I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6951 
To lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 11, 2024 
Ms. FOXX (for herself, Mr. OWENS, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. 
SMUCKER, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mrs. STEEL, and Mr. WILLIAMS of New York) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To lower the cost of postsecondary education for students 
and families. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘College Cost Reduction Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. References. 
TITLE I—TRANSPARENCY 
PART A—DEFINITIONS 
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Sec. 101. Definitions. 
PART B—COLLEGE COSTS AND FINANCIAL VALUE 
Sec. 111. Financial aid offers. 
Sec. 112. College scorecard website. 
Sec. 113. Postsecondary student data system. 
Sec. 114. Database of student information prohibited. 
TITLE II—ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY 
PART A—FINANCIAL NEED 
Sec. 201. Amount of need; cost of attendance; median cost of college. 
PART B—FINANCIAL AID 
SUBPART 1—GRANTS 
Sec. 211. Federal Pell Grant program. 
Sec. 212. Campus-based aid programs. 
SUBPART 2—LOANS 
Sec. 221. Loan limits. 
Sec. 222. Loan repayment. 
Sec. 223. Loan rehabilitation. 
Sec. 224. Interest capitalization. 
Sec. 225. Origination fees. 
TITLE III—ACCOUNTABILITY AND STUDENT SUCCESS 
PART A—ACCOUNTABILITY 
SUBPART 1—DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
Sec. 301. Agreements with institutions. 
Sec. 302. Regulatory relief. 
Sec. 303. Limitation on authority of Secretary to propose or issue regulations 
and executive actions. 
Sec. 304. Office of Federal Student Aid. 
SUBPART 2—ACCREDITORS 
Sec. 311. Accrediting agency recognition. 
Sec. 312. National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity 
(NACIQI). 
Sec. 313. Alternative quality assurance experimental site initiative. 
PART B—STUDENT SUCCESS 
Sec. 321. Postsecondary student success grants. 
Sec. 322. Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act. 
Sec. 323. Transparent and fair transfer of credit policies. 
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SEC. 2. REFERENCES. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 
section or other provision of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.). 
TITLE I—TRANSPARENCY 
PART A—DEFINITIONS 
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 103 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(25) CIP CODE.—The term ‘CIP code’ means 
the six-digit taxonomic identification code assigned 
by an institution of higher education to a specific 
program of study at the institution, determined by 
the institution in accordance with the Classification 
of Instructional Programs published by the National 
Center for Education Statistics. 
‘‘(26) CREDENTIAL LEVEL.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘credential 
level’ means the level of the degree or other cre-
dential awarded by an institution of higher edu-
cation to students who complete a program of 
study of the institution. Each degree or other 
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‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in clause (ii), the Secretary shall use 
the geographic location of the institution at 
which a student completed a program of 
study to adjust the value-added earnings of 
the student calculated under subclause (A) 
by dividing— 
‘‘(I) the difference between sub-
clauses (I) and (II) of such subpara-
graph; by 
‘‘(II) the most recent regional 
price parity index of the Bureau of 
Economics Analysis for the State or, 
as applicable, metropolitan area in 
which such institution is located. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—The value-added 
earnings of a student calculated under sub-
paragraph (A) shall not be adjusted based 
on geographic location in accordance with 
clause (i) if such student attended prin-
cipally through distance education. 
‘‘(C) EARNINGS MEASUREMENT PERIOD.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose 
of calculating the value-added earnings of 
a student, except as provided in clause (ii), 
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the annual earnings of a student shall be 
measured— 
‘‘(I) in the case of a program of 
study that awards an undergraduate 
certificate, post baccalaureate certifi-
cate, or graduate certificate, one year 
after the student completes such pro-
gram; 
‘‘(II) in the case of a program of 
study that awards an associate’s de-
gree or master’s degree, 2 years after 
the student completes such program; 
and 
‘‘(III) in the case of a program of 
study that awards a bachelor’s degree, 
doctoral degree, or professional de-
gree, 4 years after the student com-
pletes such program. 
‘‘(ii) 
EXCEPTION.—The 
Secretary 
may, as the Secretary determines appro-
priate based on the characteristics of a 
program of study, extend an earnings 
measurement period described in clause (i) 
for a program of study that— 
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‘‘(I) requires completion of an 
additional educational program after 
completion of the program of study in 
order to obtain a licensure associated 
with the credential awarded for such 
program of study; and 
‘‘(II) when combined with the 
program length of such additional 
educational program for licensure, has 
a total program length that exceeds 
the relevant earnings measurement 
period prescribed for such program of 
study under clause (i), 
except that in no case shall the annual 
earnings of a student be measured more 
than 5 years after the student completes a 
program of study.’’. 
PART B—COLLEGE COSTS AND FINANCIAL 
VALUE 
SEC. 111. FINANCIAL AID OFFERS. 
(a) INSTITUTION FINANCIAL AID OFFER.—Section 
484 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (20 U.S.C. 
1092 note) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 484. INSTITUTION FINANCIAL AID OFFER FORM. 
‘‘(a) STANDARD FORM
AND TERMINOLOGY.—The 
Secretary of Education, in consultation with the heads of 
relevant Federal agencies, shall develop standard termi-
nology and a standard form for financial aid offers based 
on recommendations from representatives of students, vet-
erans, servicemembers, families of students, institutions of 
higher education (including community colleges, for-profit 
institutions, four-year public institutions, and four-year 
private nonprofit institutions), financial aid experts, sec-
ondary school and postsecondary counselors, college access 
professionals, nonprofit organizations, and consumer 
groups. 
‘‘(b) KEY REQUIRED CONTENTS FOR AID OFFER.— 
The standard form developed pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall be titled ‘Financial Aid Offer’ and shall include the 
following items in a consumer-friendly manner that is sim-
ple and understandable, with costs listed first, followed by 
grants and scholarships, clearly separated from each other 
with separate headings: 
‘‘(1) COST INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Information on the 
student’s estimated cost of attendance, includ-
ing the following: 
‘‘(i) DIRECT COSTS.—The total cost of 
all items described in section 472 of the 
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Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087ll) that are billed to the student by 
the institution or otherwise required by the 
institution for enrollment, including such 
total cost disaggregated by the cost of each 
such item, including, as determined under 
such section— 
‘‘(I) tuition and fees (and other 
required expenses); and 
‘‘(II) housing and food for a stu-
dent electing institutionally owned or 
operated food services or institution-
ally owned or operated housing. 
‘‘(ii) INDIRECT COSTS.—The total cost 
(including such total cost disaggregated by 
the cost of each item) as determined under 
section 472 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll), of— 
‘‘(I) housing and food for a stu-
dent not electing institutionally owned 
or operated food services and not liv-
ing in institutionally owned or oper-
ated housing; 
‘‘(II) 
books, 
school 
supplies, 
equipment, 
course 
materials, 
and 
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rental or purchase of a personal com-
puter; 
‘‘(III) transportation; 
‘‘(IV) any other item described in 
such section and not described in 
clause (i) determined to be necessary 
by the institution. 
‘‘(B) The academic period covered by the 
financial aid offer, and an explanation that the 
amount of financial aid offered may change— 
‘‘(i) for academic periods not covered 
by the aid offer; or 
‘‘(ii) by program. 
‘‘(C) An indication of whether cost and aid 
estimates are based on full-time or part-time 
enrollment. 
‘‘(D) An indication, as applicable, about 
whether any costs described in subparagraph 
(A)(i) which are subject to change are— 
‘‘(i) estimated based on the previous 
year; or 
‘‘(ii) set for the academic period indi-
cated in accordance with subparagraph 
(B). 
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‘‘(2) GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS.—The aggre-
gate amount of grants and scholarships, differen-
tiated by source, that the student does not have to 
repay, such as grant aid offered under title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et 
seq.), grant aid offered through other Federal pro-
grams, grant aid offered by the institution, grant aid 
offered by the State, and, if known, grant aid or 
scholarship from an outside source to the student for 
such academic period, including a disclosure that the 
grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, ex-
cept that institutions shall be authorized to list indi-
vidual grants and scholarships by name at the dis-
cretion of the institution. 
‘‘(3) NET PRICE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The net price that the 
student, is estimated to have to pay for the stu-
dent to attend the institution for such academic 
period, including the following: 
‘‘(i) MINIMUM AMOUNT COVERED BY 
STUDENT
FOR
ENROLLMENT.—The net 
price of tuition and fees (and other re-
quired expenses), which is equal to— 
‘‘(I) the sum of the costs de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(A) that are 
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required for students (as determined 
under paragraph (5)(B)) for the pe-
riod indicated in paragraph (1)(B); 
minus 
‘‘(II) the total amount of grant 
and scholarship aid described in para-
graph (2) that is included in the fi-
nancial aid offer and available to the 
student for the costs described in sub-
clause (I). 
‘‘(ii) ESTIMATED ANNUAL NET PRICE 
OF
ATTENDANCE.—The 
estimated 
net 
price of attendance, which is equal to— 
‘‘(I) the cost of attendance for 
the student for the period indicated in 
paragraph (1)(B); minus 
‘‘(II) the total amount of grant 
and scholarship aid described in para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(B) DISCLOSURE.—A disclosure that the 
net price is based on an estimate of the total 
cost of attendance for the year and not nec-
essarily equivalent to the amount the student 
will owe directly to the institution. 
‘‘(4) LOANS.— 
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‘‘(A) Information on any education loan of-
fered through any Federal or State program 
(including any loan under part D or part E of 
title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.; 20 U.S.C. 1087aa et 
seq.)) that the institution offers for the student 
for the academic period covered by the offer, 
which shall be made— 
‘‘(i) with clear use of the word ‘loan’ 
to 
describe 
the 
recommended 
loan 
amounts; and 
‘‘(ii) with clear labeling of subsidized 
and unsubsidized loans. 
‘‘(B) If applicable, a disclosure that such 
loans have to be repaid with interest. 
‘‘(C) Information on any other loan that 
the student or parent has applied for and been 
approved for, regardless of the source. 
‘‘(5) STUDENT EMPLOYMENT.—Information on 
work-study employment opportunities (including 
work-study programs under part C of title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087–51 
et seq.), institutional work-study programs, or State 
work-study programs), including— 
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‘‘(A) the maximum annual amount the stu-
dent may earn through the program; and 
‘‘(B) a disclosure that any amounts re-
ceived pursuant to such a program may be— 
‘‘(i) subject to the availability of quali-
fied employment opportunities upon stu-
dents enrollment; and 
‘‘(ii) disbursed over time as earned by 
the student. 
‘‘(6) PROCESS FOR ACCEPTING, ADJUSTING, OR 
DECLINING AID AND NEXT STEPS.— 
‘‘(A) The deadlines and a summary of the 
process (including the next steps) for— 
‘‘(i) accepting the financial aid of-
fered; 
‘‘(ii) adjusting the amount of aid of-
fered; and 
‘‘(iii) declining the aid offered. 
‘‘(B) Information on when and how costs 
described in paragraph (1)(A)(i) must be paid, 
including whether such costs are required or op-
tional for the student. 
‘‘(C) A disclosure that verification of infor-
mation provided on the Free Application for 
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Federal Student Aid may require the student to 
submit further documentation. 
‘‘(D) Information about where a student or 
the student’s family can seek additional infor-
mation regarding the financial aid offered, in-
cluding contact information for the institution’s 
financial aid office and the Department of Edu-
cation’s website on financial aid. 
