What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Fair College Admissions for Students Act This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to applicants based on their relationships to donors or alumni of the IHE.
Action Timeline
2026-03-19
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.
2025-03-06
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
2025-03-06
Introduced in Senate
Frequently Asked Questions
Did S.880 pass?
S.880 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: 40%.
What does S.880 do?
Fair College Admissions for Students Act This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to applicants based on their relationships to donors or alumni of the IHE.
Who sponsored S.880?
S.880 was sponsored by Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon).
Full Bill Text
119 S880 IS: Fair College Admissions for Students Act U.S. Senate 2025-03-06 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 880 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 6, 2025 Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Kennedy , and Mr. Padilla ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit institutions of higher education participating in Federal student assistance programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to legacy students or donors. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fair College Admissions for Students Act . 2. Ban on legacy or donor preferences in admissions (a) In general Section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1094(a) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (30) The institution will not provide any manner of preferential treatment in the admission process to applicants on the basis of their relationships to— (A) donors to the institution; or (B) alumni of the institution. . (b) Effective date The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the first day of the second award year (as defined in section 481(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1088(a) )) that begins after the date of enactment of this Act.
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