How Congress Can Improve Postsecondary Data and Consumer Information Tools

The creation of a student-level data network with strong protocols for maintaining student privacy and protecting data security is key to increasing the comprehensiveness and comparability of postsecondary data. Without such reform, important measures of student success and their relationship to student debt will remain out of reach of both students and policymakers.

Additionally, according to a recent GAO report, 91 percent of colleges either do not include or understate their net price—the actual amount a student needs to pay—in their aid offers.

This fact sheet offers straightforward policy recommendations for Congress to improve postsecondary data tools and ensure that colleges provide students with clear, transparent, and comparable information about college costs.