U.S. Code > Title 20 Education > CHAPTER 28—HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE (§§ 1001—1161aa1) > SUBCHAPTER VII—GRADUATE AND POSTSECONDARY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS (§§ 1133—1141) > Part A—Graduate Education Programs (§§ 1134—1137) > subpart 2—graduate assistance in areas of national need (§§ 1135—1135e) > § 1135. Grants to academic departments and programs of institutions

§ 1135. Grants to academic departments and programs of institutions

(a) Grant authority
(1) In general
The Secretary shall make grants to academic departments, programs and other academic units of institutions of higher education that provide courses of study leading to a graduate degree, including a master’s or doctoral degree, in order to enable such institutions to provide assistance to graduate students in accordance with this subpart.
(2) Additional grants
The Secretary may also make grants to such departments, programs and other academic units of institutions of higher education granting graduate degrees which submit joint proposals involving nondegree granting institutions which have formal arrangements for the support of doctoral dissertation research with degree-granting institutions. Nondegree granting institutions eligible for awards as part of such joint proposals include any organization which—
(A) is described in section 501 (c)(3) of title 26, and is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such title;
(B) is organized and operated substantially to conduct scientific and cultural research and graduate training programs;
(C) is not a private foundation;
(D) has academic personnel for instruction and counseling who meet the standards of the institution of higher education in which the students are enrolled; and
(E) has necessary research resources not otherwise readily available in such institutions to such students.
(b) Award and duration of grants
(1) Awards
The principal criterion for the award of grants shall be the relative quality of the graduate programs presented in competing applications. Consistent with an allocation of awards based on quality of competing applications, the Secretary shall, in awarding such grants, promote an equitable geographic distribution among eligible public and private institutions of higher education.
(2) Duration and amount
(A) Duration
The Secretary shall award a grant under this subpart for a period of 3 years.
(B) Amount
The Secretary shall award a grant to an academic department, program or unit of an institution of higher education under this subpart for a fiscal year in an amount that is not less than $100,000 and not greater than $750,000.
(3) Reallotment
Whenever the Secretary determines that an academic department, program or unit of an institution of higher education is unable to use all of the amounts available to the department, program or unit under this subpart, the Secretary shall, on such dates during each fiscal year as the Secretary may fix, reallot the amounts not needed to academic departments, programs and units of institutions which can use the grants authorized by this subpart.
(c) Preference to continuing grant recipients
(1) In general
The Secretary shall make new grant awards under this subpart only to the extent that each previous grant recipient under this subpart has received continued funding in accordance with subsection (b)(2)(A) of this section.
(2) Ratable reduction
To the extent that appropriations under this subpart are insufficient to comply with paragraph (1), available funds shall be distributed by ratably reducing the amounts required to be awarded under subsection (b)(2)(A) of this section.