Education Amendments of 1972

The Education Amendments of 1972, also sometimes known as the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (Public Law No. 92‑318, 86 Stat. 235), were amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that were signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972. It is best known for its Title IX, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions receiving federal aid. It also modified government programs providing financial aid to students by directing money directly to students without the participation of intermediary financial institutions. Part D of Title III of the law enacted the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 did not originally cover executives, administrators, outside salespeople, or professionals; the Education Amendments of 1972 amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to expand the coverage of the Equal Pay Act to these employees, by excluding the Equal Pay Act from the professional worker's exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act.