Bipartisan College Transparency Act would improve and expand data on postsecondary outcomes available to students and parents to inform their decisions on college and career training
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper joined Bill Cassidy, Elizabeth Warren, and 19 of their Senate colleagues to introduce the bipartisan College Transparency Act (CTA). The bill would modernize the current college data reporting system by requiring comprehensive reporting of student outcomes including enrollment, completion, and post-college earnings across colleges and majors.
The bill aims to make higher education more transparent by giving parents and students the tools to decide which school or program is the best fit.
“Students and their families deserve a clear picture of how college and career training programs could impact their future,” said Hickenlooper. “Our bill will deliver better data to help folks make the best decision for themselves and their families.”
“The University of Colorado applauds the reintroduction of the bipartisan College Transparency Act,” said University of Colorado President Todd Saliman. “We believe this legislation will give students and parents the tools they need to make informed decisions about cost and quality across academic institutions and programs in Colorado and beyond. The bill strikes an important balance between providing those interested in pursuing higher education with essential information while also safeguarding student privacy, and we thank Senator Hickenlooper for his leadership on this issue.”
The current college data reporting system is burdensome for institutions to navigate and provides very little practical information for students and families. This bill would create an updated system to close gaps in college data reporting and present the collected data on a user-friendly website for students and families. The bill would also report information back to the states and colleges to encourage them to implement new strategies to support student success.
The bill would require educational institutions to report their data to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES would be responsible for securely storing student information and working with federal agencies to generate comprehensive reports with the collected data.
Hickenlooper previously introduced the bill in the 118th Congress and sits on the Senate Committee for Health, Education. Labor, Pensions (HELP).
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
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