Know Before You Go Higher Education Transparency Act
Students, parents, and taxpayers lack access to clear data on higher education program outcomes, leading to uninformed decisions about enrollment and financial commitments.
According to a recent survey, more than half of American college students regret their choice of degree type, college, or major. Other research found that…
1 in 4 graduates
are worse off than they would have been had they entered the workforce rather than going into a failed college program.
THE SOLUTION
Create a State Higher Education Transparency Portal that provides critical data about the performance of all higher education programs.
HOW IT WORKS
Public, online platform with data on:
- Median student debt post-graduation
- Median earnings at various intervals after graduation
- Program completion rates and graduate numbers
- Comparative tools for outcomes between programs and institutions
Data Collection
State agencies or federal sources will supply the required data, updated annually, to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Mandate
Institutions must prominently display links to this portal, and prospective students must certify they’ve accessed it before enrollment or signing loan documents when:
- Applying to a college or university
- Changing their major
- Thinking about dropping out
WHY IT MATTERS
Students should know ahead of time whether the college programs they are considering will prepare them for a stable, family-supporting career.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
This Act prioritizes transparency for students and taxpayers by helping them make informed decisions about higher education programs, reducing financial risk, and supporting programs that lead to positive outcomes.
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