Under the leadership of Deputy Assistant Secretary Debra Saunders-White, Higher Education Programs (HEP) administers programs that broaden access to higher education and strengthen the capacity of colleges and universities. HEP also coordinates a number of higher education-related activities with states. HEP grant projects are awarded primarily to institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations and agencies, and state agencies.

HEP includes the following components:

• The Institutional Service administers programs to improve academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability, and strengthen physical plants and endowments of institutions of higher education. Within the Institutional Service, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education provides grants to colleges and universities and non-profit institutions and agencies to promote reform, innovation, and improvement in postsecondary education.

• The State Service works with state departments of education, state licensing agencies, and others to promote communication and cooperation; administers grant programs that support state efforts to improve access to and the quality of higher education; and develops reports on the quality of teacher preparation and teacher service obligations required under a number of Department of Education programs.

• The Student Service administers programs to facilitate access of low-income, first generation students and individuals with disabilities to higher education; encourages low-income students in elementary, middle, and secondary schools to attend college; and facilitates quality graduate education to address national needs. Within the Student Service, the Federal TRIO Programs provide eight outreach and support programs targeted to help disadvantaged students progress from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
Higher Education Programs
1990 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006