The Mental Health in Schools Excellence Program Act of 2025 creates a federal matching grant program to encourage more students to pursue graduate degrees in school-based mental health fields, including school psychology, school counseling, school social work, and related disciplines. Under the program, graduate institutions that commit to subsidizing their students' education costs will receive matching funds from the federal government (up to 50 percent of the cost of attendance), effectively doubling the financial support available. The legislation specifically targets outreach to students from low-income backgrounds—those who previously received federal Pell Grants as undergraduates or attended minority-serving institutions—to expand the pipeline of qualified mental health professionals in schools. The bill does not specify a total funding amount or implementation timeline but directs the Department of Education to manage the program, establish participation agreements with eligible graduate institutions, and maintain a public list of participating schools. This initiative aims to address school mental health workforce shortages by making graduate education more affordable for prospective providers.
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