‘‘(E) Information about where a student or 
a student’s family can seek additional informa-
tion on college costs and student outcomes, in-
cluding a link to the Department of Education’s 
College 
Scorecard 
website 
(or 
successor 
website). 
‘‘(7) NET PRICE CALCULATOR.—A link to the 
universal net price calculator described in section 
132(c)(4). 
‘‘(8) ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION.—Any other 
information the Secretary of Education, in consulta-
tion with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, in-
cluding the Secretary of the Treasury and the Direc-
tor of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, 
determines necessary, based on the results and input 
of the consumer testing under subsection (h)(2), and 
limited only to effectively communicating college 
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costs and financial aid eligibility to students and 
parents. 
‘‘(c) OTHER
REQUIRED
CONTENTS
FOR
AID 
OFFER.—The standard form developed under subsection 
(a) shall include, in addition to the information described 
in subsection (b), the following information in a concise 
format determined by the Secretary of Education, in con-
sultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies and 
the individuals and entities described in subsection (a): 
‘‘(1) Additional options and potential resources 
for paying for the amount listed in subsection (b)(3), 
such as tuition payment plans. 
‘‘(2) The following information relating to pri-
vate student loans: 
‘‘(A) A disclosure that private education 
loans may be available to cover remaining need, 
except that the institution may not include pri-
vate education loans other than under the con-
ditions described in subsection (b)(4)(C) and 
must include a disclosure that such loans— 
‘‘(i) are subject to an additional appli-
cation process; and 
‘‘(ii) must be repaid by the borrower 
or their co-signer, and may not be eligible 
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for the benefits available for loans made 
under title IV. 
‘‘(B) A statement that students consid-
ering borrowing to cover the cost of attendance 
should consider available Federal student loans 
prior to applying for private education loans, in-
cluding an explanation that Federal student 
loans offer generally more favorable terms and 
beneficial repayment options than private loans. 
‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS FOR 
FINANCIAL AID OFFER.—The financial aid offer shall 
meet the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) Clearly distinguish between the aid offered 
under paragraphs (2) and (4) of subsection (b), by 
including a subtotal for the aid offered in each of 
such paragraphs and by refraining from commin-
gling the different types of aid described in such 
paragraphs. 
‘‘(2) Use standard terminology and definitions, 
as described in subsection (f)(1), and use plain lan-
guage where possible. 
‘‘(3) Use the standard aid offer described in 
subsection (f)(2). 
‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT AND DISCLOSURES 
TO BE PROVIDED.—In addition to the standard form de-
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scribed under subsection (a), institutions shall provide, in 
supplemental documents or through easily accessible 
weblinks to the institution’s portal or a website, the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) The renewability requirements and condi-
tions under which the student can expect to receive 
similar amounts of such financial aid for each aca-
demic period the student is enrolled at the institu-
tion. 
‘‘(2) Whether the aid offer may change if aid 
from outside sources is applied after the student re-
ceives the initial aid offer, and, if applicable, how 
that aid will change. 
‘‘(3) If loans under part D or part E of title 
IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087a et seq.; 20 U.S.C. 1087aa et seq.) or other 
education loans offered through Federal programs 
are included— 
‘‘(A) a disclosure that the interest rates 
and fees on such loans are set annually and af-
fect total cost over time, and a link to any 
website that includes current information on in-
terest rates and fees; and 
‘‘(B) if an institution’s recommended Fed-
eral student loan aid offered in subsection 
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(b)(4) is less than the Federal maximum avail-
able to the student, the institution shall provide 
additional information on Federal student loans 
including the types and amounts for which the 
student is eligible and the process for request-
ing higher loan amounts if offered loan 
amounts were included. 
‘‘(4) If the institution opts not to disclose other 
items described in subsection (b)(1)(A)(ii)(V) as 
part of the aid offer, a list of such other items and 
the allowance amount for each such item. 
‘‘(f) STANDARD INFORMATION ESTABLISHED
BY 
SECRETARY.— 
‘‘(1) STANDARD
TERMINOLOGY.—Not later 
than 3 months after the date of enactment of the 
College Cost Reduction Act, the Secretary of Edu-
cation, in consultation with the heads of relevant 
Federal agencies, and the individuals and entities 
described in subsection (a) shall establish standard 
terminology and definitions for the terms described 
in subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) STANDARD FORM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Edu-
cation shall develop multiple draft financial aid 
offers for consumer testing, carry out consumer 
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testing for such forms, and establish a finalized 
standard financial aid offer in accordance 
with— 
‘‘(i) the process established under sub-
section (h); and 
‘‘(ii) the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(B) SEPARATE FINANCIAL AID OFFERS.— 
The Secretary shall develop separate financial 
aid offers for— 
‘‘(i) undergraduate students; and 
‘‘(ii) graduate students. 
‘‘(g) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION; REMOVAL OF IN-
FORMATION.—Nothing in this section shall preclude an in-
stitution from— 
‘‘(1) supplementing the financial aid offer with 
additional information, provided that such informa-
tion utilizes the same standard terminology identi-
fied in subsection (f)(1) and does not misrepresent 
costs, financial aid offered, or net price; or 
‘‘(2) deleting a required item or disclosure if— 
‘‘(A) the student is ineligible for such aid; 
‘‘(B) the institution does not participate in 
the aid program or type; 
‘‘(C) the aid offer does not include the aid 
program or type; or 
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‘‘(D) a cost of attendance item is not ap-
plicable to the student. 
‘‘(h) DEVELOPMENT OF FINANCIAL AID OFFER.— 
‘‘(1) DRAFT FORM.—Not later than 9 months 
after the date of enactment of the College Cost Re-
duction Act, the Secretary of Education, in consulta-
tion with the heads of relevant Federal agencies and 
the individuals and entities described in subsection 
(a) shall design and produce multiple draft financial 
aid offers for consumer testing with postsecondary 
students or prospective students. In developing that 
form, the Secretary shall ensure that— 
‘‘(A) the headings described in paragraphs 
(1) through (4) of subsection (b) are in the 
same font, appears in the same order, and are 
displayed prominently on the financial aid offer, 
such that none of that information is inappro-
priately omitted or deemphasized; 
‘‘(B) the other information required under 
subsection (b) appears in a standard format 
and design on the financial aid offer; and 
‘‘(C) the institution may include a logo or 
brand alongside the title of the financial aid 
offer. 
‘‘(2) CONSUMER TESTING.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 9 
months after the date of enactment of the Col-
lege Cost Reduction Act, the Secretary of Edu-
cation, in consultation with the heads of rel-
evant Federal agencies, shall establish a process 
to submit the financial aid offer drafts devel-
oped under paragraph (1) for consumer testing 
among representatives of students (including 
low-income students, first generation college 
students, 
adult 
students, 
veterans, 
servicemembers, and prospective students), stu-
dents’ families (including low-income families, 
families with first generation college students, 
and families with prospective students), institu-
tions of higher education, secondary school and 
postsecondary counselors, and nonprofit con-
sumer groups. 
‘‘(B) LENGTH OF CONSUMER TESTING.— 
The Secretary of Education shall ensure that 
the consumer testing under this paragraph lasts 
not longer than 8 months after the process for 
consumer testing is developed under subpara-
graph (A). 
‘‘(3) FINAL FORM.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The results of con-
sumer testing under paragraph (2) shall be 
used in the development of the finalized stand-
ard financial aid offer required under sub-
section (f)(2). 
‘‘(B) 
REPORTING
REQUIREMENT.—Not 
later than 3 months after the date on which the 
consumer testing under paragraph (2) con-
cludes, the Secretary of Education shall submit 
to Congress, and publish on its website— 
‘‘(i) the final standard financial aid 
offer; and 
‘‘(ii) a report detailing the results of 
such testing, including whether the Sec-
retary of Education added, modified, or 
moved any additional items to the stand-
ard financial aid offer pursuant to sub-
section (b)(6). 
‘‘(4) AUTHORITY TO MODIFY.—The Secretary 
of Education may modify or remove the definitions, 
terms, formatting, and design of the financial aid 
offer based on the results of consumer testing re-
quired under this subsection and before finalizing 
the form, or in subsequent consumer testing. The 
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Secretary may also recommend additional changes to 
Congress. 
‘‘(i) COST OF ATTENDANCE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘cost of attendance’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll).’’. 
(b) USE OF MANDATORY FINANCIAL AID OFFER AND 
TERMS.—Part B of title I of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 124. USE OF MANDATORY FINANCIAL AID OFFER AND 
TERMS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, each institution of higher education that re-
ceives Federal financial assistance under this Act shall— 
‘‘(1) use the financial aid offer developed under 
section 484 of the Higher Education Opportunity 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1092 note) in providing paper, mo-
bile-optimized offers, or other electronic offers to all 
students who apply for aid and are accepted at the 
institution; and 
‘‘(2) use the standard terminology and defini-
tions developed by the Secretary of Education under 
subsection (f)(1) of that section for all communica-
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tions from the institution related to financial aid of-
fers. 
‘‘(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The requirements under 
this section shall take effect on the first date on which 
the Secretary releases the Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid for the applicable award year associated with 
that application, if such date occurs not less than 1 year 
after the Secretary of Education finalizes the standard 
terminology and form developed in accordance with section 
484 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (20 U.S.C. 
1092 note). 
‘‘(c) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEDURES.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the Secretary shall 
not have the authority to prescribe regulations to carry 
out this section.’’. 
SEC. 112. COLLEGE SCORECARD WEBSITE. 
(a) COLLEGE SCORECARD WEBSITE.— 
(1) 
DEFINITIONS; 
CONFORMING
AMEND-
MENTS.—Section 132 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015a(a)) is amended— 
(A) by amending subsection (a) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) COLLEGE
SCORECARD
WEBSITE.—The 
term ‘College Scorecard website’ means the College 
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Scorecard website required under subsection (c) and 
includes any successor website. 
‘‘(2) COST OF ATTENDANCE.—The term ‘cost of 
attendance’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 472. 
‘‘(3) TOTAL NET PRICE REQUIRED FOR COM-
PLETION.—The term ‘total net price required for 
completion’ means, with respect to the period of 
completion of a program of study— 
‘‘(A) the sum of the required costs de-
scribed in section 484(b)(3)(A)(i)(I) charged to 
a student for such period of completion; minus 
‘‘(B) the total amount of grant and schol-
arship aid described in paragraph (2) of section 
484(b) that is available to the student for the 
costs described in subparagraph (A) for comple-
tion of a program of study.’’; 
(B) by striking subsections (b) through 
(g); and 
(C) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub-
section (b). 
(2) SCORECARD AUTHORIZED.—Section 132 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1015a) is further amended— 
(A) by striking subsection (i); and 
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(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the 
following: 
‘‘(c) CONSUMER INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(1) AVAILABILITY
OF
INFORMATION
FOR 
TITLE IV INSTITUTIONS AND PROGRAMS.—Not later 
than 18 months after the date of the enactment of 
the College Cost Reduction Act, the Secretary shall 
make publicly available on the College Scorecard 
website the following aggregated information with 
respect to each institution of higher education and 
each program of study at such institution, as appli-
cable, that participates in a program under title IV: 
‘‘(A) A link to the website of the institu-
tion. 
‘‘(B) A link to the net price calculator for 
such institution. 
‘‘(C) A link to the website of the institu-
tion containing campus safety data with respect 
to such institution. 
‘‘(D) The geographic location of the insti-
tution. 
‘‘(E) Information on the type of institu-
tion, including sector, size, predominant and 
highest credential awarded, research intensity, 
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programs of study offered, and other character-
istics of the institution. 
