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US Congress · H.R. 8279 · In committee

To expand the definition of institution of higher education in the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to certain graduat...

Introduced
Moved
Reached a final decision
Introduced 2026-04-14
Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “To expand the definition of institution of higher education in the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to certain graduate medical schools located outside of the United States. Read the full text

Education

What it does

The bill rewrites one eligibility rule for foreign graduate medical schools under federal student aid law. A school meets that rule if at least 60 percent of its enrolled students and graduates are not the type described in section 484(a)(5), or if it has a clinical training program that a state approved by January 31, 2021 and that operates in at least one state. Either way, the school must also show that at least 75 percent of its exam-takers have passed the ECFMG exams.
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.

Read it in plain language

AI plain language1 section
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.
1Graduate medical schools outside of the United States

This section would amend Section 102(a)(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(a)(2)(A)), which is part of the definition of 'institution of higher education' as it applies to graduate medical schools located outside the United States. First, it would narrow the reference to 'graduate medical school' in the introductory part of that provision so that the term no longer includes a graduate medical school described in item (aa)(BB) of clause (i)(I) (the clinical-training-program test described below). The provision does not say what happens to those schools instead; it only excludes them from this general reference. Second, it would rewrite item (aa) of clause (i)(I) of that provision to set out two tests. Under the first test, at least 60 percent of the people enrolled in the school and at least 60 percent of its graduates must not be persons described in section 484(a)(5) of the Act, measured for the year before a student seeks a loan under part D of title IV of the Act. Under the second test, the school must have or have had a clinical training program that, as of January 31, 2021, was approved by a State through a process that required an on-site visit to the school and its affiliated locations by that State or its authorized representatives, and the school must continue to operate a clinical training program in at least one State that approves it. Meeting either of these two tests is necessary but not enough by itself: as rewritten, item (aa) is joined by 'and' to a further item (bb) of clause (i)(I) that this section does not change and whose content is not part of this bill's text, so an additional requirement in that item (bb) also applies.

Show official text
Official text, verbatim from the record

1. Graduate medical schools outside of the United States Section 102(a)(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1002(a)(2)(A) ) is amended— (1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking graduate medical school, and inserting graduate medical school other than a graduate medical school described in clause (i)(I)(aa)(BB), a ; and (2) by amending item (aa) of clause (i)(I) to read as follows: (aa) (AA) at least 60 percent of those enrolled in, and at least 60 percent of the graduates of, the graduate medical school outside the United States were not persons described in section 484(a)(5) in the year preceding the year for which a student is seeking a loan under part D of title IV; or (BB) the school has or had a clinical training program that, as of January 31, 2021, was approved by a State with an approval process that required an on-site visit to the institution and its affiliated locations by that State or its authorized representatives, and that continues to operate a clinical training program in at least one State that is approved by that State; and .

AI plain languageRead the whole bill in plain language, 1 section

Where it is

Introduced · 2026-04-14

In the House.

Committee, then floor votes in both chambers · next · the next step

Official documents

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-12. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

2%
of bills introduced became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=16,213)
1
sponsor, out of 218 needed to pass
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. (2026-04-14).