Last week, Nasser Paydar, assistant secretary for postsecondary education, called for free community colleges while at a conference in Washington D.C. He called on states to work towards this goal, which is something the Biden administration is committed to making a reality.

While speaking at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s conference, Paydar also highlighted other goals of the administration regarding education, such as doubling the maximum federal Pell Grant award by 2029. In 2020, Pell Grants covered less than 30% of the cost of attending a four-year college. 

Last year, the Biden administration had already boosted the Pell Grant maximum award — by $500, to $7,395 this year — but Paydar said there is more to come. 

According to Higher Ed Dive, the Education Department has also announced it will begin policy negotiations on several higher ed regulations, including one that would govern accreditation. However, no draft rules have been made yet. 

Accreditors have been criticized for not punishing institutions that are failing financially or that post poor student outcomes. Paydar said the federal government wants to help them by giving access to helpful data, but urging them to be mindful of institutions’ performance, wrote Higher Ed Dive. 

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