Policy Engagement

AJCU Statements & Letters to 119th U.S. Congress & The Administration

Higher Education Act

• • Comments from NAICU to Office of Postsecondary Education on NPRM entitled “Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary’s Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended, Student Assistance General Provisions” (September 21, 2026)
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  • ACE comments on the U.S. Department of Education’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled, “Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary’s Recognition of Accrediting Agencies” (September 16, 2026)
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  • Higher ed community letter from ACE to U.S. Department of Education with comments on Title VI (July 30, 2026)
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  • Higher ed community comments on proposed revisions to information collection request ED-2026-SCC-1354, Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosure under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act (June 15, 2026)
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  • Comments from AJCU in response to the April 20th NPRM on proposed accountability measures (May 20, 2026)
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  • Comments from ACE in response to the April 20th NPRM on proposed accountability measures (May 20, 2026)
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  • Comments from NAICU in response to the April 20th NPRM on proposed accountability measures (May 20, 2026)
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  • Comments from NAICU to Office of Postsecondary Education re: ED-2026-OPE-0133, Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven (AHEAD) Workforce Pell: Pell Grant Exclusion Relating to Other Grant Aid; and Workforce Pell Grants (April 8, 2026)
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  • NAICU comments to U.S. Department of Education on the proposed rule, “Reimagining and Improving Student Education” (March 2, 2026)

• • ACE comments to U.S. Department of Education on the proposed rule, “Reimagining and Improving Student Education” (March 2, 2026)

• • AJCU comments to U.S. Department of Education on the proposed rule, “Reimagining and Improving Student Education” (February 27, 2026)

• • AJCU letter to U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-NY) to endorse H.R. 6574: the Loan Equity for Advanced Professionals, or LEAP Act (February 19, 2026)

• • AJCU letter to U.S. Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) to endorse H.R. 6718: the Professional Student Degree Act (February 19, 2026)

• • ACE comments to U.S. Department of Education on revising the accreditation handbook (January 26, 2026)

• • ACE letter to U.S. Department of Education expressing opposition to the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) survey component proposed by the Department in response to the Presidential Memorandum regarding higher education admissions (October 7, 2025)

• • ACE letter to U.S. Secretary of Education expressing opposition to the changes proposed to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued on August 18 in the Federal Register (September 17, 2025)

• • NAICU comments on planned negotiated rulemaking sessions to implement the higher education provisions of OBBBA (August 28, 2025)

• • AJCU letter to the U.S. Department of Education offering recommendations for the Department’s proposed negotiated rulemaking sessions (August 25, 2025)

• • Higher ed community letter to U.S. Department of Education on the Feb. 14, 2025 DOE Dear Colleague Letter (February 25, 2025)

• • ACE letter to Acting Secretary of U.S. Department of Education with request to delay reporting requirements for Financial Value Transparency (FVT) and Gainful Employment (January 29, 2025)

• • AJCU letter to U.S. Secretary of Education re: Financial Value Transparency (FVT) and Gainful Employment (GE) reporting requirements (January 8, 2025)

Budget and Appropriations

AJCU works on the Budget every year with the Administration and House and Senate Budget Committees. In addition, AJCU works on appropriations each year with both the House and Senate. AJCU advocates for Federal Student Aid Programs such as Pell Grants, the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant Program (SEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), the Perkins Loan Program, TRIO and GearUP. AJCU also works on issues pertaining to graduate education, student loans, Parent Plus Loans, Teacher Education in Title II and international education.

• • AJCU testimony to the U.S. Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee on FY 27 funding (May 2026)
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  • Letter from the Student Aid Alliance to the U.S. Secretary of Education in response to the Department’s FY 2027 budget request to Congress for federal student aid programs (May 12, 2026)
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  • AJCU testimony to the U.S. House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee for FY27 funding (April 2026)
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  • Letter to House and Senate leadership from the Student Aid Alliance urging protection to maintain funding for federal student aid programs in FY27 (March 13, 2026)

• • AJCU letter to Congress with requests for FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education bill (January 13, 2026)

• • Letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education from the Coalition for International Education expressing concerns over the Administration’s actions to eliminate all future funding for HEA-Title VI and Fulbright-Hays (102 (b)(6)) (September 29, 2025)

• • Letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership from the Double Pell Alliance urging preservation of Pell Grants in FY26 (September 15, 2025)

• • Student Aid Alliance letter to U.S. Senate and House leaders expressing opposition to cuts to education programs in the FY26 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education and Related Agencies bill (September 5, 2025)

• • NAICU comments on planned negotiated rulemaking sessions to implement the higher education provisions of OBBBA (August 28, 2025)

• • Higher ed community letter to House and Senate leadership urging a FY26 allocation for programs funded by the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee (July 25, 2025)

• • ACE letter to U.S. Senate leadership regarding concerns with the provisions in the Senate reconciliation titles proposed by the HELP Committee and Committee on Finance (June 27, 2025)

• • Double Pell Alliance letter to Senate and House leadership advocating for the protection of Pell Grant funding (June 6, 2025)

• • AJCU President’s Testimony to U.S. Senate, Labor, Health Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee on FY26 federal program funding (June 6, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the House leadership regarding opposition to House budget reconciliation (May 21, 2025)

