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Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act of 2017

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text as introduced in Senate: CR S2367-2368)

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Apr 5, 2017

Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act of 2017 This bill amends title I (General Provisions) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise institutional eligibility criteria for a foreign graduate medical school to participate in federal student aid programs.

Current law requires a foreign graduate medical school to meet certain requirements—a minimum pass rate threshold on the medical licensing exam and a minimum percentage of foreign students—to participate in the Federal Direct Loan (DL) program, unless the Department of Education (ED) establishes alternative standards or the school has a grandfathered clinical training program. This bill terminates ED's authority to establish alternative standards and eliminates the exemption for a school with a grandfathered clinical training program (i.e., it requires all foreign graduate medical schools to meet minimum requirements to participate in the DL program).

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Who introduced it

Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] · D–IL

Committees

  • Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
1 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text as introduced in Senate: CR S2367-2368)

  2. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

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Source last updated: Aug 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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