New 'Jumpstart on College Act' Authorizes $250M Annually to Fund Dual Enrollment, Eliminating Tuition for High Schoolers

If you’ve ever looked at the cost of college and wished your high schooler could shave off a semester or two, this bill is for you. The Jumpstart on College Act is setting aside a serious chunk of change—$250 million annually starting in Fiscal Year 2026—to dramatically expand access to early college high schools and dual enrollment programs across the country. The core mission is to make sure more students, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, graduate high school with a recognized college credential already in hand, and do so without paying tuition.

The Free College Credit Mandate

This isn't just about handing out money; it’s about demanding results and accessibility. To get a competitive grant under Section 5, partnerships between colleges and school districts must make a key promise: students in the program cannot be charged tuition or fees for the college courses they take. Think about that: a high school student could potentially earn a full year of college credit for free, saving their family thousands of dollars. The grants themselves, capped at $2 million over six years, are designed to fund the infrastructure needed for this, including academic support, professional development for teachers, and outreach to students who might not otherwise consider college.

The Catch: Matching Funds and Sustainability

The most significant financial hurdle for local applicants (the eligible entities) is the matching fund requirement. While the grants last six years, the amount of local money you have to put up increases every two years, starting at 20 percent in Years 1 and 2 and climbing steeply to 50 percent by Year 6. For a successful program, that means the local school district and college have to find significant non-federal funding to keep the lights on, which could be a heavy lift for smaller or financially strained partnerships. The bill requires applicants to detail exactly how they plan to sustain the program after the federal grant money runs out, forcing them to think long-term about local funding.

State-Level Overhaul: Data and Policy Barriers

Beyond local partnerships, the Act reserves the majority of the funding—55 percent—for competitive grants to states (Section 6). States receiving this money must use it to develop a statewide plan to expand early college access and, crucially, to identify and remove state laws or policies that are currently blocking this expansion. This is the policy clean-up crew. States must also upgrade their data systems, track student outcomes by specific subgroups (like race, gender, and disability status), and report on how many students actually enroll in college after completing the dual enrollment program. This data requirement (Section 7) is key, ensuring the federal investment is being tracked rigorously and showing which programs actually work for which students.

Who Benefits and Who Pays the Price?

This bill is a clear win for low-income and underrepresented students, who gain access to college credit without the financial burden. It also benefits colleges and school districts that are already committed to these programs, especially those in states that already offer support, as these groups get priority for the grants. However, the high matching requirements—50 percent state match for state grants, and up to 50 percent local match for entity grants—mean that states and districts with deeper pockets or better existing fundraising networks are likely to be the most competitive for this money. If your local school district and community college can’t find those matching funds, they might be left out of this major federal push, potentially widening the gap between well-resourced and under-resourced schools.