# Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa College Access Act

This bill creates a new federal program to help students from the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa attend four-year colleges and universities on the mainland United States. Right now, students from these Pacific territories often face a significant financial barrier: they're charged out-of-state tuition rates, which can be thousands of dollars more expensive per year than what in-state students pay. This bill aims to level the playing field by having the federal government cover that tuition difference.

Here's how it works in practice. The bill sets aside $10 million per year for six years, split equally between the two territories. Each territory's governor receives their share and awards it directly to public four-year colleges that agree to participate—schools in the mainland U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Guam. When a student from these territories enrolls at one of these colleges, the governor's office pays the school the difference between what in-state and out-of-state students normally pay. For example, if a school charges $8,000 for in-state tuition but $20,000 for out-of-state, the program would cover that $12,000 gap. Each student can receive up to $15,000 per year through this program, with a lifetime cap of $45,000.

To qualify, students must have graduated from a public high school in the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa and start college within three years of graduation (with exceptions for military service or Peace Corps work). They need to maintain satisfactory academic progress once enrolled. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the program within two years to see if students face any admission barriers at participating colleges, particularly regarding caps on out-of-state enrollment or tough entrance requirements. This ensures the program actually opens doors rather than just offering money that students can't use.