The US Congress has passed a $2 trillion bill, dubbed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which includes roughly $30 billion in an Education Stabilisation Fund, of which around $14 billion will be allocated to higher education, including multiple provisions related to student aid.

Under normal circumstances, Title IV-participating foreign institutions are excluded from providing distance education to U.S. students not enrolled in a study abroad program. This bill however grants these institutions the ability to offer distance education for the duration of a declared emergency and the following payment period. The U.S. Department of Education has granted authority to permit a Title IV-participating foreign institution to enter into a written arrangement with a U.S. institution that participates in the Direct Loan program, for purposes of allowing a borrower at a foreign institution to take courses from the U.S. institution.