The Federal Perkins Loan Program – 2018 and Beyond

COHEAO continues to advocate for a replacement for the Perkins Loan Program. The natural place for this to occur is during Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Although the reauthorization process has begun, it is still in the early stages. COHEAO’s proposal for reauthorization is the Perkins ARC (Access Retention Completion) Loan. We will continue to work with Congress on securing a replacement for a much-needed campus-based program.

To view the level of Perkins borrowing by state, click here!

Historically, the Perkins Program has experienced a great deal of bipartisan support in Congress. The Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 (H.R.2482), introduced by Representative’s Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) to extend the Perkins Program through September 30, 2019 had widespread bipartisan support in Congress with 245 Cosponsors. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced Senate Bill S.1808, which is identical to the House bill and had 22 bipartisan Cosponsors.