‘‘(F) Information on student enrollment, 
including the number and percentage of stu-
dents enrolled full-time, less than full-time, and 
enrolled in distance education. 
‘‘(G) Information on student progression 
and completion, including time to credential 
and rates of withdrawal, retention, transfer, or 
completion. 
‘‘(H) Information on college costs and fi-
nancial aid, including average, median, min-
imum, and maximum values of— 
‘‘(i) the cost of attendance, including 
such cost disaggregated by the costs de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) through (14) of 
section 472(a); 
‘‘(ii) the grants and scholarships re-
ceived by students at the institution and 
the number and percentage of such stu-
dents receiving such grants and scholar-
ships, disaggregated by source and whether 
such aid is need-based, merit-based, an 
athletic scholarship, or other type of grant 
or scholarship; and 
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‘‘(iii) the total net price required for 
completion for students who received Fed-
eral financial assistance described in para-
graph (2)(I). 
‘‘(I) Information on student debt and re-
payment, including— 
‘‘(i) the average, median, minimum, 
and maximum amounts borrowed by stu-
dents under title IV; and 
‘‘(ii) information with respect to re-
payment of loans made under title IV, in-
cluding borrower-based repayment rates, 
dollar-based repayment rates, and time 
spent in repayment. 
‘‘(J) Information on the earnings of stu-
dents who received Federal financial assistance 
described in paragraph (2)(I), including the av-
erage, median, minimum, and maximum values 
of— 
‘‘(i) with respect to students who com-
plete a program of study in an award 
year— 
‘‘(I) the annual earnings of such 
students; and 
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‘‘(II) the value-added earnings of 
such students; and 
‘‘(ii) with respect to students who do 
not complete a program of study in an 
award year, the annual earnings of such 
students. 
‘‘(2) 
DISAGGREGATED
INFORMATION.—The 
Secretary shall ensure the information described in 
paragraph (1) is disaggregated, as applicable, by the 
following student characteristics: 
‘‘(A) Financial circumstances including— 
‘‘(i) household income categories, as 
determined by students’ adjusted gross in-
come, family size, and poverty line (as de-
fined in section 401(a)); and 
‘‘(ii) student aid index categories, as 
determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) Sex. 
‘‘(C) Race and ethnicity. 
‘‘(D) Classification as a student with a dis-
ability. 
‘‘(E) Enrollment status. 
‘‘(F) Residency status. 
‘‘(G) Status as an international student. 
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‘‘(H) Status as a recipient of Federal fi-
nancial assistance, including— 
‘‘(i) a Pell grant; 
‘‘(ii) a loan made under title IV; and 
‘‘(iii) veterans’ education benefits (as 
defined in section 480(c)). 
‘‘(J) Status as a participant in a program 
described in section 116(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3131(b)(3)(A)(ii)). 
‘‘(3) INSTITUTIONAL AND PROGRAM COMPARI-
SON.—The Secretary shall include on the College 
Scorecard website a method for users to easily com-
pare institutions and programs, including in a man-
ner that allows for such comparison based on— 
‘‘(A) the institutional and program infor-
mation described in paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) the student characteristics described 
in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(4) UNIVERSAL
NET
PRICE
CALCULATOR.— 
The Secretary shall include on the College Scorecard 
website a universal net price calculator that enables 
users to answer questions and receive personalized 
pricing information for each institution of higher 
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education and program of study offered by such in-
stitution. 
‘‘(5) UPDATES.— 
‘‘(A) DATA.—The Secretary shall update 
the College Scorecard website not less than an-
nually. 
‘‘(B) TECHNOLOGY
AND
FORMAT.—The 
Secretary shall regularly assess the format and 
technology of the College Scorecard website and 
make any changes or updates that the Sec-
retary considers appropriate. 
‘‘(6) CONSUMER TESTING.—In developing and 
maintaining the College Scorecard website, the Sec-
retary, in consultation with appropriate departments 
and agencies of the Federal Government, shall— 
‘‘(A) not later than 6 months after the 
date of the enactment of the College Cost Re-
duction Act, and not less than once every 3 
years thereafter, consumer testing with appro-
priate persons, including current and prospec-
tive college students, family members of such 
students, institutions of higher education, and 
experts, to ensure that the College Scorecard 
website is usable and easily understandable and 
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provides useful and relevant information to stu-
dents and families; and 
‘‘(B) prominently display on such website 
in simple, understandable, and unbiased terms 
for the most recent academic year for which 
satisfactory data is available, the information 
described in paragraphs (1) and (2) that was 
determined to be useful and relevant to stu-
dents and families based on the consumer test-
ing described in subparagraph (A) for each in-
stitution and program of study (as applicable). 
‘‘(7) PROVISION
OF
APPROPRIATE
LINKS
TO 
PROSPECTIVE
STUDENTS
AFTER
SUBMISSION
OF 
FAFSA.—The Secretary shall provide to each student 
who submits a Free Application for Federal Student 
Aid described in section 483 a link to the webpage 
of the College Scorecard website that contains the 
information required under paragraph (1) for each 
institution of higher education such student includes 
on such application. 
‘‘(8) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The Sec-
retary, in consultation with each appropriate head of 
a department or agency of the Federal Government, 
shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that 
any information related to higher education that is 
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published by such department or agency is con-
sistent with the information published on the College 
Scorecard website. 
‘‘(9) DATA COLLECTION AND DUPLICATED RE-
PORTING.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
this section, to the extent that another provision of 
this section requires the same reporting or collection 
of data that is required under this Act, an institu-
tion of higher education, or the Secretary or Com-
missioner, shall use the reporting or data required 
under this subsection to satisfy both requirements. 
‘‘(10) DATA PRIVACY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
ensure any information made available under 
this section is made available in accordance 
with the privacy laws described in section 
132(f)(1)(C)(iv). 
‘‘(B) SMALL INSTITUTIONS AND PROGRAM 
OF STUDY.—For purposes of publishing the in-
formation described in paragraphs (1) and (2), 
for any year for which the number of students 
is determined by the Secretary to be of insuffi-
cient size to maintain the privacy of student 
data, the Secretary shall— 
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‘‘(i) aggregate up to 4 years of addi-
tional data for such program of study to 
obtain data for a sufficient number of stu-
dents to maintain student privacy; 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a program of 
study, if the method described in clause (i) 
is insufficient to maintain student privacy, 
aggregate data for students who completed 
or who were enrolled in, as applicable, 
similar program of study of the institution 
to obtain data for a sufficient number of 
students to maintain student privacy; and 
‘‘(iii) in the case of a program of 
study, if the methods described in clauses 
(i) and (ii) are insufficient to maintain stu-
dent privacy, or additional data described 
in such clauses is not available or can not 
be aggregated, aggregate data with respect 
to all students who completed or were en-
rolled in, as applicable, any program of 
study of the institution of the same creden-
tial level, in lieu of data specific to stu-
dents in such program of study.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), as amended 
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by subsection (a) of this section, is further amended by 
striking ‘‘College Navigator’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘College Scorecard’’. 
(c) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law (other 
than the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 
et seq.)), regulation, document, record, or other paper of 
the United States to the College Navigator website shall 
be considered to be a reference to the College Scorecard 
website. 
SEC. 113. POSTSECONDARY STUDENT DATA SYSTEM. 
Section 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1015a) is further amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (j) and (k) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection 
(g); and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (e), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(f) POSTSECONDARY STUDENT DATA SYSTEM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
SYSTEM.—Not 
later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of the College Cost Reduction Act, the Commis-
sioner of the National Center for Education 
Statistics (referred to in this subsection as the 
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‘Commissioner’) in consultation with the Direc-
tor of the Institute of Education Sciences (re-
ferred to as ‘the Director’) shall develop and 
maintain a secure and privacy-protected post-
secondary student-level data system in order 
to— 
‘‘(i) accurately evaluate student en-
rollment patterns, progression, completion, 
and postcollegiate outcomes, and higher 
education costs and financial aid; 
‘‘(ii) assist with transparency, institu-
tional improvement, and analysis of Fed-
eral aid programs; 
‘‘(iii) provide accurate, complete, and 
customizable information for students and 
families making decisions about postsec-
ondary education; and 
‘‘(iv) reduce the reporting burden on 
institutions of higher education in accord-
ance with section 111 of the College Cost 
Reduction Act. 
‘‘(B) AVOIDING DUPLICATE REPORTING.— 
Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec-
tion, to the extent that another provision of this 
section requires the same reporting or collection 
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of data that is required under this subsection, 
an institution of higher education, or the Sec-
retary or Commissioner, shall use the reporting 
or data required for the postsecondary student 
data system under this subsection to satisfy 
both requirements. 
‘‘(C) DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.—In devel-
oping the postsecondary student data system 
described in this subsection, the Commissioner, 
in consultation with the Director, shall— 
‘‘(i) focus on the needs of— 
‘‘(I) users of the data system; 
and 
‘‘(II) entities, including institu-
tions of higher education, reporting to 
the data system; 
‘‘(ii) take into consideration, to the 
extent practicable— 
‘‘(I) the guidelines outlined in— 
‘‘(aa) the ‘United States 
Web Design Standards’ main-
tained by the General Services 
Administration; and 
‘‘(bb) the ‘Digital Services 
Playbook’ and ‘TechFAR Hand-
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book for Procuring Digital Serv-
ices Using Agile Processes’ of the 
United States Digital Service; 
and 
‘‘(II) the relevant successor docu-
ments or recommendations of such 
guidelines; 
‘‘(iii) use modern, relevant privacy- 
and security-enhancing technology, and en-
hance and update the data system as nec-
essary to carry out the purpose of this sub-
section; 
‘‘(iv) ensure data privacy and security 
is consistent with any relevant Federal law 
relating to privacy or data security, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(I) the requirements of sub-
chapter II of chapter 35 of title 44, 
United States Code, specifying secu-
rity categorization under the Federal 
Information Processing Standards or 
any relevant successor of such stand-
ards; 
‘‘(II) security requirements that 
are consistent with the Federal agency 
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responsibilities in section 3554 of title 
44, United States Code, or any rel-
evant successor of such responsibil-
ities; and 
‘‘(III) 
security 
requirements, 
guidelines, and controls consistent 
with cybersecurity standards and best 
practices developed by the National 
Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology, including frameworks, con-
sistent with section 2(c) of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(c)), or 
any relevant successor of such frame-
works; 
‘‘(v) follow Federal data minimization 
practices to ensure only the minimum 
amount of data is collected to meet the 
system’s goals, in accordance with Federal 
data minimization standards and guide-
lines developed by the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology; and 
‘‘(vi) provide notice to students out-
lining the data included in the system and 
how the data are used. 
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‘‘(D) LIMITATION.—The data system de-
veloped under this subsection may only include 
data with respect to— 
‘‘(i) students receiving— 
‘‘(I) Federal financial assistance 
under title IV of this Act; or 
‘‘(II) veteran’s education bene-
fits, as defined in section 480(c); and 
‘‘(ii) participants in a program de-
scribed in section 116(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3131(b)(3)(A)(ii)). 
‘‘(2) DATA ELEMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 
after the date of enactment of the College Cost 
Reduction Act, the Commissioner, in consulta-
tion with the Postsecondary Student Data Sys-
tem Advisory Committee and the Director, es-
tablished under subparagraph (B), shall deter-
mine— 
‘‘(i) the data elements to be included 
in the postsecondary student data system, 
in accordance with subparagraphs (C) and 
(D); and 
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‘‘(ii) how to include the data elements 
required under subparagraph (C), and any 
additional data elements selected under 
subparagraph (D), in the postsecondary 
student data system. 
‘‘(B) POSTSECONDARY
STUDENT
DATA 
SYSTEM ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(i) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—Not 
later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
the College Cost Reduction Act, the Com-
missioner, in consultation with the Direc-
tor, shall establish a Postsecondary Stu-
dent Data System Advisory Committee (re-
ferred to in this subsection as the ‘Advi-
sory Committee’), whose members shall in-
clude— 
‘‘(I) the Chief Privacy Officer of 
the Department or an official of the 
Department delegated the duties of 
overseeing data privacy at the Depart-
ment; 
‘‘(II) the Chief Security Officer 
of the Department or an official of 
the Department delegated the duties 
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of overseeing data security at the De-
partment; 
‘‘(III) representatives of diverse 
institutions of higher education, which 
shall include equal representation be-
tween 2-year and 4-year institutions 
of higher education, and from public, 
nonprofit, and proprietary institutions 
of higher education, including minor-
ity-serving institutions; 
‘‘(IV) representatives from State 
higher education agencies, entities, 
bodies, or boards; 
‘‘(V) representatives of postsec-
ondary students; 
‘‘(VI) representatives from rel-
evant Federal agencies; 
‘‘(VII) individuals with expertise 
in data privacy and security; and 
‘‘(VIII) other stakeholders (in-
cluding individuals with consumer 
protection and postsecondary edu-
cation research). 
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‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The Commis-
sioner, working with the Director, shall en-
sure that the Advisory Committee— 
‘‘(I) adheres to all requirements 
under chapter 10 of title 5, United 
States Code (commonly known as the 
‘Federal Advisory Committee Act’); 
‘‘(II) establishes operating and 
meeting procedures and guidelines 
necessary to execute its advisory du-
ties; and 
‘‘(III) is provided with appro-
priate staffing and resources to exe-
cute its advisory duties. 
‘‘(C) REQUIRED
DATA
ELEMENTS.—The 
data elements in the postsecondary student 
data system shall include the following: 
‘‘(i) Student-level data elements nec-
essary to calculate the information within 
the surveys designated by the Commis-
sioner as ‘student-related surveys’ in the 
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 
System (IPEDS), as such surveys are in 
effect on the day before the date of enact-
ment of the College Cost Reduction Act, 
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except that in the case that collection of 
such elements would conflict with the pro-
hibition under subparagraph (F), such ele-
ments in conflict with such prohibition 
shall be included in the aggregate instead 
of at the student level. 
‘‘(ii) Student-level data elements re-
ported by institutions in accordance with 
section 668.408 of title 34, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, as in effect on July 1, 
2024. 
‘‘(iii) Student-level data elements nec-
essary to allow for reporting student en-
rollment, persistence, progression (includ-
ing credit accumulation) retention, trans-
fer, completion, and time and credits to 
credential measures for all credential levels 
separately (including certificate, associate, 
baccalaureate, and advanced degree levels), 
within and across institutions of higher 
education (including across all categories 
of institution level, control, and predomi-
nant degree awarded). The data elements 
shall allow for reporting about all such 
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data disaggregated by the following cat-
egories: 
‘‘(I) Enrollment status as a first- 
time student, recent transfer student, 
or other nonfirst-time student. 
‘‘(II) 
Attendance 
intensity, 
whether full-time or part-time. 
‘‘(III) Credential-seeking status, 
by credential level (including non-
credit-seeking and noncredit creden-
tials). 
‘‘(IV) Race or ethnicity, in a 
manner that captures all the racial 
groups specified in the most recent 
American Community Survey of the 
Bureau of the Census. 
‘‘(V) Age intervals. 
‘‘(VI) Sex. 
‘‘(VII) Status as a first genera-
tion college student (as defined in sec-
tion 402A(h)). 
‘‘(VIII) Economic status. 
‘‘(IX) Measures related to college 
readiness, including participation in 
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postsecondary remedial coursework or 
gateway course completion. 
‘‘(X) Program of study. 
‘‘(XI) Status as an online edu-
cation student, whether exclusively or 
partially enrolled in online education. 
‘‘(XII) Military or veteran benefit 
status (as determined based on receipt 
of veteran’s education benefits, as de-
fined in section 480(c)). 
‘‘(XIII) Federal Pell Grant re-
cipient status under section 401 and 
Federal loan recipient status under 
title IV. 
‘‘(XIV) Status as a participant in 
a 
program 
described 
in 
section 
116(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Workforce In-
novation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3131(b)(3)(A)(ii)). 
‘‘(D) REEVALUATION.—Not less than once 
every 3 years after the implementation of the 
postsecondary student data system described in 
this subsection, the Commissioner, in consulta-
tion with the Advisory Committee described in 
subparagraph (B) and working with the Direc-
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tor, shall report to Congress the data elements 
included in the postsecondary student data sys-
tem and recommend any additional data ele-
ments to be included in such system. 
‘‘(E) PROHIBITIONS.—The postsecondary 
student data system shall not include individual 
health data (including data relating to physical 
health or mental health), student discipline 
records or data, elementary and secondary edu-
cation data, an exact address, course grades, 
postsecondary entrance examination results, po-
litical affiliation, religion, or any other data in 
the postsecondary student data system not de-
scribed in this subsection. 
‘‘(3) PERIODIC MATCHING WITH OTHER FED-
ERAL DATA SYSTEMS.— 
‘‘(A) DATA SHARING AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Commis-
sioner, in consultation with the Director, 
shall ensure secure and privacy-protected 
periodic data matches by entering into 
data sharing agreements with each of the 
following Federal agencies and offices: 
‘‘(I) The Secretary of the Treas-
ury and the Commissioner of the In-
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ternal Revenue Service, in order to 
calculate aggregate program- and in-
stitution-level earnings of postsec-
ondary students described in subpara-
graph (B)(ii). 
‘‘(II) The Secretary of Defense, 
in order to assess the use of postsec-
ondary educational benefits and the 
outcomes of servicemembers who are 
receiving veteran’s education benefits 
(as defined in section 480(c)). 
‘‘(III) The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs, in order to assess the use of 
postsecondary 
educational 
benefits 
and outcomes of veterans who are re-
ceiving veteran’s education benefits 
(as defined in section 480(c)). 
‘‘(IV) The Director of the Bu-
reau of the Census, in order to assess 
the employment outcomes of former 
postsecondary education students de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(D). 
‘‘(V) The Chief Operating Officer 
of the Office of Federal Student Aid, 
in order to analyze the use of postsec-
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ondary educational benefits provided 
under this Act. 
‘‘(VI) The Commissioner of the 
Social Security Administration, in 
order to evaluate labor market out-
comes of former postsecondary edu-
cation students described in para-
graph (1)(D). 
‘‘(VII) The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, in order to 
evaluate the wages of former postsec-
ondary education students described 
in paragraph (1)(D). 
‘‘(ii) DATA SHARING AGREEMENTS.— 
The heads of Federal agencies and offices 
described under clause (i) shall enter into 
data sharing agreements with the Commis-
sioner to ensure secure and privacy-pro-
tected periodic data matches as described 
in this paragraph. 
‘‘(B) CATEGORIES
OF
DATA.—The Com-
missioner, in consultation with the Director, 
shall, at a minimum, seek to ensure that the se-
cure 
and 
privacy-protected 
periodic 
data 
matches described in subparagraph (A) permit 
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consistent reporting of the following categories 
of data for students described in paragraph 
(1)(D) who completed a program of study and 
who did not complete a program of study: 
‘‘(i) Enrollment, retention, transfer, 
and completion outcomes. 
‘‘(ii) Financial indicators for postsec-
ondary students receiving Federal grants 
and loans, including grant and loan aid by 
source, cumulative student debt, loan re-
payment status, and repayment plan. 
‘‘(iii) Post-completion outcomes, in-
cluding earnings and employment (includ-
ing industry, occupation, and location of 
employment, and further education, by 
program of study and credential level) and 
as measured at time intervals appropriate 
to the credential sought and earned. 
‘‘(C) PERIODIC
DATA
MATCH
STREAM-
LINING AND CONFIDENTIALITY.— 
‘‘(i) STREAMLINING.—In carrying out 
the secure and privacy-protected periodic 
data matches under this paragraph, the 
Commissioner shall— 
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‘‘(I) ensure that such matches 
are not continuous, but occur only pe-
riodically at appropriate intervals, as 
determined by the Commissioner to 
meet the goals of subparagraph (A); 
and 
‘‘(II) seek to— 
‘‘(aa) streamline the data 
collection and reporting require-
ments for institutions of higher 
education; 
‘‘(bb) minimize duplicative 
reporting across or within Fed-
eral agencies or departments, in-
cluding reporting requirements 
applicable to institutions of high-
er education under the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) and the 
Carl D. Perkins Career and 
Technical Education Act of 2006; 
‘‘(cc) protect student pri-
vacy; and 
‘‘(dd) streamline the applica-
tion process for student loan ben-
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efit programs available to bor-
rowers based on data available 
from different Federal data sys-
tems. 
‘‘(ii) REVIEW.—Not less often than 
once every 3 years after the establishment 
of the postsecondary student data system 
under this subsection, the Commissioner, 
in consultation with the Advisory Com-
mittee and the Director, shall review meth-
ods for streamlining data collection from 
institutions of higher education and mini-
mizing duplicative reporting within the De-
partment and across Federal agencies that 
provide data for the postsecondary student 
data system. 
‘‘(iii) CONFIDENTIALITY.—The Com-
missioner shall ensure that any periodic 
matching or sharing of data through peri-
odic data system matches established in 
accordance with this paragraph— 
‘‘(I) complies with the security 
and privacy protections described in 
paragraph (1)(C)(iv) and other Fed-
eral data protection protocols; 
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‘‘(II) follows industry best prac-
tices commensurate with the sensi-
tivity of specific data elements or 
metrics; 
‘‘(III) does not result in the cre-
ation of a single standing, linked Fed-
eral database at the Department that 
maintains the information reported 
across other Federal agencies; and 
‘‘(IV) discloses to postsecondary 
students what data are included in the 
data system and periodically matched 
and how the data are used. 
‘‘(iv) 
CORRECTION.—The 
Commis-
sioner, in consultation with the Advisory 
Committee and Director, shall establish a 
process for students to request access to 
only their personal information for inspec-
tion and request corrections to inaccuracies 
in a manner that protects the student’s 
personally identifiable information. The 
Commissioner shall respond in writing to 
every request for a correction from a stu-
dent. 
‘‘(4) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Commissioner 
shall make the summary aggregate information 
described in subparagraph (C), at a minimum, 
publicly available through a user-friendly con-
sumer information website and analytic tool for 
institutional and research use that— 
‘‘(i) provides appropriate mechanisms 
for users to customize and filter informa-
tion by institutional and student character-
istics; 
‘‘(ii) allows users to build summary 
aggregate reports of information, including 
reports that allow comparisons across mul-
tiple institutions and programs, subject to 
subparagraph (B); 
‘‘(iii) uses appropriate statistical dis-
closure limitation techniques necessary to 
ensure that the data released to the public 
cannot be used to identify specific individ-
uals; and 
‘‘(iv) provides users with appropriate 
contextual factors to make comparisons, 
which may include national median figures 
of the summary aggregate information de-
scribed in subparagraph (C). 
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‘‘(B) NO PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE IN-
FORMATION AVAILABLE.—The summary aggre-
gate information described in this paragraph 
shall not include personally identifiable informa-
tion. 
