WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), a member of the Senate’s education committee, today announced 26 senators have signed their names onto the bipartisan College Transparency Act (CTA) with the addition of U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Today’s announcement represents clear, growing support for CTA amid ongoing Higher Education Act talks. Last week, U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) were also added as cosponsors.
“Student loan debt is rising. To make better decisions regarding where to attend and whether to borrow, students need more information,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Over a quarter of the Senate is actively behind this bill. Support is growing for the College Transparency Act.”
“All too often, students are flying blind when it comes to making one of the most expensive decisions of their lives. Millions of graduates face financial hardship because they borrowed more from the federal government than they can afford to repay with the degree they earned. This bill will empower students with information about the value of a degree at various institutions so they can make the best choice for their future,” said Senator Grassley.
This legislation modernizes the college reporting system for postsecondary data by ensuring accurate reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college success across colleges and majors, while ensuring the privacy of individual students is securely protected.
Read a one-pager of the College Transparency Act (CTA) here.
This information will tell students how others with their backgrounds have succeeded at an institution, and help point them towards schools and programs of study best suited to their unique needs and desired outcomes. It will also aid institutions of learning and policymakers in their work to improve our country’s postsecondary education system.
The current college reporting system is overly burdensome on institutions, yet provides little practical information for students and families due to significant gaps in college data reporting. Under the updated system, institutions would securely report privacy-protected, student-level data to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES would be responsible for securely storing student information, working with relevant federal agencies to generate post-college outcomes reports, and presenting the summary information on a user-friendly website for students and families.
U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) join Dr. Cassidy and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tammy Baldwin (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Bob Casey (D-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), David Perdue (R-GA), Doug Jones (D-AL), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in support of CTA.
Representatives Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Josh Harder (D-CA) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, which has now garnered the support of 63 Representatives.
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