Affordability Act, such calculator shall meet the 
requirements of paragraph (4).’’; and 
(D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR NET PRICE 
CALCULATORS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of the College Affordability Act, a net 
price calculator for an institution of higher education 
shall, at a minimum, meet the following require-
ments: 
‘‘(A) The link for the calculator— 
‘‘(i) is clearly labeled as a ‘net price 
calculator’ and prominently, clearly, and 
conspicuously (in such size and contrast 
(such as shade) that it is readily noticeable 
and readable) posted in locations on the in-
stitution’s website where information on 
costs and aid is provided (such as financial 
aid, prospective students, or tuition and fees 
web pages); 
‘‘(ii) matches in size and font to the 
other prominent links on the primary 
menu; and 
‘‘(iii) may also be included on the in-
stitution’s compliance web page, which con-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Dec 28, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4674.RH
H4674
tains information relating to compliance 
with Federal, State, and local laws. 
‘‘(B) The input screen for the net price cal-
culator displays a chart of the net prices for stu-
dents receiving Federal student financial aid 
under title IV (as required by subsection (i)(5)) 
for the most recent academic year for which data 
are available, disaggregated by income cat-
egories. 
‘‘(C) The results screen for the calculator 
specifies the following information: 
‘‘(i) The individual net price (as cal-
culated under paragraph (2)) for the indi-
vidual student, which is the most visually 
prominent figure on the results screen, in-
cluding a statement of— 
‘‘(I) the year for which the net 
price applies; and 
‘‘(II) the year from which the 
data was used to determine that net 
price. 
‘‘(ii) Cost of attendance, including— 
‘‘(I) the total estimated cost for a 
student to complete the program of 
study, based on normal time for com-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Dec 28, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4674.RH
H4674
pletion of, or graduation from, the stu-
dent’s particular program of study; 
‘‘(II) the total annual cost of at-
tendance; 
‘‘(III) annual tuition and fees; 
‘‘(IV) average annual cost of room 
and board for the institution for a 
first-time, full-time undergraduate stu-
dent enrolled in the institution; 
‘‘(V) average annual cost of books 
and supplies for a first-time, full-time 
undergraduate student enrolled in the 
institution; 
‘‘(VI) estimated annual cost of 
other expenses (including personal ex-
penses and transportation) for a first- 
time, full-time undergraduate student 
enrolled in the institution; and 
‘‘(VII) a statement of— 
‘‘(aa) the year for which each 
cost described in this clause ap-
plies; and 
‘‘(bb) the year from which the 
data was used to determine each 
cost described in this clause. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Dec 28, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4674.RH
H4674
‘‘(iii) Estimated total need-based grant 
aid and merit-based grant aid, from Fed-
eral, State, and institutional sources, that 
may be available to the individual student, 
showing the subtotal for each category and 
the total of all sources of grant aid, and 
disaggregated by academic year for normal 
time for completion of, or graduation from, 
the student’s particular program of study. 
‘‘(iv) Percentage of the first-time, full- 
time undergraduate students enrolled in the 
institution that received any type of grant 
aid described in clause (iii), disaggregated 
by their first year and subsequent years of 
enrollment up to the number of years for 
normal completion of, or graduation from, 
their particular program of study. 
‘‘(v) The disclaimer described in para-
graph (6). 
‘‘(vi) In the case of a calculator that— 
‘‘(I) includes questions to estimate 
a student’s (or prospective student’s) 
eligibility for veterans’ education bene-
fits (as defined in section 480) or edu-
cational benefits for active duty service 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Dec 28, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4674.RH
H4674
members, such benefits are displayed 
on the results screen in a manner that 
clearly distinguishes them from the 
grant aid described in clause (iii); or 
‘‘(II) does not include questions to 
estimate eligibility for the benefits de-
scribed in subclause (I), the results 
screen indicates— 
‘‘(aa) that certain students 
(or prospective students) may 
qualify for such benefits; 
‘‘(bb) states why the institu-
tion is not including questions to 
estimate a student’s eligibility for 
such benefits; and 
‘‘(cc) includes a link to an 
appropriate Federal website that 
provides information about such 
benefits. 
‘‘(D) The institution populates the calcu-
lator with data from not earlier than 2 academic 
years prior to the most recent academic year. 
‘‘(5) PROHIBITION ON USE OF DATA COLLECTED 
BY THE NET PRICE CALCULATOR.—A net price calcu-
lator for an institution of higher education shall— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Dec 28, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00050
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4674.RH
H4674
‘‘(A) clearly indicate which questions are 
required to be completed for an estimate of the 
net price from the calculator; 
‘‘(B) in the case of a calculator that requests 
contact information from users, clearly mark 
such requests as ‘optional’; 
‘‘(C) prohibit any personally identifiable 
information provided by users from being sold or 
made available to third parties; and 
‘‘(D) clearly state ‘Any information that 
you provide on this site is confidential. The Net 
Price Calculator does not store your responses or 
require personal identifying information of any 
kind.’.’’. 
(2) UNIVERSAL NET PRICE CALCULATOR.—Sec-
tion 132(h) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1015a(h)), as amended by paragraph (1), is 
further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) UNIVERSAL NET PRICE CALCULATOR.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may de-
velop a universal net price calculator that is 
housed within the Department of Education, 
with Department branding, and that may be 
based on or utilize an existing platform devel-
oped by a public or private entity, that— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Dec 28, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H4674.RH
H4674