Bill · S. 3433· Senate(119-S-3433)
PELL Act
- Introduced
- 12/11/2025
- Last activity
- 12/11/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Jim Banks
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The PELL Act aims to eliminate various higher education funding programs that are currently distributed based on the racial or ethnic demographics of student bodies. This bill targets specific grant programs for minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, to prevent what it describes as race-based discrimination in admissions and funding. It seeks to replace these programs with a focus on supporting students through the Federal Pell Grant program. The legislation also increases funding for Federal Pell Grants to expand educational opportunities regardless of race or ethnicity. Additionally, it mandates that institutions receiving federal funds must not use racial quotas or preferences in their admissions processes.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this make college cost less?+5
The bill increases the maximum amount available through the Federal Pell Grant program.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+4
Increased Pell Grant funding provides more support for low-income individuals pursuing higher education.
Would students be better off under this?+4
The bill increases the financial support available through Federal Pell Grants for students in need.
The opposite· 3 of 5
Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this?-7
The bill repeals Title V, which specifically funds Hispanic-serving institutions.
Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated?-6
The bill repeals specific funding streams dedicated to Hispanic-serving and other minority-serving institutions.
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-5
The bill repeals several multi-million dollar grant programs for minority-serving institutions.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Pell Grant Support: The bill increases funding for the Federal Pell Grant program to provide more educational opportunities for all needy people in the United States regardless of race or ethnicity (Section 5).
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Focus on Need Over Race: By shifting the focus of various programs from racial demographics to Pell Grant eligibility, the bill intends to provide opportunities for individuals in need, such as those in science and technological fields (Section 3(c)).
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Protection of Civil Rights: The act aims to prevent institutions from using racial quotas or preferences in admissions by conditioning federal funding on non-discrimination (Section 3(b) and Section 6(c)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of Specific Program Funding: The bill repeals several grant programs, such as those for Hispanic-serving institutions (Section 3(f)) and other minority-serving institutions (Section 3(a) and Section 3(b)), which could impact the institutions and groups they currently serve.
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Reductions in Specific Allotments: Funding for certain programs, such as the support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is slated to be reduced from $255,000,000 to $115,000,000 (Section 3(d)).
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Elimination of Specialized Programs: Several existing programs related to minority-serving institutions and specific ethnic-serving institutions are repealed across multiple acts (Section 3 and Section 4).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending-5
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+4Good For Students+4Good For Hispanic Americans-7Good For African Americans-5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+3Improves Racial Equity-6
- Education And Technology
- Improves College Affordability+5Increases Scientific Research Funding-4
- 12/11/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Introduced in Senate