Current Bill Watch

Higher Education Act News

• Latest News, Analysis and Advocacy from NASFAA


• Media Coverage


• Department of Education News

Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008

On July 31, 2008 the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) which reauthorized the Higher Education Act (HEA) for the first time since 1998. On August 14, 2008, President G.W. Bush signed the bill into law. The law provided additional aid and benefits for students and requires a host of new reporting requirements and disclosures to help students and parents make better-informed decisions about higher education and higher education financing.

Summary and Language

• NASFAA's Summary of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137)


• GEN-08-12/FP-08-10: Department of Education's Summary of the Higher Education Opportunity Act


• Text of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) as signed into law on August 14, 2008

Implementation Resources

• Changes to Student Aid effective July 1, 2009


• Proposed Net Price Calculator Template and Multiyear Tuition Calculator from the Association for Institutional Research (March 2009)


• IBRInfo.org Student resources for Income-Based Loan Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness from the Project on Student Debt


• Income-Based Repayment Resources for Schools and Lenders from the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs


• Chart of Implementation Dates from NASFAA


• Department of Education's Report to Congress Regarding Simplification of the Federal Student Aid Process and the FAFSA

Negotiated Rulemaking

• HEOA Negotiated Rulemaking Resource Center