College Transparency Act
Sponsored By: Senator Bill Cassidy
Introduced
Summary
a federal Postsecondary Student Data System would be created to collect student-level records that track enrollment, progression, completion, costs, financial aid, and postcollege outcomes. The system would also aim to reduce duplicative reporting for institutions and provide secure, de-identified data for research and policymaking.
Show full summary
- Students and families would get a public consumer website and an analytic tool with customizable filters, cross‑institution and program comparisons, and contextual figures like national medians to help compare outcomes.
- Institutions that receive Title IV federal student aid would be required to submit the specified student-level data or submit aggregate data if a law prohibits student-level reporting. The bill would phase in submission requirements four years after enactment and allows non‑Title IV institutions to participate voluntarily. It also repeals the prior ban on creating a student-level postsecondary system.
- Privacy and limits on use would be central. The system would exclude defined sensitive fields such as health records and exact addresses, ban sale and unlawful disclosure of personally identifiable information, and impose penalties for violations. It would permit secure, periodic matches with agencies like the IRS, Social Security Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Office of Federal Student Aid and would provide de-identified data to vetted researchers under NCES review.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
New federal college data system
If enacted, NCES would build a secure student-level postsecondary data system within four years. The system would power a public website with customizable comparisons on enrollment, completion, costs, financial aid, and job outcomes. Public reports would be shown in aggregate and use privacy techniques so individuals are not identified. The system would collect specified student data elements such as race, age groups, program, credential level, attendance intensity, Pell and loan recipient status, veteran status, and distance education status. The Commissioner may review and add elements every three years after public consultation.
Stronger privacy and student rights
If enacted, the Commissioner would be required to follow federal privacy laws and NIST security standards for the system. Students would get notice about what data are included and how the data are used. Students could inspect their own personal information and request written corrections, and the Commissioner must respond in writing. The law would ban student-level inclusion of sensitive items like health records, discipline, exact addresses, citizenship, and course grades; those items could only appear in aggregate if allowed.
Periodic federal education data matches
If enacted, NCES would do periodic, secure data matches with IRS/Treasury, Defense, VA, Census, the student loan office, Social Security, and BLS. Matches would share enrollment, grant and loan aid by source, cumulative debt, repayment status and plan, and earnings and employment after leaving school. Matches must be periodic (not continuous), follow privacy and security rules, and avoid creating a single standing linked federal database. These matches could improve outcome tracking and streamline benefit checks, but they also raise privacy and data-control concerns.
Repeal of student data ban
If enacted, the bill would remove the existing legal ban on a student-level postsecondary data system when it becomes law. That repeal would take effect on enactment and allow NCES to develop and maintain the student-level system and related data matches described elsewhere in the bill. The repeal enables transparency and research but also raises privacy governance questions that the bill addresses elsewhere.
New college reporting and IPEDS rules
If enacted, institutions participating in Title IV programs (or their agents) would have to submit required student data to NCES starting four years after enactment. When federal reporting overlaps, reporting to the new system could satisfy duplicate federal surveys, including nonstudent IPEDS surveys. The Secretary and NCES must take steps to reduce IPEDS reporting burden during the transition. Colleges would face a new reporting framework but may see fewer duplicate reports over time.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Bill Cassidy
LA • R
Cosponsors
Tim Scott
SC • R
Sponsored 10/15/2025
Elizabeth Warren
MA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Tammy Baldwin
WI • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Shelley Capito
WV • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
John Cornyn
TX • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Kevin Cramer
ND • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Joni Ernst
IA • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Chuck Grassley
IA • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Maggie Hassan
NH • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
John Hickenlooper
CO • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Cindy Hyde-Smith
MS • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Timothy Kaine
VA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Mark Kelly
AZ • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Roger Marshall
KS • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Christopher Murphy
CT • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Tina Smith
MN • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Thomas Tillis
NC • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Tommy Tuberville
AL • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Chris Van Hollen
MD • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Raphael Warnock
GA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Jon Husted
OH • R
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Jim Banks
IN • R
Sponsored 12/4/2025
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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