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119-s-2511119th CongressWALLET
College Transparency Act
Sponsored By: Senator Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
In Committee
Summary
a centralized Postsecondary Student Data System that would gather student-level and institutional data to track enrollment, persistence, completion, costs, financial aid, and postcollege outcomes and power a public consumer website. It would aim to improve transparency, reduce duplicative reporting by aligning federal collections, and enforce strict privacy protections.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Stronger student data privacy protections
If enacted, the bill would ban many sensitive individual data elements from the student data system, such as health records, discipline files, K–12 records, exact home addresses, citizenship status, grades, test scores, political views, and religion. Where a student-level element is prohibited, institutions would submit only aggregate data. The bill would bar sale of system data and make willful disclosure of personal data unlawful, with penalties and possible dismissal for convicted federal employees. It would also require strong security rules, audits, access controls, and a process for students to inspect and request corrections to their records. Other federal agencies would be limited to vetted research or uses the law explicitly permits, and personal data could not be used for law enforcement, debt collection, immigration enforcement, or to cut off services.
Public college outcomes website
If enacted, the bill would require a public website with summary, aggregate data for each college and program. The site would appear within 5 years and show admissions, enrollment by groups, retention, transfers, and completion counts and rates. It would also show tuition, fees, total cost of attendance, net price after grant aid, typical grants and loans by source, cumulative debt by completion status, and employment rates and earnings after leaving. The consumer tool would let users filter and compare schools, use statistical disclosure limits to protect privacy, and include national medians for context.
National college student data system
If enacted, this bill would create a national postsecondary student data system run by the National Center for Education Statistics. The system would be in place within 5 years and Title IV institutions would need to submit required program- and student-level data starting 5 years after enactment. The Commissioner would do periodic, secure matches with agencies like the IRS, DoD, VA, Census, FSA, SSA, and BLS to report enrollment, completion, costs and aid, cumulative debt and repayment, and earnings after leaving. The system would aim to reduce duplicate reporting for colleges, but it also creates a new federal data collection with privacy safeguards that must be managed.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
LA • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC]
SC • R
Sponsored 10/15/2025
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
WI • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
AL • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
WV • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
ND • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]
CO • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS]
MS • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL]
AL • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA]
GA • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH]
OH • R
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 12/4/2025
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 9/16/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov