MERIT Act

Sponsor: Todd Young (Republican-IN)July 23, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Ends special admissions treatment for college applicants with alumni or donor ties.

This bill would require colleges to stop giving special admissions treatment to applicants based on their family ties to alumni or donations. It would change how colleges are accredited, making sure they follow these new rules. This means more applicants would be judged on their own merits, not on their connections.

What Would Change

Today, colleges can consider an applicant's family ties to alumni or donations when making admissions decisions. After this bill, colleges would be required to remove such preferential treatment as a main factor in admissions to maintain their accreditation.

Key Provisions

Requires colleges to stop giving special admissions treatment based on an applicant's family ties to alumni or donations.
Defines "preferential treatment" as when an alumni or donor relationship is the main reason for an admissions decision or benefit.
Lets colleges still consider an applicant's "demonstrated interest" if the rules are clear, public, and fair for all.
Lets religious colleges make admissions decisions based on their faith-based values.
Requires the Department of Education to report regularly on how colleges are following these new admissions rules.
Authorizes the Department of Education to study how to collect data on admissions decisions related to alumni and donor ties.

View on Congress.gov

S 5116 · 119th Congress · July 23, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

MERIT Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity