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.