Flight Education Access Act

Flight Education Access Act would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase federal student loan limits for students enrolled in eligible undergraduate flight education and training programs that lead to a commercial pilot certificate. The bill creates a defined category of eligible programs (accredited undergraduate flight programs that use Part 141 training and do not include Part 61 training) and sets new annual and aggregate loan limits for dependent and independent students, as well as for students borrowing under Direct Stafford Loans. It also requires explicit disclosures before loan disbursement, mandates data collection on program completion and student demographics, and establishes reporting requirements to Congress. The act also requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the program within two years, develop recommendations to improve implementation, and provides for ongoing biennial reporting. It authorizes annual funding of $3 million to the Department of Education for these amendments from fiscal years 2025 through 2035. A rule of construction clarifies that nothing in the act repeals or alters existing pilot training provisions outside the new program.