‘‘(C) SUMMARY AGGREGATE INFORMATION 
AVAILABLE.—The summary aggregate informa-
tion described in this paragraph shall, at a min-
imum, include each of the following for each in-
stitution of higher education: 
‘‘(i) Measures of student access, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) admissions selectivity and 
yield; and 
‘‘(II) enrollment, disaggregated 
by each category described in para-
graph (2)(C)(iii). 
‘‘(ii) Measures of student progression, 
including retention rates and persistence 
rates, disaggregated by each category de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(C)(iii). 
‘‘(iii) Measures of student completion, 
including— 
‘‘(I) transfer rates and outcomes, 
completion rates, and time and credits 
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to credential, disaggregated by each 
category 
described 
in 
paragraph 
(2)(C)(iii); and 
‘‘(II) number of completions, 
disaggregated by each category de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(C)(iii). 
‘‘(iv) Measures of student costs, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) tuition, required fees, cost of 
attendance, grants and scholarships, 
net 
price, 
and 
unmet 
need 
disaggregated by in-State tuition or 
in-district tuition status (if applica-
ble), direct and indirect costs, pro-
gram of study (if applicable), and cre-
dential level; and 
‘‘(II) typical grant amounts and 
loan amounts received by students re-
ported separately from Federal, State, 
local, institutional, employers, and 
other sources, and cumulative debt, 
disaggregated by— 
‘‘(aa) 
each 
category 
de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(C)(iii); 
and 
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‘‘(bb) completion status. 
‘‘(v) Measures of postcollegiate stu-
dent outcomes, including return on invest-
ment, employment rates, earnings, loan re-
payment and default rates, and further 
education rates. These measures shall— 
‘‘(I) be disaggregated by— 
‘‘(aa) 
each 
category 
de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(C)(iii); 
and 
‘‘(bb) completion status; and 
‘‘(II) be measured immediately 
after leaving postsecondary education 
and at time intervals appropriate to 
the credential sought or earned. 
‘‘(D) DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA.—In devel-
oping the method and format of making the in-
formation described in this paragraph publicly 
available, the Commissioner shall— 
‘‘(i) focus on the needs of the users of 
the information, which will include stu-
dents, families of students, potential stu-
dents, researchers, and other consumers of 
education data; 
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‘‘(ii) take into consideration, to the 
extent practicable, the guidelines described 
in paragraph (1)(C)(ii)(I), and relevant 
successor documents or recommendations 
of such guidelines; 
‘‘(iii) use modern, relevant technology 
and enhance and update the postsecondary 
student data system with information, as 
necessary to carry out the purpose of this 
paragraph; 
‘‘(iv) ensure data privacy and security 
in accordance with standards and guide-
lines developed by the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, and in accord-
ance with any other Federal law relating to 
privacy or security, including complying 
with the requirements of subchapter II of 
chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, 
specifying security categorization under the 
Federal Information Processing Standards, 
and security requirements, and setting of 
National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology security baseline controls at the ap-
propriate level; and 
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‘‘(v) conduct consumer testing to de-
termine how to make the information as 
meaningful to users as possible. 
‘‘(5) PERMISSIBLE DISCLOSURES OF DATA.— 
‘‘(A) DATA REPORTS AND QUERIES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 
years after the date of enactment of the 
College Cost Reduction Act, the Commis-
sioner in consultation with the Director, 
shall develop and implement a secure and 
privacy-protected process for making stu-
dent-level, nonpersonally identifiable infor-
mation, with direct identifiers removed, 
from the postsecondary student data sys-
tem available for vetted research and eval-
uation purposes approved by the Commis-
sioner in a manner compatible with prac-
tices for disclosing National Center for 
Education Statistics restricted-use survey 
data as in effect on the day before the date 
of enactment of the College Cost Reduction 
Act, or by applying other research and dis-
closure restrictions to ensure data privacy 
and security. Such process shall be ap-
proved by the National Center for Edu-
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cation Statistics’ Disclosure Review Board 
(or successor body). 
‘‘(ii) PROVIDING DATA REPORTS AND 
QUERIES TO INSTITUTIONS AND STATES.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Commis-
sioner shall provide feedback reports, 
at least annually, to each institution 
of higher education, each postsec-
ondary education system that fully 
participates in the postsecondary stu-
dent data system, and each State 
higher education body as designated 
by the governor. 
‘‘(II) FEEDBACK REPORTS.—The 
feedback reports provided under this 
clause shall include program-level and 
institution-level information from the 
postsecondary student data system re-
garding students who are associated 
with the institution or, for State rep-
resentatives, the institutions within 
that State, on or before the date of 
the report, on measures including stu-
dent mobility (including transfer and 
completion rates) and workforce out-
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comes, provided that the feedback ag-
gregate summary reports protect the 
privacy of individuals. 
‘‘(III) DETERMINATION OF CON-
TENT.—The content of the feedback 
reports shall be determined by the 
Commissioner in consultation with the 
Advisory Committee and the Director. 
‘‘(iii) PERMITTING STATE DATA QUE-
RIES.—The Commissioner shall, in con-
sultation with the Advisory Committee and 
as soon as practicable, create a process 
through which States may submit lists of 
secondary school graduates within the 
State to receive summary aggregate out-
comes for those students who enrolled at 
an institution of higher education, includ-
ing postsecondary enrollment, retention 
and transfer, and college completion, pro-
vided that those data protect the privacy of 
individuals and that the State data sub-
mitted to the Commissioner are not stored 
in the postsecondary education system. 
‘‘(iv) REGULATIONS.—The Commis-
sioner shall promulgate regulations to en-
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sure fair, secure and privacy-protected, and 
equitable access to data reports and que-
ries under this paragraph. 
‘‘(B) DISCLOSURE LIMITATIONS.—In car-
rying out the public reporting and disclosure re-
quirements of this subsection, the Commis-
sioner shall use appropriate statistical disclo-
sure limitation techniques necessary to ensure 
that the data released to the public cannot in-
clude personally identifiable information or be 
used to identify specific individuals. 
‘‘(C) SALE OF DATA PROHIBITED.—Data 
collected under this subsection, including the 
public-use data set and data comprising the 
summary aggregate information available under 
paragraph (4), shall not be sold to any third 
party by the Commissioner, including any insti-
tution of higher education or any other entity. 
‘‘(D) LIMITATION ON USE BY OTHER FED-
ERAL AGENCIES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner 
shall not allow any other Federal agency to 
use data collected under this subsection for 
any purpose except— 
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‘‘(I) for vetted research and eval-
uation conducted by the other Federal 
agency, as described in subparagraph 
(A)(i); or 
‘‘(II) for a purpose explicitly au-
thorized by an Act of Congress. 
‘‘(ii) PROHIBITION ON LIMITATION OF 
SERVICES.—The Secretary, or the head of 
any other Federal agency, shall not use 
data collected under this subsection to 
limit services to students. 
‘‘(E) 
LAW
ENFORCEMENT.—Personally 
identifiable information collected under this 
subsection shall not be used for any Federal, 
State, or local law enforcement activity or any 
other activity that would result in adverse ac-
tion against any student or a student’s family. 
‘‘(F) LIMITATION OF USE FOR FEDERAL 
RANKINGS OR SUMMATIVE RATING SYSTEM.— 
The comprehensive data collection and analysis 
necessary for the postsecondary student data 
system under this subsection shall not be used 
by the Secretary or any Federal entity to estab-
lish any Federal ranking system of institutions 
of higher education or a system that results in 
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a summative Federal rating of institutions of 
higher education. 
‘‘(G) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph shall be construed to prevent 
the use of individual categories of aggregate in-
formation to be used for accountability pur-
poses. 
‘‘(H) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING 
COMMERCIAL USE OF DATA.—Nothing in this 
paragraph shall be construed to prohibit third- 
party entities from using publicly available in-
formation in this data system for commercial 
use. 
‘‘(6) SUBMISSION OF DATA.— 
‘‘(A) REQUIRED SUBMISSION.—Each insti-
tution of higher education participating in a 
program under title IV, or the assigned agent 
of such institution, shall, for each instructional 
program, and in accordance with section 
487(a)(17), collect, and submit to the Commis-
sioner, the data requested by the Commissioner 
to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(B) VOLUNTARY SUBMISSION.—Any insti-
tution of higher education not participating in 
a program under title IV may voluntarily par-
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ticipate in the postsecondary student data sys-
tem under this subsection by collecting and sub-
mitting data to the Commissioner, as the Com-
missioner may request to carry out this sub-
section. 
‘‘(C) PERSONALLY
IDENTIFIABLE
INFOR-
MATION.—In 
accordance 
with 
paragraph 
(2)(C)(i), if the submission of an element of 
student-level data is prohibited under para-
graph (2)(F) (or otherwise prohibited by law), 
the institution of higher education shall submit 
that data to the Commissioner in the aggregate. 
‘‘(7) UNLAWFUL WILLFUL DISCLOSURE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful 
for any person who obtains or has access to 
personally identifiable information in connection 
with the postsecondary student data system de-
scribed in this subsection to willfully disclose to 
any person (except as authorized in this Act or 
by any Federal law) such personally identifiable 
information. 
‘‘(B) PENALTY.—Any person who violates 
subparagraph (A) shall be subject to a penalty 
described under section 3572(f) of title 44, 
United States Code, and section 183(d)(6) of 
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the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 
U.S.C. 9573(d)(6)). 
‘‘(C) EMPLOYEE
OF
OFFICER
OF
THE 
UNITED
STATES.—If a violation of subpara-
graph (A) is committed by any officer or em-
ployee of the United States, the officer or em-
ployee shall be dismissed from office or dis-
charged from employment upon conviction for 
the violation. 
‘‘(8) DATA SECURITY.—The Commissioner shall 
produce and update as needed guidance and regula-
tions relating to privacy, security, and access which 
shall govern the use and disclosure of data collected 
in connection with the activities authorized in this 
subsection. The guidance and regulations developed 
and reviewed shall protect data from unauthorized 
access, use, and disclosure, and shall include— 
‘‘(A) an audit capability, including manda-
tory and regularly conducted audits; 
‘‘(B) access controls; 
‘‘(C) requirements to ensure sufficient data 
security, quality, validity, and reliability; 
‘‘(D) confidentiality protection in accord-
ance with the applicable provisions of sub-
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chapter III of chapter 35 of title 44, United 
States Code; 
‘‘(E) appropriate and applicable privacy 
and security protection, including data retention 
and destruction protocols and data minimiza-
tion, in accordance with the most recent Fed-
eral standards developed by the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology; and 
‘‘(F) protocols for managing a breach, in-
cluding breach notifications, in accordance with 
the standards of National Center for Education 
Statistics. 
‘‘(9) DATA
COLLECTION.—The Commissioner 
shall ensure that data collection, maintenance, and 
use under this subsection complies with section 552a 
of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(10) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) 
INSTITUTION
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu-
cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 102. 
‘‘(B) MINORITY-SERVING
INSTITUTION.— 
The term ‘minority-serving institution’ means 
an institution of higher education listed in sec-
tion 371(a). 
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‘‘(C) PERSONALLY
IDENTIFIABLE
INFOR-
MATION.—The term ‘personally identifiable in-
formation’ means personally identifiable infor-
mation within the meaning of section 444 of the 
General Education Provisions Act.’’. 
SEC. 114. DATABASE OF STUDENT INFORMATION PROHIB-
ITED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 134(b) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015c(b)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) EXCEPTION.—The provisions of subsection (a) 
shall not apply to a system (or a successor system)— 
‘‘(1) that— 
‘‘(A) is necessary for the operation of pro-
grams authorized by title II, IV, or VII; and 
‘‘(B) was in use by the Secretary, directly 
or through a contractor, as of the day before 
the date of enactment of the College Cost Re-
duction Act; or 
‘‘(2) required under section 132.’’. 
(b) PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AGREEMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (17) of section 
487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1094(a)) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘(17) The institution or the assigned agent of 
the institution will collect and submit to the Com-
missioner for Education Statistics data in accord-
ance with section 132(f), the non-student related 
surveys within the Integrated Postsecondary Edu-
cation Data System (IPEDS), or any other Federal 
institution of higher education data collection effort 
(as designated by the Secretary), in a timely manner 
and to the satisfaction of the Secretary.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect no later than 3 
years after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(c) REPORTING BURDEN.—The Secretary of Edu-
cation and the Commissioner for Education Statistics 
shall take such steps as are necessary to ensure that the 
development and maintenance of the postsecondary stu-
dent data system required under section 132(f) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as added by section 113 
of this Act, occurs in a manner that reduces the reporting 
burden for entities that reported into the Integrated Post-
secondary Education Data System (IPEDS). 
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TITLE II—ACCESS AND 
AFFORDABILITY 
PART A—FINANCIAL NEED 
SEC. 201. AMOUNT OF NEED; COST OF ATTENDANCE; ME-
DIAN COST OF COLLEGE. 
(a) AMOUNT OF NEED.—Section 471 (20 U.S.C. 
1087kk), as amended by the FAFSA Simplification Act, 
is further amended by amending paragraph (1) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(1)(A) for award year 2024–2025, the cost of 
attendance of such student; and 
‘‘(B) for award year 2025–2026 and each sub-
sequent award year, the median cost of college of the 
program of study of such student, minus’’. 
(b) COST
OF ATTENDANCE.—Section 472(c) (20 
U.S.C. 1087ll(c)), as amended by the FAFSA Simplifica-
tion Act, is further amended by striking ‘‘of the institu-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘of each program of study at the insti-
tution’’. 
(c) MEDIAN COST OF COLLEGE.—Part F of title IV 
(20 U.S.C. 1087kk), as amended by the FAFSA Sim-
plification Act, is further amended by inserting after sec-
tion 472, as amended by subsection (b), the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 472A. DETERMINATION OF MEDIAN COST OF COL-
LEGE. 
‘‘For the purpose of this title, the term ‘median cost 
of college’, when used with respect to a program of study 
offered by one or more institutions of higher education for 
an award year, means the median of the cost of attendance 
(as defined in section 472) for the program of study across 
all institutions of higher education offering such a pro-
gram for the preceding award year.’’. 
PART B—FINANCIAL AID 
Subpart 1—Grants 
SEC. 211. FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) AWARD MAY NOT EXCEED MEDIAN COST OF 
COLLEGE.—Section 401(b)(3) (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(3)), 
as amended by title VII of division FF of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (title VII of division FF of Pub-
lic Law 116–260) (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘FAFSA 
Simplification Act’’), is further amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(3) AWARD MAY NOT EXCEED MEDIAN COST 
OF COLLEGE.—No Federal Pell Grant under this 
subpart shall exceed the median cost of college (as 
defined in section 472A) for the program at which 
that student is in attendance. If, with respect to any 
student, it is determined that the amount of a Fed-
eral Pell Grant for that student exceeds the median 
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cost of college for such program for that year, the 
amount of the Federal Pell Grant shall be reduced 
until the Federal Pell Grant does not exceed the me-
dian cost of college for such program for that year.’’. 
(b) PELL PLUS PROGRAM.—Section 401 (20 U.S.C. 
1070a), as amended by the FAFSA Simplification Act, is 
further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) PELL PLUS PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For each award year 
for which a student receives a Federal Pell 
Grant and meets the requirements of paragraph 
(2), the Secretary shall award such student an 
additional Federal Pell Grant, referred to as a 
‘Federal Pell Plus Grant’, in an amount equal 
to the amount of the student’s Federal Pell 
Grant award determined under this section for 
such award year, except as provided in subpara-
graph (B). 
‘‘(B) MEDIAN COST OF COLLEGE REDUC-
TIONS.—In any case in which a student is 
awarded a Federal Pell Grant under this sec-
tion and a Federal Pell Plus grant under this 
subsection for an award year, the combined 
total of such Federal Pell Grant and such Fed-
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eral Pell Plus Grant of such student shall not 
exceed the median cost of college (as defined in 
section 472A) of the program in which the stu-
dent is in attendance for that year. In the case 
that such combined total exceeds the median 
cost of college for the program for that year, 
the Secretary shall reduce the amount of the 
Federal Pell Plus Grant awarded to the student 
until the combined total of such reduced Fed-
eral Pell Plus Grant and the Federal Pell Grant 
of the student does not exceed such median cost 
of college. 
‘‘(2) STUDENT ELIGIBILITY.—A student meets 
the requirements of this paragraph, if the student— 
‘‘(A) during the award year during which 
the student receives a Federal Pell Plus Grant 
under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) is enrolled in the student’s first 
undergraduate baccalaureate course of 
study; and 
‘‘(ii) is maintaining progress toward 
completion within 100 percent of the ex-
pected time to completion, as determined 
by calculating the difference between— 
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‘‘(I) the program length for the 
program of study in which such stu-
dent is in attendance; and 
‘‘(II) the period of such program 
that such student has completed; and 
‘‘(B) has completed at least 4 semesters, 
or the equivalent, of such program. 
‘‘(3) DURATION
LIMITS.—The period during 
which a student receives a Federal Pell Plus Grant 
under paragraph (1) shall be included in calculating 
the duration limits with respect to such student 
under subsection (d)(5), and to the extent that such 
period was a fraction of a semester or the equiva-
lent, only that same fraction of such semester or 
equivalent shall count towards such duration limits. 
‘‘(4) PELL
PLUS
INSTITUTIONAL
AND
PRO-
GRAMMATIC ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this sub-
section, a Pell Plus institution is an eligible institu-
tion for purposes of this subpart that— 
‘‘(A) notifies the Secretary that the institu-
tion desires to participate in the Pell Plus pro-
gram under this subsection— 
‘‘(i) with respect to a specific program 
of study at the institution; or 
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‘‘(ii) with respect to each program of 
study at the institution; 
‘‘(B) agrees to provide, to each student re-
ceiving a Federal Pell Plus Grant under para-
graph (1)— 
‘‘(i) for each award year for which the 
student receives such Federal Pell Plus 
Grant, a notification that shall include— 
‘‘(I) whether the student is main-
taining the progress toward comple-
tion 
required 
under 
paragraph 
(2)(A)(ii); 
‘‘(II) in a case in which the stu-
dent is not maintaining such progress 
toward completion, a list of available 
student support services and addi-
tional resources to assist the student 
in completing the course of study for 
which the student is receiving the 
Federal Pell Plus Grant in the man-
ner 
described 
under 
paragraph 
(2)(A)(ii); and 
‘‘(III) the amount of funds the 
student is receiving under the Federal 
Pell Plus Grant; and 
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‘‘(ii) in the case of a student who, as 
of the end of the first semester of the third 
academic year of the program of study in 
which the student is in attendance, is not 
maintaining the progress toward comple-
tion required under paragraph (2)(A)(ii), a 
warning during such third academic year 
that the student will not be eligible for a 
Federal Pell Plus Grant under paragraph 
(1) for the fourth academic year of such 
course of study unless the student dem-
onstrates, by not later than the beginning 
of the fourth academic year, progress to-
ward completing such course of study by 
the end of the fourth academic year of 
such course of study; 
‘‘(C) meets the requirements of paragraph 
(5); and 
‘‘(D) the Secretary determines meets the 
requirements of this paragraph and paragraph 
(5). 
‘‘(5) MAXIMUM TOTAL PRICE GUARANTEE.— 
‘‘(A) GUARANTEE.—To be eligible to be a 
Pell Plus institution under this subsection, an 
eligible institution shall— 
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‘‘(i) provide to each student receiving 
a Federal Pell Grant, prior to the first 
award year in which the student enrolls at 
the institution— 
‘‘(I) for each program of study 
participating in the Pell Plus pro-
gram, the maximum total price for 
completion of the program of study, 
determined by the institution in ac-
cordance with section 415C(e); and 
‘‘(II) a guarantee that, for the 
minimum guarantee period for which 
the student receives a Federal Pell 
Grant, if the student is enrolled in 
any program of study participating in 
the Pell Plus program, the maximum 
total price for completion of such pro-
gram of study charged to the student 
will not exceed the median value- 
added earnings of students who com-
pleted such program, based on the 
most recent data available on the Col-
lege Scorecard in the award year prior 
to the first award year in which the 
student enrolls at the institution; and 
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‘‘(ii) provide information about the 
guarantee described in clause (i)(II) to 
prospective students by including such in-
formation on the public website of the in-
stitution and in the catalog, marketing ma-
terials, and other official publications of 
the institution. 
‘‘(B) DURATION OF MINIMUM GUARANTEE 
PERIOD.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The minimum pe-
riod during which a student shall be pro-
vided a guarantee under subparagraph (A) 
with respect to the maximum total price 
for completion of a program of study at an 
eligible institution shall be the median time 
to credential of students who completed 
any undergraduate program of study at 
the institution during the most recent 
award year for which data are available, 
except that such minimum guarantee pe-
riod shall not be less than the program 
length of the program of study in which 
the student is enrolled. 
‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—An eligible institu-
tion shall not be required to provide a 
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maximum total price guarantee under sub-
paragraph (A) to a student after the con-
clusion of the 6-year period beginning on 
the first day on which the student enrolled 
at such institution.’’. 
(c) INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ACTIVITY.—Sec-
tion 485(a)(1) (20 U.S.C. 1092(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (U), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (V), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(W) in the case of an institution under 
section 401(k), any applicable information with 
respect to the institution’s participation in the 
Federal Pell Plus Grant program under such 
subsection.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect with respect to award year 
2025–2026 and each succeeding award year. 
SEC. 212. CAMPUS-BASED AID PROGRAMS. 
(a) TERMINATION
OF CERTAIN PROGRAMS.—Not-
withstanding subparts 3 and 4 of part A, or part C, of 
title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070 et seq.), or any other provision of law, except as ex-
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pressly authorized by an Act of Congress enacted after 
the date of enactment of this Act, beginning on October 
1, 2026— 
(1) no funds are authorized to be appropriated, 
or may be expended, under this Act or any other Act 
to— 
(A) make payments to institutions for Fed-
eral Supplemental Educational Opportunity 
Grants under subpart 3 of part A of title IV of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 1070b et seq.); or 
(B) make payments to States for the 
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership 
Program under subpart 4 of part A of title IV 
(20 U.S.C. 1070c et seq.); and 
(2) the authority of the Secretary to carry out 
any program or activity described in paragraph (1) 
shall be terminated. 
(b) PROMISE GRANTS.—Subpart 4 of part A of title 
IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070c 
et seq.) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘Subpart 4—Promoting Real Opportunities to 
Maximize Investments and Savings in Education 
‘‘SEC. 415A. PURPOSE. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this subpart to 
provide performance-based grants to— 
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‘‘(1) assist institutions in providing certainty to 
students and families about postsecondary afford-
ability; 
‘‘(2) increase postsecondary access and eco-
nomic mobility; and 
‘‘(3) ensure that students, institutions, and tax-
payers receive a financial return for investments in 
postsecondary education. 
‘‘SEC. 415B. PROMISE GRANTS. 
‘‘For award year 2026–2027 and each succeeding 
award year, from reserved funds remitted to the Secretary 
in accordance with section 454(d) and additional funds au-
thorized under section 415E, as necessary, the Secretary 
shall award PROMISE grants to eligible institutions to 
carry out the purpose of this subpart. PROMISE grants 
awarded under this subpart shall be performance-based 
and shall be awarded to each eligible institution for a 6- 
year period in an amount that is determined in accordance 
with section 415D. 
‘‘SEC. 415C. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS; APPLICATION. 
‘‘(a) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—To be eligible for a 
PROMISE grant under this subpart, an institution 
shall— 
‘‘(1) be an institution of higher education under 
section 102, except that an institution described in 
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section 102(a)(1)(C) shall not be an eligible institu-
tion under this subpart; and 
‘‘(2) meet the maximum total price guarantee 
requirements under subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution seeking a 
PROMISE grant under this subpart (including a renewal 
of such a grant) shall submit to the Secretary an applica-
tion, at such time as the Secretary may require, that con-
tains the information required in this subsection. Such ap-
plication shall— 
‘‘(1) demonstrate that the institution— 
‘‘(A) meets the maximum total price guar-
antee requirements under subsection (c); and 
‘‘(B) will continue to meet the maximum 
total price guarantee requirements for each 
award year during the grant period with respect 
to students first enrolling at the institution for 
each such award year; 
‘‘(2) describe how grant funds awarded under 
this subpart will be used by the institution to carry 
out the purposes of this Act, including activities re-
lated to— 
‘‘(A) postsecondary affordability, includ-
ing— 
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‘‘(i) the expansion and continuation of 
the maximum total price guarantee re-
quirements under subsection (c); and 
‘‘(ii) any other activities to be carried 
out by the institution to increase postsec-
ondary affordability and minimize the total 
net price required for completion (as de-
fined in section 132(a)) paid by students 
receiving need-based student aid; 
‘‘(B) postsecondary access, which may in-
clude— 
‘‘(i) the activities described in section 
485E of this Act; and 
‘‘(ii) any other activities to be carried 
out by the institution to increase postsec-
ondary access and expand opportunities for 
low- and middle-income students; and 
‘‘(C) postsecondary student success, which 
may include— 
‘‘(i) activities to improve completion 
rates and reduce time to credential, includ-
ing the activities described in section 741 
of this Act, as amended by the College 
Cost Reduction Act; and 
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‘‘(ii) any other activities to be carried 
out by the institution to increase value- 
added earnings and postsecondary student 
success; 
‘‘(3) describe— 
‘‘(A) how the institution will evaluate the 
effectiveness of the institution’s use of grant 
funds awarded under this subpart; and 
‘‘(B) how the institution will collect and 
disseminate information on promising practices 
developed with the use of such grant funds; and 
‘‘(4) in the case of an institution that has pre-
viously received a grant under this subpart, contain 
the evaluation required under paragraph (3) for 
each previous grant. 
‘‘(c) MAXIMUM TOTAL PRICE GUARANTEE REQUIRE-
MENTS.—As a condition of eligibility for a PROMISE 
grant under this subpart, an institution shall— 
‘‘(1) for each award year beginning after the 
date of enactment of the College Cost Reduction 
Act, not later than one year before the start of each 
such award year (except that, for the first award 
year beginning after such date of enactment, the in-
stitution shall meet these requirements as soon as 
practicable such date of enactment)— 
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‘‘(A) determine the maximum total price 
for completion, in accordance with subsection 
(e), for each program of study at the institu-
tion— 
‘‘(i) applicable to students in each in-
come 
category 
described 
in 
section 
132(c)(2)(A)(i); and 
‘‘(ii) applicable to students in each 
student aid index category determined by 
the Secretary in accordance with section 
132(c)(2)(A)(ii); and 
‘‘(B) publish such information on the insti-
tution’s website and in the institution’s catalog, 
marketing materials, or other official publica-
tions; 
‘‘(2) for the award year for which the institu-
tion is applying for a PROMISE grant, and at least 
one award year preceding such award year, provide 
to each student who first enrolls, or plans to enroll, 
in the institution during the award year and who re-
ceives Federal financial aid under this title a max-
imum total price guarantee, in accordance with this 
section, for the minimum guarantee period applica-
ble to the student; and 
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‘‘(3) provide to the Secretary an assurance that 
the institution will continue to meet each of the 
maximum total price guarantee requirements under 
this subsection for students who first enroll, or plan 
to enroll, in the institution during each award year 
included in the grant period. 
‘‘(d) DURATION
OF
MINIMUM
GUARANTEE
PE-
RIOD.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The minimum period dur-
ing which a student shall be provided a guarantee 
under subsection (c) with respect to the maximum 
total price for completion of a program of study at 
an institution shall be the median time to credential 
of students who completed any undergraduate pro-
gram of study at the institution during the most re-
cent award year for which data are available, except 
that such minimum guarantee period shall not be 
less than the program length of the program of 
study in which the student is enrolled. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—An institution shall not be 
required to provide a maximum total price guarantee 
under subsection (c) to a student after the conclu-
sion of the 6-year period beginning on the first day 
on which the student enrolled at such institution. 
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‘‘(e) DETERMINATION OF MAXIMUM TOTAL PRICE 
FOR COMPLETION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of sub-
section (c) and the Pell Plus program under section 
401(k), an institution shall determine, prior to the 
first award year in which a student enrolls at the in-
stitution, the maximum total price that may be 
charged to the student for completion of a program 
of study at the institution for the minimum guar-
antee period applicable to a student, before applica-
tion of any Federal Pell grants or other Federal fi-
nancial aid under this title. Such a maximum total 
price for completion shall be determined for students 
in each income category and student aid index cat-
egory (as determined in accordance with section 
132(c)(2)(A)). In determining the maximum total 
price for completion to be charged to each such cat-
egory of students, the institution may consider the 
ability of a category of students to pay tuition and 
fees (including the required costs described in sec-
tion 484(b)(3)(A)(i)(I)), but may not include in such 
consideration any Federal Pell grants or other Fed-
eral financial aid awards that may be available to 
such category of students under this title. 
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‘‘(2) MULTIPLE MAXIMUM TOTAL PRICE GUAR-
ANTEES.—In the event that a student receives more 
than one maximum total price guarantee because the 
student is included in more than one category of stu-
dents for which the institution determines a max-
imum total price guarantee amount for the purposes 
of subsection (c), or the student is participating in 
the Pell Plus program under section 401(k), the 
maximum total price guarantee applicable to such 
student for the purposes of this section and the Pell 
Plus program shall be equal to the lowest such guar-
antee amount. 
‘‘SEC. 415D. GRANT AMOUNTS; FLEXIBLE USE OF FUNDS. 
‘‘(a) GRANT AMOUNT FORMULA.— 
‘‘(1) FORMULA.—Subject to subsection (b), the 
amount of a PROMISE grant for an eligible institu-
tion for each year of the grant period shall be deter-
mined by the Secretary annually and shall be the 
amount determined by multiplying— 
‘‘(A) the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) the difference determined by sub-
tracting one from the quotient of— 
‘‘(I) the average, for the 3 most 
recent award years for which data are 
available, of the median value-added 
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earnings (as defined in section 103) 
for each such award year of students 
who completed any program of study 
of the institution; divided by 
‘‘(II) the average for the 3 most 
recent award years, of the maximum 
total price applicable for each such 
award year to students enrolled in the 
institution in any program of study 
who received financial aid under this 
title; or 
‘‘(ii) the number two; 
‘‘(B) the average, for the 3 most recent 
award years, of the total dollar amount of Fed-
eral Pell Grants (excluding Pell Plus Grants 
awarded under section 401(k)) awarded to stu-
dents enrolled in the institution in each such 
award year; and 
‘‘(C) the average, for the 3 most recent 
award years, of the percentage of low-income 
students who received Federal financial assist-
ance under this title who were enrolled in the 
institution in each such award year who— 
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‘‘(i) completed a program of study at 
the institution within 100 percent of the 
program length of such program; or 
‘‘(ii) only in the case of a two-year in-
stitution or a less than two-year institu-
tion— 
‘‘(I) transfer to a four-year insti-
tution; and 
‘‘(II) within 4 years after first 
enrolling at the two-year or less than 
two-year institution, complete a pro-
gram of study at the four-year institu-
tion for which a bachelor’s degree (or 
substantially similar credential) is 
awarded. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITION
OF
LOW-INCOME.—In this 
section, the term ‘low-income’, when used with re-
spect to a student, means that the student’s family 
income does not exceed the maximum income in the 
lowest 
income 
category 
described 
in 
section 
132(c)(2)(A)(i). 
‘‘(b) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—Notwithstanding 
subsection (a), the maximum amount an eligible institu-
tion may receive annually for a grant under this subpart 
shall be the amount equal to— 
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‘‘(1) the average, for the 3 most recent award 
years, of the number of students enrolled in the in-
stitution in an award year who receive Federal fi-
nancial aid under this title; multiplied by 
‘‘(2) $5,000. 
‘‘(c) FLEXIBLE USE
OF FUNDS.—A PROMISE 
grant awarded under this subpart shall be used by an eli-
gible institution to carry out the purposes of this subpart, 
including— 
‘‘(1) carrying out activities included in the insti-
tution’s application for such grant related to post-
secondary affordability, access, and student success; 
‘‘(2) evaluating the effectiveness of the activi-
ties carried out with such grant in accordance with 
section 415C(b)(3)(A); and 
‘‘(3) collecting and disseminating promising 
practices related to the activities carried out with 
such 
grant, 
in 
accordance 
with 
section 
415C(b)(3)(B). 
‘‘SEC. 415E. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION TO USE RESERVED FUNDS.— 
To carry out this subpart, there shall be available to the 
Secretary any funds remitted to the Secretary as risk- 
sharing payments in accordance with section 454(d) for 
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any award year. The Secretary shall use the funds received 
through risk-sharing payments to provide the grants. 
‘‘(b) SECONDARY AUTHORIZATION.—In addition to 
the amounts available to the Secretary under subsection 
(a), there are authorized to be appropriated, for fiscal year 
2026 and each of the 9 succeeding fiscal years, 
$2,000,000,000, to carry out this subpart in any award 
year for which the amounts available under subsection (a) 
are insufficient to fully fund the PROMISE grants award-
ed under this subpart in such award year. 
‘‘(c) INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.—If the amounts made 
available to carry out this subpart for a fiscal year are 
not sufficient to provide grants to all eligible institutions 
in the amount determined under this subpart, the Sec-
retary shall first provide grants to the eligible institutions 
that have the highest percentage of students who are low- 
income students (as defined in section 415D).’’. 
Subpart 2—Loans 
SEC. 221. LOAN LIMITS. 
(a) STAFFORD LOANS.— 
(1) AGGREGATE
AND
ANNUAL
LIMITS
FOR 
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS.—Section 
455(a) (20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (3)— 
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(i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by insert-
ing before the period at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘, except that for any period of in-
struction beginning on or after July 1, 
2025, such maximum annual amount shall 
be determined in accordance with subpara-
graph (C)’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: 
‘‘for any period of instruction through 
June 30, 2025’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) ANNUAL
LIMITS.—Notwithstanding 
any provision of this part or part B, for any pe-
riod of instruction beginning on or after July 1, 
2025, the maximum annual amount of Federal 
Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans that a grad-
uate or professional student may borrow in any 
academic year (as defined in section 481(a)(2)) 
or its equivalent shall be median cost of college 
(as defined in section 472A) of the program of 
study in which the student is enrolled, except 
that the sum of such annual loan amount and 
other financial assistance (as defined in section 
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480(i)) that the student receives for such aca-
demic year may not exceed the cost of attend-
ance of such student. 
