H.R. 8009 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Education and Workforce, Mar 19, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryPenalizes colleges with low student loan repayment rates
This bill creates rules around how well colleges help their students repay federal student loans. Colleges where 15% or fewer students successfully start paying back their loans would lose access to federal student aid for three years. At the same time, the bill rewards colleges with better repayment rates by giving them grants they can use to offer more financial aid, tutoring, and other support to low- and moderate-income students. Money for these grants comes from colleges that have high student loan debt problems among their students.
How it affects you
If you're thinking about attending college, this could affect you indirectly. Colleges with serious student loan problems could temporarily lose federal aid eligibility, which might limit financial aid options there. On the flip side, students at colleges with strong track records would potentially benefit from new grants that schools could use to boost aid and support services. The bill doesn't directly change what individual borrowers owe or their repayment terms.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 19, 2026)
Student Protection and Success Act
This bill establishes certain consequences for institutions of higher education (IHEs) that have low student loan repayment rates or high student loan balances among their students.
Specifically, the bill makes an IHE ineligible for federal student financial aid programs for three fiscal years if only 15% or less of its students are able to start repaying the principal of their loans by specified deadlines.
Additionally, the bill creates a grant program through which the Department of Education must award grants to eligible IHEs (i.e., IHEs with a student loan repayment rate above 25%) that have a strong record of supporting low- and moderate-income students. The bill funds the grants by requiring IHEs with certain nonrepayment loan balances to make risk-sharing payments. Grants may be used to increase college access and success for the students using investments and practices such as awarding additional need-based financial aid, enhancing academic and student support services, and establishing or expanding accelerated learning opportunities.
The bill also requires the National Center for Education Statistics to collect information on student service expenditures, student service resources, and recruitment and marketing expenditures.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionH. R. 8009
A BILL
Student Protection and Success Act
Sponsor: Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN-9) · Introduced Mar 19, 2026 · Education · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 19, 2026: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.”