HEOA - Higher Education Opportunity Act

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:: Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) ::

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) was signed by President Bush on Aug. 14, 2008, to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The HEA governs federal student aid and grants to institutions of higher education and hadn't been reauthorized since 1998.

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Federal Documents
Industry Resources
Training Presentations
Online Resources

Federal Documents

This list includes links to bill and law texts, Congressional reports, Dear Colleague Letters and the Federal Register.

HEOA Public Law 110-315/H.R. 4137 Bill text PDF
HEA Technical Corrections and Conforming Changes to the HEA Public Law 111-039/H.R. 1777 Bill text PDF
- IFAP Electronic Announcement (external link) – Guidance on federal veterans’ education benefits for purposes of the Title IV Student Assistance Programs
Dear Colleague Letters
- GEN-10-15 (external link) – Revised TPD discharge application
- GEN-10-01 (external link) – Education loan applicant self-certification form
- GEN-09-07/FP-09-05/CB-09-04 (external link) – Procedures for discharging Title IV loans based on a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs that a veteran is unemployable due to a service-connected condition or disability
- GEN-09-05 (external link) – Update on the use of professional judgment by financial aid administrators
- GEN-09-04 (external link) – Use of professional judgment by financial aid administrators
- FP-09-03 (external link) – Completion of Loan Verification Certificates
- GEN-08-12/FP-08-10 (external link) – HEOA Summary

Check out our Program Integrity Issues page for more in-depth links and resources on the topic.

Federal Register notices
- Oct. 29, 2010 - Final Rules PDF - Program integrity issues
- June 18, 2010 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking PDF - Program integrity issues and foreign schools
- March 23, 2010 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking PDF - Proposed amendments to regulations of the High School Equivalency Program, CAMP, TRIO and GEAR-UP
- Nov. 23, 2009 - Final Rules PDF - Final rules for the TEACH, ACG, SMART and Pell grants programs
- Nov. 19, 2009 - Notice of Computer Matching Agreement PDF - Computer program to match student identifiers between ED and DOD to ensure students receive all benefits entitled to children whose parents died in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11/2001
- Nov. 3, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Request PDF - Financial assistance for students with intellectual disabilities
- Nov. 3, 2009 - Request for Comments PDF - Two scheduled federal Pell Grants in one award year
- Nov. 3, 2009 - Request for Comments PDF - Educational loan institution and lender requirements
- Oct. 30, 2009 - Request for Comments PDF - General provisions for readmission of service members
- Oct. 30, 2009 - Request for Comments PDF - Student assistance general provisions annual fire safety report
- Oct. 29, 2009 - Final Rules PDF - General and non-loan programmatic issues
- Oct. 29, 2009 - Final Rules PDF - HEOA amendments to the Perkins, FFEL and Direct Loan programs
- Oct. 28, 2009 - Team II NPRM Final Regulations PDF - Institution and lender requirements for the Perkins, FFEL and DL programs
- Oct. 27, 2009 - NPRM Final Regulations PDF - Institutional eligibility amendments and recognition of accrediting agencies
- Oct. 6, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests Correction PDF - Federal Pell Grant Program - Maximum Pell Grant to Children of Soldiers
- Oct. 2, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Private Education Loan Application Self-Certification Form
- Oct. 2, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
- Sept. 9, 2009 - Notice of Establishment of Negotiated Rulemaking Committees PDF - Team 1 for program integrity issues and Team 2 for foreign school issues
- Aug. 28, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Institution and Lender Requirements Relating to Education Loans
- Aug. 27, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Federal Pell Grant Program - Maximum Pell Grant to Children of Soldiers
- Aug. 27, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Student Assistance General Provisions Financial Assistance for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
- Aug. 27, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - FFELP Income Based Repayment (IBR) Plan Request and Alternative Documentation of Income
- Aug. 27, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Federal Pell Grant Program - Two Scheduled Pell Grants in an Award Year
- Aug. 26, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Student Assistance General Provisions Non-Title IV Revenue Requirements (90/10)
- Aug. 26, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - Student Assistance General Provisions Annual Fire Safety Report
- Aug. 26, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests PDF - General Provisions for Re-admittance of Service Members
- Aug. 21, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking PDF - General and non-loan programmatic issues (work-study, TEACH Grants, Pell Grants and LEAP)
- Aug. 6, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking PDF - Institutional eligibility amendments and recognition of accrediting agencies
- July 28, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking PDF - Institution and lender requirements relating to the Perkins, FFELP and Direct loan programs
- July 23, 2009 - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking PDF - Proposed HEOA amendments to the Perkins, FFELP and Direct loan programs.
- April 29, 2009 - PLUS Auction Cancellation PDF
- March 3, 2009 - PLUS Auction Invitation PDF
- Dec. 31, 2008 - HEOA Negotiated Rulemaking PDF
- Oct. 23, 2008 - Final Regulations for HEOA & CCRAA PDF
- Sept. 8, 2008 (external link) – Announced six public meetings and the intention to establish negotiated rulemaking committees to implement certain parts of the HEOA
Electronic Announcements
- Dec. 7, 2009 (external link) – Release of Trial Three-Year Cohort Default Rates
- April 10, 2009 (external link) – Cancellation of the Parent PLUS Loan Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate for H.R. 4137 PDF
House and Senate Conference Committee Report on H.R. 4137 PDF - H.R. 4137 was a compromise bill that passed the House on July 31 with a vote of 380 to 49 and the Senate with a vote of 83 to 8.
HEA Extensions
- S. 3352 PDF - Public Law 110-300, signed on July 31, 2008; extended the HEA through Aug. 15, 2008
- S. 3180 PDF - Public Law 110-256, signed on June 30, 2008; extended the HEA through July 31, 2008
- S. 3035 PDF - Public Law 110-238, signed on May 30, 2008; extended the HEA through June 30, 2008
- S. 2929 PDF - Public Law 110-230, signed on May 13, 2008; extended the HEA through May 31, 2008
- S. 2733 PDF - Public Law 110-198, signed on March 24, 2008; extended the HEA through April 30, 2008
- S. 2258 PDF - Public Law 110-109, signed on Oct. 31, 2007; extended the HEA through March 31, 2008 - included a technical amendment with the definition of an eligible not-for-profit lender for purposes of special allowance payments (SAP)
- S. 1868 PDF - Public Law 110-051, signed on July 31, 2007; extended the HEA through Oct. 31, 2007
- S. 1704 PDF - Public Law 110-044, signed on July 3, 2007; extended the HEA through July 31, 2007

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Industry Resources

This list includes links to impact summaries, side-by-side analysis, blacklines and other helpful tools developed by OCAP and our industry partners.

OCAP resources
NCHER resources
- IBR Implementation Guide PDF
- IBR Resources (external link)

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Training Presentations

We hosted two HEOA training sessions in October 2008. Workshop materials and resources, including the PowerPoint presentation and handouts, are available below.