Fast Track To and Through College Act

This bill aims to increase college completion rates and reduce costs by accelerating time to degree, aligning high school and college education, and improving credit transfer. It creates a new grant program for states to develop fast track pathways for students to earn college credit in high school or graduate early.

Sec. 2, Accelerating Time to Degree: This section adds a new subpart to the Higher Education Act to establish competitive grants for state partnerships. It defines key terms like 'early college fast track pathway' (a sequence of advanced coursework in high school that equals the first year of college) and 'early high school graduation fast track pathway' (a scholarship for students who graduate high school in 3 years or less). Eligible entities must include the state education agency, all public colleges in the state, and at least one high-need school district. Grants last 5 years, and priority is given to applicants that focus on high-need districts, career and technical education, and expanding access to advanced coursework. States must adopt an early graduation policy, create uniform statewide criteria for awarding college credit based on AP/IB exams, and develop articulation agreements guaranteeing that credits earned in these pathways transfer to all public colleges in the state. They must also provide information and assessments to students in middle and high school to identify those eligible for the pathways, with annual goals to ensure equitable participation across student subgroups.