HR 3044119th CongressIn Committee

No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act

Introduced: Apr 28, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act would bar any institution of higher education that requires a COVID-19 vaccine for students or staff from receiving federal funds. In practice, this means colleges and universities that mandate COVID-19 vaccines as a condition of enrollment, employment, or access to any benefit, service, or contract could lose federal financial support. The bill defines “institution of higher education” using the definition from the Higher Education Act of 1965. The short title for the bill is the No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act. It was introduced in the House on April 28, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce.

Key Points

1Prohibition: No federal funds may be made available to any institution that requires its students or staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of enrollment, employment, or receipt of any benefit, service, or contract.
2Definition: “Institution of higher education” is defined as it appears in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
3Short title: The act is named the “No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act.”
4Scope of funding: The prohibition applies to federal funding streams—potentially including student aid, research grants, contracts, and other federal support—belonging to the institution (i.e., the institution would lose federal funding if it enforces a vaccine mandate).
5Status and process: Introduced in the House on April 28, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce; no enforcement details beyond the funding prohibition are specified in the text provided.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Institutions of higher education (colleges and universities) that currently require COVID-19 vaccines for students or staff, as they would lose access to federal funds if they maintain such a mandate.Secondary group/area affected: Students, faculty, and staff attending or employed by federally funded institutions, who could be impacted by any resulting changes in school policies, financial aid, or employment conditions due to funding requirements.Additional impacts:- Federal funding landscape for higher education: Could influence how schools structure vaccine policies to maintain eligibility for federal funds (likely encouraging more voluntary or exempt policies).- Public health considerations: The bill interacts with public health goals by removing a vaccination mandate lever tied to funding, which may affect vaccination rates on campuses and any related health policy debates.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025