Scott and Coons’ Resolution Celebrating National College Application Month Passes in the Senate

WASHINGTON – This week, the Senate unanimously passed Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Chris Coons’ (D-Del.) resolution designating November as National College Application Month. The bipartisan resolution encourages students to focus on their options for pursuing higher education and commends the parents, educators and mentors who partner in guiding them through the process.

The resolution, also cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Angus King (I-Maine), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tom Carper (D-DE), highlights findings from the Pew Economic Mobility Project that shows those who earn a college degree are more likely to achieve upward mobility.

“A college education continues to increase opportunities for students of all backgrounds,” said Senator Scott. “I encourage families, educators, and mentors to continue to work together to provide awareness and assistance to students pursuing educational excellence.”

“Higher education provides an important path of students to expand their skillset, worldview, and career opportunities. National College Application Month is an opportunity to make sure students are aware of their options and encourages them to explore resources as they take the next steps in their education,” said Senator Coons. “I’m glad to bring my colleagues together in recognition of this exciting moment in so many people’s lives, and proud to see this measure move forward unanimously in the Senate.”

“We appreciate that members of the U.S. Senate recognize the importance of ensuring that every student has the opportunity to fulfill their potential. ACT’s American College Application Campaign works each year to support all high school seniors, especially those who are systemically underserved, in applying to at least one college. Students from low-income families and those who are the first in their families to attend college are often faced with many obstacles to completing an application, from confusion about how to apply, to financial concerns.”  – Janet Godwin, ACT CEO

Full text of the resolution can be found here.

Background:

As a part of Sen. Scott’s ongoing efforts to improve college access and affordability, he introduced provisions to simplify student loan applications. As a result, the following improvements were made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

1. The total number questions on the FAFSA were reduced from 108 questions to a maximum of 36 questions, building on the previous year’s FUTURE Act.
2. Reduced the Department of Education’s lengthy financial data verification process by instead using data from the Internal Revenue Service.
3. Created simpler Pell Grant eligibility guidelines for maximum and minimum awards, so many applicants will know if they will get a maximum or minimum grant to go to college.
4. Enabled an additional 555,000 students to qualify for Pell grants each year, and enabled an additional 1.7 million students to qualify to receive the maximum Pell grant award each year.

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