text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Student Right to Know Before You Go 
  Act of 2015''.
  
  SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AGREEMENTS.
  
      Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
  1094(a)(17)) is amended by inserting ``and including the requirements 
  of section 493E'' after ``as designated by the Secretary''.
  
  SEC. 3. INSTITUTIONAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE INFORMATION FOR 
                STUDENTS.
  
      Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is 
  amended by adding at the end the following:
      ``(n) Alignment With Institutional Reporting Requirements Related 
  to IPEDS.--
              ``(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date 
          of enactment of the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 
          2015, the Secretary shall issue guidance outlining which data 
          metrics required to be submitted by institutions of higher 
          education under section 493E are duplicative of institutional 
          reporting requirements under this section and other provisions 
          of this Act.
              ``(2) Link to institutional reporting website.--Not later 
          than 5 years after the date of enactment of the Student Right 
          to Know Before You Go Act of 2015, an institution of higher 
          education participating in any program under this title shall--
                      ``(A) not be required to make available such 
                  duplicative requirements, as determined under paragraph 
                  (1), under this section and other provisions of this 
                  Act; and
                      ``(B) provide a prominently displayed link on the 
                  institution's website to the website described in 
                  section 493E(e)(2).''.
  
  SEC. 4. INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
  
      (a) Amendment to Database of Student Information Prohibited.--
  Section 134(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015c(b)) 
  is amended--
              (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' after the 
          semicolon;
              (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
          inserting ``; and''; and
              (3) by adding at the end the following:
              ``(3) is necessary to carry out section 493E.''.
      (b) Reporting Requirements.--Part G of title IV of the Higher 
  Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
  the end the following:
  