• • NAICU letter to the Speaker of the House and House Minority Leader on opposition to the budget reconciliation proposal (May 20, 2025)

• • AJCU letter to the U.S. House of Representatives regarding passage of the reconciliation instruction package, which disinvests $350 billion from education (May 15, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce regarding the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts (May 12, 2025)

• • Testimony from AJCU’s president to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of increasing FY 2026 funding for federal programs serving postsecondary students (April 9, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education regarding implementation of the FY 2025 continuing resolutions at FY 2024 funding levels (April 7, 2025)

• • Committee for Education Funding (CEF) letter to Congress opposing education cuts in a reconciliation bill (April 1, 2025)

• • Student Aid Alliance letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees regarding the FY26 Student Aid Alliance Funding Request (March 19, 2025)

• • AJCU letter to Education Staff on the FY 2025 continuing resolution and support of federal student financial aid programs (March 2025)

Immigration

• • Higher ed community letter from ACE to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requesting that its processing hold be lifted (June 4, 2026)
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  • Letter to House and Senate leadership from Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration urging protection for Dreamers (June 2, 2026)
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  • ACE letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services expressing concerns about recent delays in processing time for DACA renewal applications (May 19, 2026)
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  • AJCU letter to U.S. Senate leaders expressing support for S. 3384, the Dream Act of 2025 (January 9, 2026)
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  • ACE comments to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement re: proposed rule, “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media” (DHS Docket No. ICEB-2025-0001)(September 29, 2025)
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  • ACE letter to the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding international students and scholars, concerning student visas and records (April 4, 2025)

Federal Grants & Research

• • ACE comments to the U.S. Department of Education on proposed revisions to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (September 23, 2026)
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  • Committee for Education Funding comments to the U.S. Department of Education on proposed revisions to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (September 23, 2026)
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  • ACE letter to National Science Foundation expressing concerns regarding proposed revisions to NSF’s Guidance on Financial Assistance (August 24, 2026)
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  • Committee for Education Funding comments to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on proposed rule on Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (July 13, 2026)
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  • ACE comments to OMB on Proposed Rule on Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (July 8, 2026)
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  • ACE and higher ed community comments to General Services Administration’s proposed amendments to certification requirements for applicants and recipients of federal financial assistance (March 23, 2026)
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  • Higher ed community letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in response to a RFI on “accelerating the American Scientific Enterprise” (December 22, 2025)
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  • ACE/community statement to express opposition to recent actions that jeopardize the partnership between the federal government and colleges/universities (May 14, 2025)

Tax Policies

• • Section 127 Coalition letter to House and Senate leadership in endorsement of the Employer Participation in Repayment Act (February 18, 2025)

Additional Issues

• • ACE amicus brief in response to Harvard v. Department of Health and Human Services (July 22, 2026)
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  • AJCU and Jesuit Conference comments to OMB on Proposed Rule on Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (July 13, 2026)

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• • ACE comments to House and Senate leadership on FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 3838, S.2296) (November 18, 2025)

• • ACE letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide public comments on State Approval Agency Jurisdiction Rule, Docket No. VA-2021-VBA-0024 (October 31, 2025)

• • ACE comments in response to RFI from the Office of Science and Technology Policy re: “existing Federal statutes, regulations, agency rules, guidance, forms, and administrative processes” that “hinder the development, deployment, and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies within the United States” (October 27, 2025)
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  • Higher ed community letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expressing opposition to the proposed rule, “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media” (September 29, 2025)

• • Amicus brief from ACE and other higher education associations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Commonwealth of Va v. Sec of Veterans Affairs (September 12, 2025)

• • Amicus brief to U.S. District Court of Massachusetts from ACE and other higher education associations in support of Harvard’s motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit, challenging the Trump administration’s freeze on federal research funding (June 9, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the National Coordination Office regarding input on the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan (March 14, 2025)

• • Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court from ACE and 13 Other Higher Education Associations in support of Cornell University in a case that deals with the issue of 403(b) retirement plans (January 2025)

International Student Issues

• • ACE letter to U.S. Department of State regarding the termination of J-1 exchange visitor program participation under 22 CFR § 62.40 (September 30, 2026)
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  • ACE letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security in response to the September 10, 2026 NPRM that would establish a $103,265 fee for all H-1B cap-subject petitions (September 24, 2026)
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  • Letter to U.S. State Department from higher education community urging prioritization for processing of international student and scholar visas ahead of the fall academic semester (May 6, 2026)
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  • ACE letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security with comments in response to DHS Docket Number USCIS-2025-0040, “Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions” (October 24, 2025)

• • ACE letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security requesting clarification on proposal to establish a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications (October 23, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security expressing opposition to the proposed rule, “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media” (DHS Docket No. ICEB-2025-0001) (September 29, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the U.S. Department of State requesting that the Administration exempt nonimmigrant visas, including F, J, and M student visas, for those countries included under the June 4, 2025, Presidential Proclamation, “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats” and any future travel bans offered by the administration (September 8, 2025)

• • ACE letter to the U.S. Department of State regarding student visa interviews (May 30, 2025)

Affiliations

AJCU does not work alone. Here, you will find more information on just a small sample of allies in the work to shine a brighter light on the importance of higher education in the United States.

View documents from the 118th U.S. Congress
View documents from the 117th U.S. Congress
View documents from the 116th U.S. Congress