(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;
(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 20002001 and annually thereafter.
(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.