  ``SEC. 493E. INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
  
      ``(a) In General.--
              ``(1) Submission of data.--Each institution of higher 
          education participating in a program under this title shall 
          submit to the Secretary data sufficient, as determined by the 
          Secretary, to complete all student components of reporting 
          required for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 
          (referred to in this section as `IPEDS').
              ``(2) Guidance.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
          enactment of the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 
          2015, the Secretary shall submit to institutions of higher 
          education guidance related to the submission of data under this 
          subsection.
              ``(3) Review.--The Secretary shall review, every 5 years, 
          the determination of the categories of data that shall be 
          submitted pursuant to paragraph (1).
      ``(b) Establishment of Additional Student Classifications.--
              ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
          enactment of the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 
          2015, the Secretary shall--
                      ``(A) establish common definitions for institutions 
                  to follow in submitting the data required under this 
                  section; and
                      ``(B) determine collection and submission 
                  requirements.
              ``(2) Student-level components of ipeds.--The Secretary 
          shall require institutions of higher education participating in 
          a program under this title to submit student-level components 
          of IPEDS to enable coding and reporting on--
                      ``(A) students who participate in remedial 
                  education at, or through, the institution;
                      ``(B) whether, and at what level, the student is 
                  seeking a degree; and
                      ``(C) whether the student is seeking a certificate.
      ``(c) Establishment of New Outcome Metrics.--
              ``(1) In general.--Data submitted to the Secretary under 
          subsections (a) and (b) shall be used to calculate all student-
          level components of IPEDS.
              ``(2) Additional measures to be calculated.--In addition to 
          the student-level component outcome measures required to be 
          calculated by the Secretary on the day before the date of 
          enactment of the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 
          2015, the Secretary shall, beginning not later than 2 years 
          after the date of enactment of the Student Right to Know Before 
          You Go Act of 2015, also calculate, at the institutional and 
          program-specific levels, the following:
                      ``(A) The percentage of students who receive--
                              ``(i) Federal grants;
                              ``(ii) Federal loans;
                              ``(iii) State grants;
                              ``(iv) State loans;
                              ``(v) institutional grants; or
                              ``(vi) institutional loans.
                      ``(B) The average amount of total Federal loan debt 
                  upon student graduation assumed by students while 
                  enrolled at the institution.
                      ``(C) The average amount of total Federal loan debt 
                  of students who do not complete a program of study 2 
                  years after the students' last known enrollment in any 
                  institution of higher education.
                      ``(D) Student transfer rates by sector of transfer, 
                  which shall be defined as the percentage of students 
                  who leave an institution and successfully enroll in and 
                  complete a program of study at another institution, 
                  including whether the receiving institution is a public 
                  4-year institution, public 2-year institution, public 
                  less-than-2-year institution, private nonprofit 4-year 
                  institution, private nonprofit 2-year institution, 
                  private nonprofit less-than-2-year institution, private 
                  for-profit 4-year institution, private for-profit 2-
                  year institution, or private for-profit less-than-2-
                  year institution.
                      ``(E) Rates of continuation to higher levels of 
                  education.
                      ``(F) The percentage of students who receive the 
                  degree level they initially sought.
                      ``(G) The outcome measures described in 
                  subparagraphs (A) through (F), in addition to all 
                  student-level components of IPEDS required to be 
                  reported on the day before the date of enactment of the 
                  Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015, 
                  disaggregated on the basis of the following student 
                  types:
                              ``(i) Students who received a Federal Pell 
                          Grant.
                              ``(ii) Students who received a loan under 
                          part B or part D, but not a Federal Pell Grant.
                              ``(iii) Students who received neither a 
                          Federal Pell Grant, nor a loan under part B or 
                          part D.
                              ``(iv) Students who are identified as 
                          veterans or members of the Armed Forces who 
                          received assistance under the Post-9/11 
                          Veterans Educational Assistance Program under 
                          chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, or 
                          tuition assistance under the laws administered 
                          by the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of 
                          Veterans Affairs and Secretary of the 
                          Department of Defense shall coordinate with the 
                          Secretary to make available data sufficient to 
                          enable such reporting under this clause.
                              ``(v) Enrollment status, including the 
                          following:
                                      ``(I) First-time, full-time 
                                  students.
                                      ``(II) First-time, part-time 
                                  students.
                                      ``(III) Non-first-time, full-time 
                                  students.
                                      ``(IV) Non-first-time, part-time 
                                  students.
                              ``(vi) Enrollment intensity while enrolled 
                          at the institution, including the following:
                                      ``(I) Full-time only.
                                      ``(II) Part-time only.
                                      ``(III) Mixed enrollment, both 
                                  full- and part-time.
                      ``(H) Earning metrics, generated through a system 
                  established by the Secretary in cooperation with the 
                  Commissioner of Social Security and using the student 
                  components of IPEDS, that shall include--
                              ``(i) median annual earnings and employment 
                          metrics, disaggregated by--
                                      ``(I) educational program based on 
                                  CIP code;
                                      ``(II) credential received;
                                      ``(III) educational institution; 
