Higher Education

Higher Education Reconciliation Act (2008)


The Professional Beauty Federation would like to thank Congress for enacting positive provisions for students attending clock hour institutions of higher education in both the Higher Education Reconciliation Act portion of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and College Cost Reduction Act of 2007.

Prior to the enactment of these two pieces of legislation, students attending clock hour institutions were unable to earn Title IV funds in the same way that students attending credit hour programs earned Title IV funds.

The revisions made to the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 will enable students to enter the workforce sooner, with less potential indebtedness, enabling them to enter a job market where demand for qualified applicants exceeds the supply by more than three-to-one.

It is the cosmetology industry's hope that Congress will continue to build upon these positive student parity and equity provisions as it works to complete the pending reauthorization of HEA. Specifically, we hope that you will work to ensure that these two important revisions to the current statute are included in the final enacted HEA reauthorization bill:

  • Year-round Pell eligibility for all students, not only those attending degree-granting institutions of higher education.

  • Elimination of, or significant modification to, the 90-10 rule.