S. 2511 · On the floor · Education

College Transparency Act

Sponsor: Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

What it does

• Establish a secure, privacy-protected data system at NCES containing information on postsecondary student enrollment, progression, completion, and postcollegiate employment outcomes.
• Require the data system to track higher education costs, financial aid, and provide customizable information for students and families evaluating postsecondary education options.
• Create a postsecondary student data system advisory committee to oversee the system.
• Reduce reporting requirements for institutions of higher education by consolidating data collection into the centralized system.
• Mandate quarterly congressional reports on implementation progress and require dedicated staffing at the Department of Education.

Official summary

College Transparency Act This bill requires the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to establish a secure and privacy-protected data system that contains information about postsecondary students. Specifically, the data system must evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and postcollegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid; provide complete and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; reduce the requirements for reporting by institutions of higher education; and periodically match with other federal systems of data. The bill also establishes a postsecondary student data system advisory committee. The Department of Education (ED) and NCES must (1) provide dedicated and adequate staffing at ED to implement the bill's requirements, and (2) report to Congress on a quarterly basis regarding the progress of implementing the bill's requirements.

Latest action

Aug 4, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 537.

Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions