 
      CHAPTER 28--HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE
 
                    SUBCHAPTER I--GENERAL PROVISIONS
 
                    Part C--Cost of Higher Education
 
Sec. 1015. Improvements in market information and public 
        accountability in higher education
        

(a) Improved data collection

               (1) Development of uniform methodology

        The Secretary shall direct the Commissioner of Education 
    Statistics to convene a series of forums to develop nationally 
    consistent methodologies for reporting costs incurred by 
    postsecondary institutions in providing postsecondary education.

                    (2) Redesign of data systems

        On the basis of the methodologies developed pursuant to 
    paragraph (1), the Secretary shall redesign relevant parts of the 
    postsecondary education data systems to improve the usefulness and 
    timeliness of the data collected by such systems.

                   (3) Information to institutions

        The Commissioner of Education Statistics shall--
            (A) develop a standard definition for the following data 
        elements:
                (i) tuition and fees for a full-time undergraduate 
            student;
                (ii) cost of attendance for a full-time undergraduate 
            student, consistent with the provisions of section 1087ll of 
            this title;
                (iii) average amount of financial assistance received by 
            an undergraduate student who attends an institution of 
            higher education, including--
                    (I) each type of assistance or benefit described in 
                section 1078(a)(2)(C)(i) \1\ of this title;
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    \1\ See References in Text note below.
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                    (II) fellowships; and
                    (III) institutional and other assistance; and

                (iv) number of students receiving financial assistance 
            described in each of subclauses (I), (II), and (III) of 
            clause (iii);

            (B) not later than 90 days after October 7, 1998, report the 
        definitions to each institution of higher education and within a 
        reasonable period of time thereafter inform the Committee on 
        Labor and Human Resources of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives of 
        those definitions; and
            (C) collect information regarding the data elements 
        described in subparagraph (A) with respect to at least all 
        institutions of higher education participating in programs under 
        subchapter IV of this chapter and part C of subchapter I of 
        chapter 34 of title 42, beginning with the information from 
        academic year 2000-2001 and annually thereafter.

(b) Data dissemination

    The Secretary shall make available the data collected pursuant to 
subsection (a) of this section. Such data shall be available in a form 
that permits the review and comparison of the data submissions of 
individual institutions of higher education. Such data shall be 
presented in a form that is easily understandable and allows parents and 
students to make informed decisions based on the costs for typical full-
time undergraduate students.

(c) Study

                           (1) In general

        The Commissioner of Education Statistics shall conduct a 
    national study of expenditures at institutions of higher education. 
    Such study shall include information with respect to--
            (A) the change in tuition and fees compared with the 
        consumer price index and other appropriate measures of 
        inflation;
            (B) faculty salaries and benefits;
            (C) administrative salaries, benefits and expenses;
            (D) academic support services;
            (E) research;
            (F) operations and maintenance; and
            (G) institutional expenditures for construction and 
        technology and the potential cost of replacing instructional 
        buildings and equipment.

                           (2) Evaluation

        The study shall include an evaluation of--
            (A) changes over time in the expenditures identified in 
        paragraph (1);
            (B) the relationship of the expenditures identified in 
        paragraph (1) to college costs; and
            (C) the extent to which increases in institutional financial 
        aid and tuition discounting practices affect tuition increases, 
        including the demographics of students receiving such discounts, 
        the extent to which financial aid is provided to students with 
        limited need in order to attract a student to a particular 
        institution, and the extent to which Federal financial aid, 
        including loan aid, has been used to offset the costs of such 
        practices.

                          (3) Final report

        The Commissioner of Education Statistics shall submit a report 
    regarding the findings of the study required by paragraph (1) to the 
    appropriate committees of Congress not later than September 30, 
    2002.

                 (4) Higher education market basket

        The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in consultation with the 
    Commissioner of Education Statistics, shall develop a higher 
    education market basket that identifies the items that comprise the 
    costs of higher education. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall 
    provide a report on the market basket to the Committee on Labor and 
    Human Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the 
    Workforce of the House of Representatives not later than September 
    30, 2002.

                              (5) Fines

        In addition to actions authorized in section 1094(c) of this 
    title, the Secretary may impose a fine in an amount not to exceed 
    $25,000 on an institution of higher education for failing to provide 
    the information described in paragraph (1) in a timely and accurate 
    manner, or for failing to otherwise cooperate with the National 
    Center for Education Statistics regarding efforts to obtain data on 
    the cost of higher education under this section and pursuant to the 
    program participation agreement entered into under section 1094 of 
    this title.

(d) Student aid recipient survey

    (1) The Secretary shall survey student aid recipients on a regular 
cycle, but not less than once every 3 years--
        (A) to identify the population of students receiving Federal 
    student aid;
        (B) to determine the income distribution and other socioeconomic 
    characteristics of federally aided students;
        (C) to describe the combinations of aid from State, Federal, and 
    private sources received by students from all income groups;
        (D) to describe the debt burden of loan recipients and their 
    capacity to repay their education debts; and
        (E) to disseminate such information in both published and 
    machine readable form.

    (2) The survey shall be representative of full-time and part-time, 
undergraduate, graduate, and professional and current and former 
students in all types of institutions, and should be designed and 
administered in consultation with the Congress and the postsecondary 
education community.

(Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 131, as added Pub. L. 105-244, title I, 
Sec. 101(a), Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1602.)

                       References in Text

    Section 1078(a)(2)(C) of this title, referred to in subsec. 
(a)(3)(A)(iii)(I), was amended generally by Pub. L. 105-244, title IV, 
Sec. 417(a)(1)(C), Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1682, and, as so amended, 
provisions formerly appearing in cl. (i) are now contained in cl. (ii).