‘‘(D) 
AGGREGATE
LIMITS.—Notwith-
standing any provision of this part or part B, 
for any period of instruction beginning on or 
after July 1, 2025, the maximum aggregate 
amount of Federal Direct Unsubsidized Staf-
ford loans that— 
‘‘(i) a graduate student may borrow 
shall be $100,000; and 
‘‘(ii) a professional student may bor-
row shall be $150,000. 
‘‘(E) EXCEPTION
FOR
CERTAIN
STU-
DENTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The provisions 
listed in clause (ii) shall not apply with re-
spect to any individual who, as of June 30, 
2025, is enrolled in a program of study at 
an institution of higher education, and has 
received a loan (or on whose behalf a loan 
was made) under this part for such pro-
gram, during the individual’s expected time 
to completion of such program, as deter-
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mined by calculating by the difference be-
tween— 
‘‘(I) the program length for the 
program of study in which such indi-
vidual is enrolled; and 
‘‘(II) the period of such program 
that such individual has completed, 
except that such expected time to comple-
tion may not exceed 3 years. 
‘‘(ii) PROVISIONS.—An individual de-
scribed in clause (i) shall not be subject to 
subparagraphs (C) and (D) of this para-
graph, or paragraph (4) or (6).’’. 
(2) ANNUAL
LIMITS
FOR
UNDERGRADUATE 
BORROWERS.—Section 455(a) (20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)) 
is further amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) ANNUAL
AND
AGGREGATE
LOAN
LIMITS 
FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND ALL BORROWERS.— 
‘‘(A) UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS.— 
‘‘(i) ANNUAL LOAN LIMITS.— 
‘‘(I) SUBSIDIZED
LOANS.—Not-
withstanding any provision of this 
part or part B, for any period of in-
struction beginning on or after July 1, 
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2025, the maximum annual amount of 
Federal Direct Stafford loans that an 
undergraduate student may borrow in 
any academic year (as defined in sec-
tion 481(a)(2)) or its equivalent shall 
be the difference between— 
‘‘(aa) the median cost of col-
lege (as defined in section 472A) 
of the program of study in which 
the student is enrolled; and 
‘‘(bb) the sum of the Fed-
eral Pell Grant and Federal Pell 
Plus Grant under section 401 
awarded to the student for such 
academic year, 
except that (1) the amount of such 
Federal Direct Stafford loans awarded 
to the student for such academic year 
may not exceed the maximum annual 
limit described in section 428(b)(1) 
that is applicable to such student; and 
(2) the sum of such Federal Direct 
Stafford Loans, the amount of such 
Federal Pell Grant, Federal Pell Plus 
Grant, and other financial assistance 
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100 
(as defined in section 480(i)) that the 
student receives for such academic 
year may not exceed the cost of at-
tendance of such student. 
‘‘(II) UNSUBSIDIZED
LOANS.— 
Notwithstanding any provision of this 
part or part B, for any period of in-
struction beginning on or after July 1, 
2025, the maximum annual amount of 
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford 
loans that an undergraduate student 
may borrow in any academic year (as 
defined in section 481(a)(2)) or its 
equivalent shall be the difference be-
tween— 
‘‘(aa) the median cost of col-
lege (as defined in section 472A) 
of the program of study in which 
the student is enrolled; and 
‘‘(bb) the sum of— 
‘‘(AA) the amount of 
Federal 
Direct 
Stafford 
loans awarded to such stu-
dent for such academic year; 
and 
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101 
‘‘(BB) the amount of 
the Federal Pell Grant and 
Federal Pell Plus Grant 
under section 401 awarded 
to the student for such aca-
demic year, 
except that the sum of all Fed-
eral financial aid under this title 
and other financial assistance (as 
defined in section 480(i)) that 
such student receives for such 
academic year may not exceed 
the cost of attendance for such 
student. 
‘‘(ii) AGGREGATE
LIMITS.—Notwith-
standing any provision of this part or part 
B, for any period of instruction beginning 
on or after July 1, 2025, with respect to 
an undergraduate student— 
‘‘(I) the maximum aggregate 
amount of Federal Direct Stafford 
loans and Federal Direct Unsub-
sidized Stafford loans that may be 
borrowed shall be $50,000; 
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102 
‘‘(II) the maximum aggregate 
amount of Federal Direct Stafford 
loans that may be borrowed shall be 
$23,000; and 
‘‘(III) the maximum aggregate 
amount of Federal Direct Unsub-
sidized Stafford loans that may be 
borrowed shall be $50,000. 
‘‘(B) STUDENTS IN A QUALIFYING UNDER-
GRADUATE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(i) AGGREGATE
LIMITS.—Notwith-
standing the aggregate limits described in 
subparagraph (A)(ii), a student enrolled in 
a qualifying undergraduate program shall 
be subject to the aggregate limits for pro-
fessional students described in paragraph 
(3)(D)(ii). 
‘‘(ii) QUALIFYING
UNDERGRADUATE 
PROGRAM DEFINED.—For purposes of this 
subparagraph, the term ‘qualifying under-
graduate program’ means a program of 
study— 
‘‘(I) for which the total tuition 
and fees (including the required costs 
described 
in 
section 
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103 
484(b)(3)(A)(i)(I)) exceeds the aggre-
gate limits for undergraduate students 
described in subparagraph (A)(ii); 
‘‘(II) that meets certification re-
quirements of the Federal agency that 
directly regulates the program and 
provides final licensing and credentials 
to students upon completion; and 
‘‘(III) that has had, for the pre-
vious three award years— 
‘‘(aa) a verified completion 
rate of at least 70 percent, within 
150 percent of the program 
length of such program of study; 
and 
‘‘(bb) a verified job place-
ment rate of at least 70 percent, 
measured 180 days after comple-
tion. 
‘‘(C) ALL STUDENTS.—The maximum ag-
gregate amount of loans made, insured, or 
guaranteed under this title to a student shall be 
$200,000.’’. 
(3) INSTITUTIONALLY DETERMINED LIMITS.— 
Section 455(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
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104 
(20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)) is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) INSTITUTIONALLY DETERMINED LIMITS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this subsection, an eligible in-
stitution (at the discretion of a financial aid ad-
ministrator at the institution) may prorate or 
limit the amount of a loan any student who is 
enrolled in a program of study for a period of 
instruction beginning on or after July 1, 2024, 
at that institution, may borrow under this part 
for an academic year— 
‘‘(i) if the institution can reasonably 
demonstrate that outstanding amounts 
owed of loans made under this title are or 
would be excessive for students who com-
plete such program, based on the most re-
cently available data from the College 
Scorecard (or successor website of the De-
partment) on— 
‘‘(I) the median of the value- 
added earnings of students who com-
plete such program; and 
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105 
‘‘(II) the median debt owed, and 
the repayment rate, on loans made 
under this part, of such students; 
‘‘(ii) in a case in which the student is 
enrolled on a less than full-time basis or 
the student is enrolled for less than the pe-
riod of enrollment to which the annual loan 
limit applies under this subsection, based 
on the student’s enrollment status; or 
‘‘(iii) based on the year of the pro-
gram for which the student is seeking such 
loan. 
‘‘(B) APPLICATION TO ALL STUDENTS.— 
Any proration or limiting of loan amounts 
under subparagraph (A) shall be applied in the 
same manner to all students enrolled in a pro-
gram of study. 
‘‘(C) INCREASES
FOR
INDIVIDUAL
STU-
DENTS.—Upon the request of a student whose 
loan amount for an academic year has been 
prorated or limited under subparagraph (A), an 
eligible institution (at the discretion of the fi-
nancial aid administrator at the institution) 
may increase such loan amount to an amount 
not exceeding the annual loan amount applica-
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174 
whether the plan includes each of the ele-
ments listed in subparagraph (B); and 
‘‘(iii) if a State’s designation of an en-
tity as an accrediting agency or association 
is approved pursuant to this subparagraph, 
publish in the Federal Register with a 30- 
day public comment period— 
‘‘(I) the plan submitted by such 
State with respect to such designa-
tion; and 
‘‘(II) the Secretary’s response to 
such plan. 
‘‘(B) REQUIRED
PLAN
ELEMENTS.—The 
required elements of a State plan submitted 
under subparagraph (A) with respect to the 
designation of an entity as an accrediting agen-
cy or association are as follows: 
‘‘(i) A description of the process the 
State used to select the entity for such des-
ignation. 
‘‘(ii) A justification of the State’s de-
cision to select the entity for such designa-
tion. 
‘‘(iii) A description of any require-
ments (in addition to the requirements of 
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181 
‘‘(A) require the institution to obtain the 
agency’s or association’s approval of the sub-
stantive change before the agency or association 
includes the change in the scope of the institu-
tion’s accreditation or preaccreditation status; 
and 
‘‘(B) define substantive change to include, 
at a minimum— 
‘‘(i) any change in the established 
mission or objectives of the institution; 
‘‘(ii) any change in the legal status, 
form of control, or ownership of the insti-
tution, including the acquisition or addition 
of any other institution or new location 
where more than 50 percent of a program 
is offered; 
‘‘(iii) the addition of program of study 
at a higher credential level from the cre-
dential level previously accredited by the 
agency or association; or 
‘‘(iv) the entering into a contract 
under which an institution or organization 
not certified to participate in programs 
under this title offers more than 25 per-
cent but less than 50 percent of the in-
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195 
from the date on which the agency or associa-
tion’s response is filed with the Secretary to— 
‘‘(i) file with the Secretary (and pro-
vide a copy to the agency or association) a 
response to any issues raised in the re-
sponse of the agency or association; or 
‘‘(ii) inform the Secretary and the 
agency or association that the institution 
elects to waive the right to respond to the 
response of the agency or association. 
‘‘(E) SECRETARIAL ACTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 
days of receipt of the institution’s response 
under subparagraph (D) or notification 
that the institution elects not to file a re-
sponse under such subparagraph— 
‘‘(I) the Secretary shall review 
the materials to determine if the ac-
crediting agency or association has 
met its burden of proof under sub-
paragraph (C)(ii)(I); or 
‘‘(II) in a case in which the Sec-
retary fails to conduct such review— 
‘‘(aa) the Secretary shall be 
deemed as determining that the 
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196 
adverse action fails to respect the 
religious mission of the institu-
tion; and 
‘‘(bb) the accrediting agency 
or association shall be required to 
reverse the action immediately 
and take no further action with 
respect to such adverse action. 
‘‘(ii) REVIEW OF COMPLAINT.—In re-
viewing the complaint under clause (i)(I)— 
‘‘(I) the Secretary shall consider 
the institution to be correct in the as-
sertion that the adverse action fails to 
respect the institution’s religious mis-
sion and shall apply the burden of 
proof 
described 
in 
subparagraph 
(C)(ii)(I) with respect to the accred-
iting agency or association; and 
‘‘(II) if the Secretary determines 
that the accrediting agency or associa-
tion fails to meet such burden of 
proof— 
‘‘(aa) the Secretary shall no-
tify the institution and the agen-
cy or association that the agency 
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