submit an application to the Secretary at such time 
and in such manner as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application shall in-
clude— 
‘‘(A) a description of the institution, sys-
tem, or consortium’s consultation with a recog-
nized accrediting agency or association with re-
spect to quality assurances for the articulation 
programs to be offered; 
‘‘(B) a description of the articulation pro-
gram to be offered; 
‘‘(C) a description of the students to whom 
the articulation programs will be offered; 
‘‘(D) an assurance that the institution, 
system, or consortium will offer full cooperation 
with the ongoing evaluations of the demonstra-
tion program provided for in this section; and 
‘‘(E) such other information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(d) SELECTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the first year of the 
demonstration program authorized under this sec-
tion, the Secretary is authorized to select for partici-
pation in the program not more than 100 institu-
tions, systems of institutions, or consortia of institu-
tions. For the third year of the demonstration pro-
gram authorized under this section, the Secretary 
may select not more than 250 institutions, systems, 
or consortia, in addition to the institutions, systems, 
or consortia selected pursuant to the preceding sen-
tence, to participate in the demonstration program if 
the Secretary determines that such expansion is war-
ranted based on the evaluations conducted in accord-
ance with subsections (f) and (g). 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting institu-
tions to participate in the articulation program in 
the first or succeeding years of the program, the 
Secretary shall take into account— 
‘‘(A) the number and quality of applica-
tions received; 
‘‘(B) the Department’s capacity to oversee 
and monitor each institution’s participation; 
‘‘(C) an applicant’s— 
‘‘(i) financial responsibility; 
‘‘(ii) administrative capability; and 
‘‘(D) the need to ensure the participation 
of a diverse group of institutions with respect to 
size, mission, and geographic distribution. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In selecting institutions to 
participate in the articulation program in the first or
succeeding years of the program, the Secretary shall 
give priority to applicants that involve a large num-
ber of schools; public and private agreements; inno-
vative technology to help reduce costs; and, multi- 
state projects. 
‘‘(4) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall make 
available to the public and to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen-
ate and the Committee on Education and the Work-
force of the House of Representatives a list of insti-
tutions, systems or consortia selected to participate 
in the articulation program authorized by this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(e) EVALUATIONS AND REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall evalu-
ate the demonstration programs authorized under 
this section on an annual basis. Such evaluations 
specifically shall review— 
‘‘(A) the extent to which the institution, 
system or consortium has met the goals set 
forth in its application to the Secretary; 
‘‘(B) the number and types of institutions 
participating in the programs offered; 
‘‘(C) the cost containment strategies pur-
sued and the success of such strategies; and
‘‘(D) the effective use of technologies to 
keep college prices low, while maintaining qual-
ity. 
‘‘(2) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Within 18 months of 
the initiation of the demonstration program, the 
Secretary shall report to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate and the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce of the House of Representatives 
with respect to the evaluations of the dem-
onstration programs authorized under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
REPORTS.—The Sec-
retary shall provide additional reports to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce of the House of 
Representatives on an annual basis regarding— 
‘‘(i) the demonstration programs au-
thorized under this section; and 
‘‘(ii) best practices to contain college 
costs.’’.
SEC. 10. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON STUDENT FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE. 
Section 491(j) (20 U.S.C. 1098(j)) is amended 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(4); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (5) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(6) convene a task force of experts, to be rep-
resentative of the key constituents in higher edu-
cation— 
‘‘(A) to determine the best methods to fi-
nance higher education in the long-term; 
‘‘(B) to help public institutions utilize 
long-term budgeting to plan for the future; 
‘‘(C) to review the trends of financing of 
higher education; 
‘‘(D) to define the role played by the 
States, the Federal government, families, and 
outside entities in financing higher education, 
and determine the best methods to strengthen 
this partnership.’’. 
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