                            Prior Provisions

    A prior section 1015, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 131, as added 
Pub. L. 102-325, title I, Sec. 101, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 465, 
authorized grants to eligible partnerships for education 
telecommunications activities, prior to the general amendment of this 
subchapter by Pub. L. 105-244.
    Another prior section 1015, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 115, as 
added Pub. L. 99-498, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1285, 
authorized appropriations for former part A of this subchapter, prior to 
the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 102-325.
    Another prior section 1015, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 115, as 
added Pub. L. 96-374, title I, Sec. 101(a), Oct. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 1380, 
related to continuing education, prior to the general amendment of this 
subchapter by Pub. L. 99-498.
    Another prior section 1015, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 131, as 
added Pub. L. 94-482, title I, Sec. 101(g)(3), Oct. 12, 1976, 90 Stat. 
2086, set out the Congressional findings with regard to the lifelong 
learning program, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by 
Pub. L. 96-374.
    A prior section 131 of Pub. L. 89-329, title I, as added Pub. L. 99-
498, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1286, related to 
National Advisory Council on Continuing Education and was classified to 
section 1017 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this 
subchapter by Pub. L. 102-325.
    A prior section 1015a, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 132, as added 
Pub. L. 102-325, title I, Sec. 101, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 465, 
related to grant applications, prior to the general amendment of this 
subchapter by Pub. L. 105-244.
    Another prior section 1015a, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 132, as 
added Pub. L. 94-482, title I, Sec. 101(g)(3), Oct. 12, 1976, 90 Stat. 
2087, set out scope of lifelong learning program, prior to the general 
amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 96-374.
    A prior section 1015b, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 133, as added 
Pub. L. 102-325, title I, Sec. 101, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 466, 
related to activities for which grants could be used, prior to the 
general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 105-244.
    Another prior section 1015b, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 133, as 
added Pub. L. 94-482, title I, Sec. 101(g)(3), Oct. 12, 1976, 90 Stat. 
2087; amended Pub. L. 95-43, Sec. 1(a)(4), June 15, 1977, 91 Stat. 213, 
related to implementation of lifelong learning program by Assistant 
Secretary, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 
96-374.
    A prior section 1015c, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 134, as added 
Pub. L. 102-325, title I, Sec. 101, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 466, 
defined ``public broadcasting entity'' for purposes of former part C of 
this subchapter, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by 
Pub. L. 105-244.
    Another prior section 1015c, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 134, as 
added Pub. L. 94-482, title I, Sec. 101(g)(3), Oct. 12, 1976, 90 Stat. 
2089, related to annual reports by Assistant Secretary and content of 
these reports, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. 
L. 96-374.
    A prior section 1015d, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 135, as added 
Pub. L. 102-325, title I, Sec. 101, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 466, 
required grant recipients to submit reports, prior to the general 
amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 105-244.
    A prior section 1016, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 121, as added 
Pub. L. 99-498, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1285, 
related to adult learning research, prior to the general amendment of 
this subchapter by Pub. L. 102-325.
    Another prior section 1016, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 116, as 
added Pub. L. 96-374, title I, Sec. 101(a), Oct. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 1381, 
provided for Federal discretionary grants, prior to the general 
amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 99-498.
    A prior section 1016a, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 122, as added 
Pub. L. 99-498, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1286, 
limited funds authorized to be appropriated, prior to the general 
amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 102-325.
    A prior section 1017, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 131, as added 
Pub. L. 99-498, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1286; Pub. 
L. 102-54, Sec. 13(g)(1)(A), June 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 275, related to 
National Advisory Council on Continuing Education, prior to the general 
amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 102-325.
    Another prior section 1017, Pub. L. 89-329, title I, Sec. 117, as 
added Pub. L. 96-374, title I, Sec. 101(a), Oct. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 1382; 
amended Pub. L. 99-386, title I, Sec. 103(a), Aug. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 
821, related to establishment and administration of the National 
Advisory Council on Continuing Education, prior to the general amendment 
of this subchapter by Pub. L. 99-498.


                   Student Related Debt Study Required

    Pub. L. 105-244, title VIII, Sec. 803, Oct. 7, 1998, 112 Stat. 1805, 
provided that:
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall conduct a study 
that analyzes the distribution and increase in student-related debt in 
terms of--
        ``(1) demographic characteristics, such as race or ethnicity, 
    and family income;
        ``(2) type of institution and whether the institution is a 
    public or private institution;
        ``(3) loan source, such as Federal, State, institutional or 
    other, and, if the loan source is Federal, whether the loan is or is 
    not subsidized;
        ``(4) academic field of study;
        ``(5) parent loans, and whether the parent loans are federally 
    guaranteed, private, or property-secured such as home equity loans; 
    and
        ``(6) relation of student debt or anticipated debt to--
            ``(A) students' decisions about whether and where to enroll 
        in college and whether or how much to borrow in order to attend 
        college;
            ``(B) the length of time it takes students to earn 
        baccalaureate degrees;
            ``(C) students' decisions about whether and where to attend 
        graduate school;
            ``(D) graduates' employment decisions;
            ``(E) graduates' burden of repayment as reflected by the 
        graduates' ability to save for retirement or invest in a home; 
        and
            ``(F) students' future earnings.
    ``(b) Report.--After conclusion of the study required by subsection 
(a), the Secretary of Education shall submit a final report regarding 
the findings of the study to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources 
of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 [Oct. 7, 1998].
    ``(c) Information.--After the study and report under this section 
are concluded, the Secretary of Education shall determine which 
information described in subsection (a) would be useful for families to 
know and shall include such information as part of the comparative 
information provided to families about the costs of higher education 
under the provisions of part C of title I [probably means part C of 
title I of Pub. L. 89-329, which is classified generally to this 
part].''
