I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 961 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the period of 

eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2023 

Ms. STEVENS (for herself and Mr. GOMEZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase 

the period of eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pell to Grad Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS. 

6 Section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1070a) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or as a 

9 postbaccalaureate student in accordance with sub10 section (c)(1),’’ after ‘‘as an undergraduate,’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (c)— 

2 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

3 follows: 

4 ‘‘(1) The period during which a student may re5 ceive Federal Pell Grants shall be the period re6 quired for the completion of the first undergraduate 

7 baccalaureate course of study being pursued by that 

8 student at the institution at which the student is in 

9 attendance except that— 

10 ‘‘(A) any period during which the student 

11 is enrolled in a noncredit or remedial course of 

12 study as defined in paragraph (2) shall not be 

13 counted for the purpose of this paragraph; and 

14 ‘‘(B) the period during which a student 

15 may receive Federal Pell Grants shall also in16 clude the period required for the completion of 

17 the first postbaccalaureate course of study at 

18 an eligible institution that meets the definition 

19 of institution of higher education in section 

20 101, in a case in which— 

21 ‘‘(i) the student received a Federal 

22 Pell Grant during the period required for 

23 the completion of the student’s first under24 graduate baccalaureate course of study for 

25 at least 1 but fewer than 16 semesters, or 


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1 the equivalent of at least 1 but fewer than 

2 16 semesters, as determined under para3 graph (5); 

4 ‘‘(ii) the student would otherwise be 

5 eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, but for 

6 the completion of such baccalaureate 

7 course of study; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) the period during which the stu9 dent receives Federal Pell Grants does not 

10 exceed the student’s duration limits under 

11 paragraph (5).’’; and 

12 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘12’’ 

13 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘16’’. 

14 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO LAW AS MODIFIED 

15 BY THE CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS 

16 ACT, 2021. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 401 of the Higher Edu18 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a), as amended by sec19 tion 703 of division FF the Consolidated Appropriations 

20 Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), is further amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)(8)(A), by inserting ‘‘or as 

22 a postbaccalaureate student in accordance with sub23 section (d)(1),’’ after ‘‘as an undergraduate,’’; 

24 (2) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

2 follows: 

3 ‘‘(1) The period during which a student may re4 ceive Federal Pell Grants shall be the period re5 quired for the completion of the first undergraduate 

6 baccalaureate course of study being pursued by that 

7 student at the institution at which the student is in 

8 attendance except that— 

9 ‘‘(A) any period during which the student 

10 is enrolled in a noncredit or remedial course of 

11 study, as described in paragraph (2), shall not 

12 be counted for the purpose of this paragraph; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) the period during which a student 

15 may receive Federal Pell Grants shall also in16 clude the period required for the completion of 

17 the first postbaccalaureate course of study at 

18 an eligible institution that is an institution of 

19 higher education as defined in section 101, in 

20 a case in which— 

21 ‘‘(i) the student received a Federal 

22 Pell Grant during the period required for 

23 the completion of the student’s first under24 graduate baccalaureate course of study for 

25 at least 1 but fewer than 16 semesters, or 


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1 the equivalent of at least 1 but fewer than 

2 16 semesters, as determined under para3 graph (5); 

4 ‘‘(ii) the student would otherwise be 

5 eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, but for 

6 the completion of such baccalaureate 

7 course of study; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) the period during which the stu9 dent receives Federal Pell Grants does not 

10 exceed the student’s duration limits under 

11 paragraph (5).’’; and 

12 (B) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ‘‘12’’ 

13 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘16’’. 

14 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 subsection (a) shall take effect as if included in the enact16 ment of title VII of division FF of the Consolidated Appro17 priations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260). 

Æ 


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