Congress to appropriate at least $100 million for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) program for fiscal year 2025.
April 2, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition lettersigned
by 168 organizations urging Congress to address the growing crisis of hunger and food insecurity among students in higher education during Farm Bill reauthorization this year.
February 27, 2024: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by 70 organizations asking Congress to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) with continued funding in the next appropriations legislation.
February 26, 2024: NCAN submitted public comment on the process
for FSA ID account creation for individuals without a social security number.
October 22, 2023: NCAN submitted public comment on
the Department of Education's final 2024-25 FAFSA form.
October 13, 2023: NCAN and our partners wrote a letter to the US Secretary of Education asking for a Better FAFSA release date to be announced as soon as possible.
September 19, 2023: NCAN signed a National Student Parent Month thank you letter to Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Tom Carper (D-DE).
June 29, 2023: NCAN helped organize a coalition letter asking Congress to protect the Pell Grant reserve.
June 27, 2023: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by over 22 national non-profit organizations that work to advance educational equity in urging the Department of Education to rethink the proposed Third Party Serving guidance.
May 15, 2023: NCAN joined a coalition letter signed by over 750 local, state, and
national organizations in urging Congress to reject cuts to non-defense discretionary appropriations.
April 25, 2023: NCAN submitted public comment on
the Department of Education's draft 2024-25 FAFSA form.
March 31, 2023: NCAN submitted public comment on the Department
of Education’s updated guidance on the definition, roles, and responsibilities of a Third Party Servicer.
March 23, 2023: NCAN submitted an appropriations request for FY 2024
to the leadership of the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education.
March 22, 2023: NCAN joined a coalition letter to endorse the Pell Grant Sustainability
Act that would restore the grant’s automatic annual inflation adjustment to preserve its value over time.
March 22, 2023: NCAN joined a coalition letter expressing
support for the Secretary of Education’s authority to set aside up to 0.5% of funds from certain Higher Education Act programs for data analysis, data collection, and rigorous evaluations.
February 17, 2023: NCAN joined a coalition letter to respond
to the Department of Education’s Request for Information regarding the evaluation "set aside" funds from certain Higher Education Act programs that can be used for data analysis, collection,
and evaluations.
February 10, 2023: NCAN provided comment to a Department of
Education request for information regarding public transparency for "low-financial value" postsecondary programs.
January 2023: IHEP and Results for America developed recommendations,
with contributions from higher education experts including NCAN's Catherine Brown, to help inform the Department of Education’s decision-making on using its evaluation set-aside authority
for the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act and maintained in the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
December 14, 2022: NASFAA and NCAN sent a letter to the White House and U.S. Department
of Education requesting confirmation that the 2024-25 FAFSA will be ready on October 1, 2023.
December 13, 2022: NCAN joined a coalition letter urging
Congress to advance reforms to standardize financial aid award letters, through the Understanding the True Cost of College Act.
December 12, 2022: NCAN joined a coalition letter urging Congress to
pass necessary protections for Dreamers and DACA students.
November 28, 2022: NCAN joined a coalition letter urging Congress
to repeal the tax on Pell Grants when aid is applied to "non-tuition" costs such as college students' basic needs (food, housing, and child care).
November 21, 2022: NCAN resubmitted program funding requests for fiscal year 2023 to the U.S. Senate and House Committees on Appropriations (Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittees). Please
see the requests here: House and
Senate
November 8, 2022: NCAN joined a coalition letter to Congress requesting an update
to the federal student aid rules around Satisfactory Academic Progress, which can present a barrier to student persistence and completion.
November 4, 2022: NCAN joined a coalition request letter to Congress to include
college completion funding (Postsecondary Student Success Grants) in appropriations for fiscal year 2023.
September 30, 2022:NCAN submitted public comment on FSA's
2023-2027 strategic plan.
August 11, 2022: NCAN submitted public comment, in response to
request, on the demographic survey to be included in the 2023-24 FAFSA.
June 15, 2022: NCAN joined the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, TheDream.US, and many other partners in a letter celebrating
the 10th anniversary of DACA and calls for policymakers to pass legislation that includes a path to citizenship for all “Dreamers.”
May 11, 2022: NCAN submitted program funding requests for fiscal year 2023 to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations (Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittee). Please see the overview
of NCAN's requests here.
April 21, 2022: NCAN submitted public comment on the
2023-24 FAFSA outlining areas of opportunity for increasing the usability and efficiency of the FAFSA.
April 13, 2022: NCAN joined an education community letter to Congress requesting
support and prioritization for the mental and behavioral health needs of students in higher education.
Feb. 23, 2022: NCAN joined an education community letter to the president that
the fiscal year 2023 budget request include significant investments for evidence-based college completion initiatives.
Feb. 11, 2022: NCAN, NASFAA and TICAS - joined by a broad coalition of organizations - drafted a letter to urge the administration to extend the FAFSA income verification waivers.
Jan. 21, 2022: NCAN signed a joint letter of endorsement for the Promoting Advancement
for Transit Help to College Act, which would create grants for public transit providers to collaborate with institutions and increase access to transportation for students.
Dec. 15, 2021: NCAN joined education and civil rights organizations in a letter to colleges
and universities urging an end to legacy preference admissions.
Nov. 23, 2021: NCAN joined NASFAA, NACAC and NASSGAP in a letter to the
Department of Education and the Office of Federal Student Aid to share feedback, and reports of technological challenges in the filing process, for the current FAFSA cycle.
Sept. 30, 2021: NCAN signed onto a joint letter, with the Today's Students Coalition,
asking Congress to consider extending a variety of policies related to temporary benefits and flexibilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – including around FAFSA verification,
food insecurity, emergency aid, and broadband internet access.
Sept. 24, 2021: NCAN responded to a Department of Education request for information regarding
the administration of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and considerations for operational improvements, borrower experiences, and other factors to improve access to
PSLF.
Sept. 20, 2021: NCAN signed onto a joint letter letter asking Congress to expand access, for college
students with demonstrated financial need, to critical food supports through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by passing the Enhanced Access To SNAP (EATS) Act of
2021 (H.R. 1919/S. 2515) and the Student Food Security Act (H.R. 3100/S. 1569).
Sept. 7, 2021: NCAN and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calling on the Department of Education to extend the current verification relief before the new FAFSA cycle opens October 1.
August 19, 2021: NCAN shares its recommendations for Congress
to address college affordability in the fiscal year 2022 budget reconciliation process.
July 6, 2021: NCAN submitted comments in response to the Office
of Management and Budget’s Request for Information on "Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government."
June 24, 2021: NCAN submitted outside witness testimony for fiscal year
2022 appropriations to the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Committee on Appropriations).
March 2, 2021: NCAN wrote to Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona to congratulate him on his confirmation and to offer recommendations for action to help close equity gaps in postsecondary attainment.
March 2, 2021: In collaboration with NASFAA, NCAN corresponded with Secretary Cardona in a joint letter urging his department to prioritize the implementation of changes to, and simplification of, the FAFSA process, as enacted into law late last year.
Want to Learn More?
For more details about NCAN's policy priorities for the 118th Congress, please explore our paper: "How Congress Can Close Equity Gaps in Postsecondary Education."
