I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9824 
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program for 
skills-for-success courses for all first-year students enrolled at certain 
institutions of higher education. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 
Mrs. FOUSHEE (for herself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, and Ms. 
ROSS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant 
program for skills-for-success courses for all first-year 
students enrolled at certain institutions of higher edu-
cation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘College Thriving Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED; APPLICATION RE-
QUIREMENTS. 
(a) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 
of Education shall award grants, on a competitive basis, 
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to eligible institutions to carry out skills-for-success 
courses for all first-year students enrolled at such institu-
tions. 
(b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible institu-
tions that are historically Black colleges and universities. 
(c) GRANT PERIOD; MINIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.— 
(1) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant awarded to an el-
igible institution under this Act shall be for a 5-year 
grant period. 
(2) MINIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), a grant under this Act shall be 
awarded in an amount of $1,000,000 for the 5- 
year grant period for such grant. 
(B) 
RATABLE
INCREASES
OR
DE-
CREASES.—The amount specified in subpara-
graph (A) shall be ratably increased or de-
creased to the extent that funds available under 
section 5 exceed or are less than (respectively) 
the amount required to provide the amounts 
specified in subparagraph (A). 
(d) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to 
receive a grant under this Act, an eligible institution shall 
submit an application at such time, and in such manner, 
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and containing such information as the Secretary may re-
quire, which shall include a description of— 
(1) the skills-for-success course that the institu-
tion will develop and implement with the grant; and 
(2) the activities the institution will carry out 
under each phase described in section 3(b). 
SEC. 3. USES OF FUNDS; REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institution receiving 
a grant under this section shall develop and implement 
a skills-for-success course by carrying out the activities 
listed in each of the 4 phases described in subsection (b). 
(b) PHASES FOR USES OF FUNDS.— 
(1) PREPARATION
PHASE.—During the first 
year of the grant period, the eligible institution shall 
use such grant to develop the skills-for-success 
course and carry out the necessary preparation ac-
tivities, which may include— 
(A) identifying and training instructional 
staff; 
(B) obtaining support from faculty, staff, 
or institution administration for the curricular 
adaptation; 
(C) developing infrastructure for imple-
mentation, including obtaining necessary course 
and syllabus approvals; 
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(D) determining how student registration 
will be handled; 
(E) establishing a course evaluation model; 
and 
(F) designating appropriate classroom 
space. 
(2) PILOT PHASE.—During the second year of 
the grant period, the eligible institution shall use 
such grant to implement a pilot skills-for-success 
course, which shall include the piloting of methods 
for evaluating the course, such as observation and 
solicitation of feedback from course instructors, stu-
dents, and identified campus community leaders. 
(3) 
IMPLEMENTATION.—During 
the 
third, 
fourth, and fifth years of the grant program, the eli-
gible institution shall use such grant to fully imple-
ment the skills-for-success course, which— 
(A) incorporates the improvements identi-
fied during the pilot skills-for-success course 
during the second year of the grant period; and 
(B) is made available for each first-year 
student enrolled at the institution, at the begin-
ning of such students’ first term of enrollment 
at such institution, to the extent practicable. 
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(c) REPORT.—Each eligible institution that receives 
a grant under this Act shall submit to the Secretary a 
report upon the completion of the 5-year grant period, 
which shall include— 
(1) an evaluation of the pilot skills-for-success 
course, and the skills-for-success course implemented 
during the third through fifth years of the grant pe-
riod; and 
(2) a description of how such grant was used 
during each year of the grant period. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble institution’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘in-
stitution of higher education’’ in section 101(a) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001(a)) and section 102(a)(1)(B) of such Act (20 
U.S.C.1002(a)(1)(B)). 
(2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNI-
VERSITIES.—The term ‘‘historically Black colleges 
and universities’’ has the meaning given the term 
‘‘part B institution’’ in section 322 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
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