HR 2555: Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2026

HR 2555 in plain English: This bill would give college students the legal right to form or join single-sex social organizations, such as fraternities or sororities. It prohibits colleges and universities that participate in federal student aid programs from penalizing students or these organizations solely because they limit membership to one sex. It also bars schools from imposing special recruitment restrictions on single-sex groups that do not apply to other student organizations.

Stated purpose

The bill aims to protect college students' right to join or form single-sex social organizations (such as fraternities and sororities) by preventing federally funded colleges from punishing students or those organizations solely because they limit membership to one sex.

Key points

• Grants college students the right to form or join single-sex social organizations.
• Bars federally funded colleges from punishing students for joining single-sex groups based solely on their single-sex membership policy.
• Prohibits schools from requiring students to waive these protections as a condition of enrollment.
• Prevents schools from imposing recruitment restrictions on single-sex groups that do not apply to other student organizations, unless agreed to in writing.

Arguments supporters make

• Students should have the freedom to choose who they associate with, and the government should not allow colleges to punish that choice simply because a group is single-sex.
• Fraternities and sororities provide mentorship, community, and networking that benefit many students, and colleges singling them out for punishment is unfair compared to how other student groups are treated.
• Federal funding gives colleges significant power over students, and this bill creates a necessary check to prevent colleges from using that power to pressure students away from lawful private associations.

Arguments opponents make

• Single-sex organizations can exclude people based on gender, and allowing colleges no authority to discourage this may undermine campus inclusion efforts and conflict with anti-discrimination values.
• Colleges should have the right to set their own community standards for recognized student groups, and a federal mandate overrides that local institutional judgment.
• Some single-sex organizations have been linked to hazing, assault, and other harms on campus, and limiting a college's ability to regulate them could make it harder to protect student safety.

Tradeoffs

The bill prioritizes students' individual right to associate freely over colleges' ability to enforce their own anti-discrimination or safety policies regarding single-sex groups; protecting one group's membership practices may limit another group's ability to require gender-inclusive access as a condition of campus recognition.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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