H.R. 4795 — Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025

This section requires each institution of higher education participating in any title IV program (i.e., federal student aid programs including Pell Grants and Direct Loans) to certify to the Secretary of Education by July 31 of each year that it will not engage in a nonexpressive commercial boycott of a major strategic partner of the United States during the following year (August 1 through the next July 31). It directs the Secretary, within 7 business days after July 31 annually, to publicly list on a Department website all such institutions that failed to certify and to notify them of their inclusion. It defines (1) major strategic partner as a country listed in section 4 of Public Law 113-296 (i.e., Israel) or an entity licensed, regulated by, or organized under the laws of such country; and (2) nonexpressive commercial boycott as a commercial action (e.g., refusal to deal or termination of business) intended to limit relations with such partner without a valid business reason, excluding exceptions under the Anti-Boycott Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4842(a)(2)). This section adds these requirements as new section 124 in part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and as paragraph (30) in the program participation agreement under section 487(a). (Thus, non-certifying institutions lose title IV eligibility.)

This section requires institutions of higher education participating or seeking to participate in Title VI programs (i.e., international education, foreign language studies, and area studies) to submit an annual certification to the Secretary of Education by July 31 each calendar year beginning after enactment, certifying that for the following year the institution will (1) permit its students and faculty to engage in academic programs (e.g., conferences, study abroad, joint research) with a major strategic partner of the U.S. (as defined in section 124) under the same terms as with other foreign countries, and (2) permit students and faculty from postsecondary institutions in such a partner to engage in the certifying institution's academic programs under the same terms as from other foreign institutions; failure to certify by the deadline results in ineligibility for any Title VI funds in the next fiscal year, including carryover funds from prior awards. This section also states the sense of Congress that limitations on cooperative academic efforts with such major strategic partners do not serve U.S. security, stability, or economic vitality.