Legislation

• Higher Education Act

  Most Office of Postsecondary Education programs and activities are authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

  • This Act is available in Portable Document Format (PDF) from the U.S. House of Representatives.

  • The Higher Education Act (HEA) is in Title 20, Chapter 28 of the United States Code available from the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute.

  • The HEA was last reauthorized in 1998 - full text of the 1998 Amendments.

• Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961

  The Fulbright-Hays Training Grants programs are authorized by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, codified in Title 22, Chapter 33 of the U.S. Code. (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute)

Regulations

• OPE Program Regulations

  Regulations specific to programs administered by OPE are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office in:

  • HTML format
  • Text and Portable Document Format

• Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)

Federal Student Aid Policy Resources

• Information for Financial Aid Professionals: Technical publications, regulations, and policy guidance on the administration of the Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs.
• FSA Schools Portal: The Federal Student Aid portal web site for schools.

Other OPE Policy Resources

• Student Financial Assistance and Non-Traditional Education Programs (Including the "12-Hour Rule") - Report to Congress.
• Student Loan Program Initiatives
  • Market Mechanisms for Student Loans (MMSL)
    In December 2001 the General Accounting Office and the U.S. Department of Education published the final report of the study group on market mechanisms in the Federal student loan programs. This study examines how these market mechanisms might be used to determine lender returns on student loans while continuing to meet the other objectives of the loan programs.
    • Final Report
  • Alternative Indices
    In January 2001 the General Accounting Office and the U.S. Department of Education published this final report of the study group on the feasibility of using alternative financial instruments for determining lender yields in the Federal Family Education Loan Programs.
• Web-Based Education Commission
  • Final Report of the Web-Based Education Commission
• Archive of Postsecondary Education Policy Documents and Initiatives

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
1990 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006