(B) GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS.—Members 
of the Commission shall be appointed on the 
basis of the individuals’— 
(i) experience, integrity, impartiality, 
and good judgment; and 
(ii) except with respect to the under-
graduate students, technical qualifications 
and professional standing. 
(C) MEMBERS
OF
THE
COMMISSION.— 
Members appointed under subparagraph (A) 
shall be comprised of the following relevant 
stakeholders: 
(i) 2 undergraduate student leaders 
from different types of institutions of high-
er education. 
(ii) 2 members of national or regional 
student advocacy organizations with a 
track record of engagement and expertise 
on issues related to college costs and stu-
dent debt. 
(iii) 1 consumer advocate or consumer 
protection expert with demonstrated knowl-
edge of consumer protection issues related 
to undergraduate students. 
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(iv) 
representatives 
of 
faculty 
groups or associations with expertise re-
lated to higher education finance or gov-
ernance. 
(v) 1 State government official with 
demonstrated knowledge of State budg-
eting and higher education funding. 
(vi) 3 administrative officers from 
various types of institutions of higher edu-
cation, including at least 1 from a minor-
ity-serving institution. 
(vii) 1 higher education researcher. 
(viii) 1 State postsecondary education 
data system director. 
(ix) 1 member from the National Cen-
ter for Education Statistics. 
(x) 1 member from the Federal Stu-
dent Aid Office of the Department of Edu-
cation. 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
make recommendations on a set of minimum 
accountability standards that institutions of 
higher education must meet with respect to af-
fordability, accessibility, and value in order to 
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receive funds or that the students of such insti-
tutions may receive funds pursuant to title IV 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) programs. The Commis-
sion shall also recommend measures and accept-
able levels of performance on those measures to 
assess compliance with the minimum account-
ability standards. If the Commission cannot 
issue its recommendations by consensus, it shall 
issue its recommendations based on the views of 
a majority of the Commission. 
(B) REQUIRED MEASURES.—The Commis-
sion shall include, at a minimum, the following 
measures as part of the minimum account-
ability standards it shall recommend: 
(i) AFFORDABILITY.—The average or 
mean cost of tuition and other costs re-
quired for attendance after all institu-
tional, Federal, and State grant aid is 
taken into account. 
(ii) ACCESSIBILITY.—The percentage 
of the total number of enrolled students 
who are recipients of a Federal Pell Grant 
under subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the 
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Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070a et seq.). 
(iii) VALUE.—Student loan repayment 
rates. 
(C) OTHER MEASURES.—The Commission 
shall make recommendations on additional 
measures to comprise the minimum account-
ability standards, including the following: 
(i) AFFORDABILITY.—The Commis-
sion shall make recommendations on addi-
tional higher education affordability meas-
ures, including the appropriateness of the 
following: 
(I) The cost of tuition relative to 
the cost to the institution of educating 
a student and the institution’s admin-
istrative costs. 
(II) The percentage of institu-
tional aid that is awarded on the basis 
of need, as opposed to merit. 
(III) Annual increases in tuition 
after taking into account all public 
subsidies. 
(ii) ACCESSIBILITY.—The Commission 
shall make recommendations on higher 
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education accessibility measures, including 
the appropriateness of the following: 
(I) Enrollment of low- and mid-
dle-income, underrepresented minori-
ties, and adult students aged 25 and 
older. 
(II) Whether institutional policies 
on credit transfers meet industry 
standards by type of receiving institu-
tion. 
(iii) VALUE.—The Commission shall 
make recommendations on measures of 
higher education value, including the ap-
propriateness of the following: 
(I) Student progress toward com-
pletion of a postsecondary degree or 
certificate. 
(II) Student completion of a 
postsecondary degree or certificate, in-
cluding for transfer and part-time stu-
dents, or where applicable, transfer 
rates to 4-year degree programs. 
(III) Student retention rates. 
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(IV) Full-time employment and 
graduate degree enrollment rates after 
graduation. 
(4) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Commission shall 
take into account the differences in missions of insti-
tutions of higher education and ensure that institu-
tions are held to standards that are appropriate for 
their mission. 
(5) HEARINGS AND REPORT.— 
(A) HEARINGS.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date of the appointment of the final 
member of the Commission, the Commission 
shall hold public field hearings in all regions of 
the United States. The Commission shall hold 
not fewer than 8 hearings. 
(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the appointment of the final mem-
ber of the Commission, the Commission shall 
prepare a report on the recommendations under 
paragraph (3) and submit the report to the 
Secretary and the authorizing committees. The 
report shall include the following: 
(i) Recommendations for minimum ac-
countability standards and the measures 
for assessing compliance with those stand-
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