Federal

GRAD Act

Source: Congress.gov · 964 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill changes what information colleges must publicly share about how long it takes students to graduate. Colleges will need to report graduation rates for different types of students over several time periods instead of just one standard measure. The bill aims to give families and students clearer information when choosing colleges.

Who It Affects

Colleges and universities that receive federal education funding will need to report new graduation data. Students and families researching colleges will receive more detailed information about graduation rates.

Key Provisions

• Colleges with 4-year programs must report the percentage of students who graduate within the normal completion time, 150 percent of normal time, and 200 percent of normal time, broken down by whether students attend full-time or part-time and whether they are first-time or returning students (Sec. 2(a)). • Colleges with programs shorter than 4 years must report graduation percentages at four time points: normal time, 150 percent of normal time, 200 percent of normal time, and 300 percent of normal time, using the same student categories (Sec. 2(a)). • Colleges must display all graduation percentages in a consistent manner with equal visibility when making them public (Sec. 2(a)). • Colleges must include each graduation rate for each student type and program in their institutional information provided to students (Sec. 2(b)).

What Changes

Colleges currently report graduation rates using one standard measure. Under this bill, they will report multiple graduation rate percentages for each student category at different time intervals, giving a more detailed picture of student success.

Important Definitions

The bill does not explicitly define key terms. The bill assumes readers understand "degree-seeking undergraduate students," "first-time students," and "part-time" and "full-time" attendance.

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 478 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for comprehensive student achievement information. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 16, 2023 Mr. ROMNEY (for himself, Mr. BARRASSO, and Mr. HICKENLOOPER) intro- duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for comprehensive student achievement information. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Graduation Reporting 4 for Accuracy and Decision-Making Act’’ or the ‘‘GRAD 5 Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. CONSUMER INFORMATION ABOUT COMPLETION OR 7 GRADUATION TIMES. 8 (a) TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE TUITION FOR CON- 9 SUMERS.—Section 132(i)(1)(J) of the Higher Education 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Mar 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S478.IS S478 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 478 IS Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015a(i)(1)(J)) is amended to 1 read as follows: 2 ‘‘(J)(i) For programs of study 4 years of 3 length or longer— 4 ‘‘(I) the percentages of first-time, full- 5 time, degree- or certificate-seeking under- 6 graduate students enrolled at the institu- 7 tion who obtain a degree or certificate 8 within each of the times for completion or 9 graduation described in subclauses (I) 10 through (III) of clause (iii); 11 ‘‘(II) the percentages of first-time, 12 part-time, degree- or certificate-seeking un- 13 dergraduate students enrolled at the insti- 14 tution who obtain a degree or certificate 15 within each of the times for completion or 16 graduation described in subclauses (I) 17 through (III) of clause (iii); 18 ‘‘(III) the percentages of non-first 19 time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seek- 20 ing undergraduate students enrolled at the 21 institution who obtain a degree or certifi- 22 cate within each of the times for comple- 23 tion or graduation described in subclauses 24 (I) through (III) of clause (iii); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Mar 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S478.IS S478 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 478 IS ‘‘(IV) the percentages of non-first- 1 time, part-time, degree- or certificate-seek- 2 ing undergraduate students enrolled at the 3 institution who obtain a degree or certifi- 4 cate within each of the times for comple- 5 tion or graduation described in subclauses 6 (I) through (III) of clause (iii). 7 ‘‘(ii) For programs of study less than 4 8 years— 9 ‘‘(I) the percentages of first-time, full- 10 time, degree- or certificate-seeking under- 11 graduate students enrolled at the institu- 12 tion who obtain a degree or certificate 13 within each of the times for completion or 14 graduation described in subclauses (I) 15 through (IV) of clause (iii); 16 ‘‘(II) the percentages of first-time, 17 part-time, degree- or certificate-seeking un- 18 dergraduate students enrolled at the insti- 19 tution who obtain a degree or certificate 20 within each of the times for completion or 21 graduation described in subclauses (I) 22 through (IV) of clause (iii); 23 ‘‘(III) the percentages of non-first- 24 time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seek- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Mar 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S478.IS S478 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 478 IS ing undergraduate students enrolled at the 1 institution who obtain a degree or certifi- 2 cate within each of the times for comple- 3 tion or graduation described in subclauses 4 (I) through (IV) of clause (iii); and 5 ‘‘(IV) the percentages of non-first- 6 time, part-time, degree- or certificate-seek- 7 ing undergraduate students enrolled at the 8 institution who obtain a degree or certifi- 9 cate within each of the times for comple- 10 tion or graduation described in subclauses 11 (I) through (IV) of clause (iii). 12 ‘‘(iii) For purposes of this subparagraph, 13 the times for completion or graduation are as 14 follows: 15 ‘‘(I) The normal time for completion 16 of, or graduation from, the student’s pro- 17 gram. 18 ‘‘(II) 150 percent of the normal time 19 for completion of, or graduation from, the 20 student’s program. 21 ‘‘(III) 200 percent of the normal time 22 for completion of, or graduation from, the 23 student’s program. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Mar 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S478.IS S478 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 478 IS ‘‘(IV) 300 percent of the normal time 1 for completion of, or graduation from, the 2 student’s program. 3 ‘‘(iv) In making publicly available the per- 4 centages described in this subparagraph, the 5 Secretary shall display each percentage in a 6 consistent manner and with equal visibility.’’. 7 (b) INSTITUTIONAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN- 8 FORMATION FOR STUDENTS.—Section 485(a) of the 9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(a)) is 10 amended— 11 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph 12 (L) and inserting the following: 13 ‘‘(L) each completion or graduation rate for 14 each type of student and program described in 15 clauses (i) and (ii) of section 132(i)(1)(J);’’; and 16 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘within 150 17 percent of the normal time for completion of or 18 graduation from the program’’ and inserting ‘‘within 19 the time for completion or graduation described in 20 section 132(i)(1)(J) applicable to such student and 21 such program’’. 22 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:21 Mar 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S478.IS S478 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

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