Student Debt Alternative and CTE Awareness Act
The Student Debt Alternative and CTE Awareness Act requires the Department of Education to publicly disclose detailed information about career and technical education (CTE) and related funding, and to embed a CTE awareness component into the FAFSA application. Specifically, the Secretary of Education must publish on the Office of Federal Student Aid website information about CTE programs (completion time, cost, and post-graduation employment rates), the availability of state-level opportunities and Perkins Act funding for these programs, and Workforce Pell Grants. This information must be published within 60 days of enactment and continuously updated. Additionally, the FAFSA application would be amended to include an acknowledgment that CTE programs are a viable alternative to a traditional 4-year degree. At the beginning of the application, the form would require a one-page summary of the latest information published under the disclosure section and an acknowledgment signature box. The bill does not authorize any new funding to carry out these provisions.
Key Points
- 1Disclosure for students: The Secretary must publish information on CTE programs, including average completion time, program cost, and post-graduation employment rates on the federal student aid website.
- 2State and funding information: The disclosure must cover opportunities in each state to pursue CTE programs and to obtain funding under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, plus Workforce Pell Grants.
- 3Timeliness and updates: The information must be published within 60 days of enactment and continuously updated.
- 4FAFSA changes: The FAFSA would be amended to state that CTE programs are a viable alternative to a 4-year degree, including a one-page summary of the latest disclosures and an acknowledgment signature box at the beginning of the application.
- 5Definitions: The bill uses definitions of “career and technical education” and “State” as defined in the Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006.
- 6Funding note: No new appropriations are authorized to implement the Act or amendments.