The SUCCESS Act creates a new grant program to help colleges and universities better support students who have experienced sexual assault or other violence. The law recognizes that trauma from these experiences makes it harder for survivors to succeed academically—they're more likely to struggle with grades, have trouble concentrating, and drop out of school. Rather than just offering mental health counseling, this bill funds colleges to provide specialized academic support tailored to trauma survivors' needs.

Colleges that receive these grants can use the money in several ways: helping survivors who took time off get back into school, training professors and staff to recognize trauma and respond compassionately, providing tutoring in a confidential setting designed for survivors, offering academic accommodations, expanding mental health services, or creating emergency funds for things like childcare or transportation that help survivors stay in school. The grants last five years, and colleges have to report back on how many survivors graduated or re-enrolled to show whether the program actually works.

The bill prioritizes funding for community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, and other schools serving minority students. It also gives preference to colleges that have had problems following Title IX rules about handling sexual assault cases. Congress will need to approve funding for this program starting in 2024, and the law requires a final report showing whether these investments actually improve graduation rates for student survivors.

SUCCESS Act of 2023

Kaine, Tim

Support for Universities and Colleges to Champion the Educational Success of Survivors Act of 2023 or the SUCCESS Act of 2023This bill requires the Department of Education to award competitive grants to eligible institutions of higher education for implementing patient-centered academic counseling services and other services for students who are survivors of sexual assault and other violence. &nbsp;