College students convicted of drug offenses would remain ineligible for federal student aid under the mammoth higher-education bill awaiting the president’s signature, but they might find it easier to regain their eligibility.

The bill — which would reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the law governing federal student-aid policy — retains the “aid-elimination penalty,” a decade-old provision that withholds federal aid from students convicted of the sale or possession of drugs while receiving federal aid. To date, more than 200,000 students have been denied aid under the penalty. But the bill would make it easier for students to regain their eligibility, allowing them to requalify by passing two unannounced drug tests. Current law requires a student to take part in a drug-rehabilitation program as well.

In a report accompanying the bill, lawmakers also call on the secretary of education to reword a question on the federal student-aid application that asks students about drug convictions, saying the question may have disqualified some eligible students.

Still, the decision by members of Congress not to strike the penalty entirely comes a disappointment to Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which called for the penalty’s repeal. The group says the penalty, which was added to the bill during the last reauthorization, in 1998, does nothing to deter drug use, increases the risk of recidivism, and has a disproportionate impact on students of color. —Kelly Field