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Policy and Advocacy Legislation Financial Aid Legal Education Letter to Legislator
Policy and Advocacy Legislation Financial Aid Legal Education Letter to Legislator

AccessLex Institute Asks Congress to Increase Funding for Student Aid Implementation, HBCUs, and Child Care Programs

The Honorable Robert Aderholt
Chairman
House Committee on Appropriations
2358-B Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
Ranking Member
House Committee on Appropriations
2413 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Aderholt and Ranking Member DeLauro:

As the House Committee on Appropriations prepares its Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) spending bills, AccessLex Institute® urges you to increase funding for (1) Student Aid Administration, which will allow the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) to better serve students and borrowers; (2) Title III of the Higher Education Act (HEA), which provides funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions; and (3) the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which provides child care for low-income parents pursuing a postsecondary education.

AccessLex Institute, in partnership with its nearly 200 nonprofit and state-affiliated ABA-approved member law schools, has been committed to improving access to legal education and to maximizing the affordability and value of a law degree since 1983. The AccessLex Center for Legal Education Excellence® advocates for policies that make legal education work better for students and society alike and conducts research on the most critical issues facing legal education today.

Increase Funding for OBBBA Implementation and Loan Servicing

FSA helps students and families access financial aid, processes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), oversees outstanding loans and collections activities, and manages the data of programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment. In addition, FSA’s workload has increased and will continue to expand in order to carry out the changes made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Under OBBBA, FSA staff must now implement and communicate to borrowers a variety of new repayment rules, loan limits, and loan eligibility requirements. Despite these expanded responsibilities, the FY27 budget requests flat funding for Student Aid Administration. Combined with a significant staff reduction across the agency, these changes may lead to confusion among borrowers and delays in receiving aid.

We urge the Committee to increase funding for Student Aid Administration because creating an effective and efficient financial aid system that supports student loan borrowers is a critical component of providing access. Funding that adequately supports loan servicing activities is essential to ensure borrowers receive timely and accurate support, helping them navigate complex repayment options and significantly improving borrower experience.

Finally, this legislative language should specify that the increase in funding should be used to improve loan servicing and communication to borrowers and to implement OBBBA changes, so that the money cannot be diverted to other activities within the Student Aid Administration account.

Invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The FY27 budget proposal requests a $598.5 million decrease in funding for programs under HEA Title III. It is well documented that HBCUs play an outsized role in educating Black students – they represent three percent of all colleges and universities but enroll 10% of Black undergraduates, and their graduates make up approximately 80% of Black judges and 50% of Black lawyers. HEA Title III authorizes critical programs such as the Strengthening HBCUs program and the Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs) program, which award grants to eligible institutions to assist them in strengthening their academic, administrative, and fiscal capabilities. Still, funding and resources for HBCUs continue to lag behind institutions that serve predominately White students.

Beyond the objective value to individuals, and society as a whole, of increasing the ranks of Black graduate and professional degree holders, research shows that Black bachelor’s degree holders earn 20% less than their White counterparts, practically necessitating that Black students earn a graduate degree to help close the pay gap. Significantly increasing funding for HBGIs would materially help on this front. That is why AccessLex continues to call for increased funding for these programs. The federal investment in HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions must reflect the need that exists if Congress is to keep the promise it made with the passage of HEA in 1965: to provide educational opportunity to all Americans who wish to pursue it.

Support Student-Parents

The President’s budget proposal would also eliminate the CCAMPIS program, which helps low-income student-parents by providing them with affordable campus-based child care services. This cohort often faces unique obstacles stemming from the lack of access to and cost of child care, severely impacting their ability to complete their degrees. As of 2024, child care costs were higher than in-state college tuition in 41 states,1 and in 49 states they were more than average annual rent.2 CCAMPIS funding provides low-income student-parents with the resources they need to complete their degree. This investment will also promote educational equity and support a diverse student population, ultimately contributing to a more skilled and educated workforce.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or Nancy Conneely, Vice President of Policy, at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Christopher P. Chapman
President and Chief Executive Officer
 

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