                                  and
                                      ``(IV) State of employment; and
                              ``(ii) the disaggregated median annual 
                          earnings for each of the categories described 
                          in subclauses (I) through (IV) of clause (i), 
                          further disaggregated for each of the following 
                          time periods:
                                      ``(I) 2 years after educational 
                                  program completion.
                                      ``(II) 6 years after educational 
                                  program completion.
                                      ``(III) 15 years after educational 
                                  program completion.
                      ``(I) Other information determined necessary by the 
                  Secretary.
              ``(3) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the 
          Secretary shall consult extensively with State offices with 
          existing, as of the date of the consultation, student-level 
          data collections from public and private institutions, 
          particularly in the formulation of the calculation and 
          reporting standards outlined in this subsection and subsections 
          (a) and (b), and the public access to data under subsection 
          (e)(2).
              ``(4) Guidelines.--The Secretary shall issue guidelines to 
          institutions of higher education regarding the amendments 
          needed to the annual privacy notices required under section 
          444(c)(3) of the General Education Provisions Act (commonly 
          referred to as the `Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 
          of 1974') of the institutions in order to reference the data 
          collection required under this section.
      ``(d) Unauthorized Uses.--
              ``(1) In general.--Any personally identifiable information 
          collected for the data system under this section shall not be 
          used for any use that is not either specifically authorized by 
          this section or permitted as a disclosure under this section.
              ``(2) No federal action.--No action of Federal authority 
          may be taken against an individual based on data collected for 
          the data system developed under this section. No Federal 
          agency, officer, or employee and no recipient of a Federal 
          grant, contract, or cooperative agreement may, for any reason, 
          require the Secretary or any employee of the Secretary to 
          disclose personally identifiable information that has been 
          collected or retained under this section.
              ``(3) Immunity.--Personally identifiable information 
          collected or retained under this section shall be immune from 
          legal process and shall not, without the consent of the 
          individual concerned, be admitted as evidence or used for any 
          purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial or 
          administrative proceeding.
              ``(4) No institution action.--An institution of higher 
          education may not use the data system developed under this 
          section, or data accessed through such system, to take any 
          action against an individual.
              ``(5) Application.--This subsection shall not apply to 
          requests for personally identifiable information submitted by 
          or on behalf of the individual identified in the information. 
          Any such individual has the right to request and receive from 
          the Secretary the data containing personally identifiable 
          information collected on the individual's behalf, upon 
          demonstrating the individual's identity to the satisfaction of 
          the Secretary.
      ``(e) Permissible Disclosures.--
              ``(1) Disclosure limitation.--In carrying out the public 
          reporting and disclosure requirements of this Act, the 
          Secretary shall use appropriate statistical disclosure 
          limitation techniques necessary such that the data released to 
          the public cannot include personally identifiable information 
          or be used to identify specific individuals.
              ``(2) Public availability.--
                      ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall post the 
                  aggregate data collected under this section on a 
                  website of the Department in a timely and user-friendly 
                  manner.
                      ``(B) Additional research availability.--The 
                  Secretary may make available the non-personally 
                  identifiable data set used to prepare the data for the 
                  website in accordance with subparagraph (A) to 
                  researchers performing studies or evaluations approved 
                  by the Secretary or the Director of the Institute of 
                  Education Sciences.
                      ``(C) Enabling administrative improvement by 
                  institutions of higher education.--The Secretary shall 
                  create a process through which institutions of higher 
                  education participating in programs under this title 
                  and States may request and receive from the Department 
                  aggregate student outcome data for the purposes of 
                  institutional improvement and program evaluation. The 
                  Secretary shall promulgate regulations to ensure fair 
                  and equitable access to such data.
              ``(3) No sale of data.--The Secretary shall not sell any 
          data collected under this section, including the public use 
          data set available under paragraph (2)(B), to any third party.
      ``(f) Ensuring Comparability of Data Metric.--For a period of 5 
  years following the date of enactment of the Student Right to Know 
  Before You Go Act of 2015, the Secretary shall be responsible for 
  publishing all student-level components of IPEDS as such components 
  would have been produced on the day before the date of enactment of the 
  Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015.
      ``(g) Felony for Willful Disclosure.--
              ``(1) In general.--It shall be unlawful for any person who 
          obtains or has access to personally identifiable information in 
          connection with the data system described in this section to 
          willfully disclose such personally identifiable information, in 
          any manner, to any person that is not entitled to receive the 
          information.
              ``(2) Penalty.--Any person who violates paragraph (1) shall 
          be found guilty of a felony and imprisoned for not more than 5 
          years, or fined as specified in section 3571 of title 18, 
          United States Code, or both.
      ``(h) Protection of Data.--The Secretary shall promulgate and 
  periodically review guidance and regulations relating to security, 
  which shall govern the access, use, and disclosure of data collected in 
  connection with the activities authorized in this Act. The regulations 
  developed and reviewed shall be consistent with the need to protect 
  data from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure, and shall include--
              ``(1) an audit capability;
              ``(2) access controls; and
              ``(3) requirements to ensure sufficient data security, 
          quality, validity, and reliability.
      ``(i) Definition of Personally Identifiable Information.--In this 
  section, the term `personally identifiable information' includes--
              ``(1) a student's name;
              ``(2) the name of a student's parent or other family 
          members;
              ``(3) the address of a student or student's family;
              ``(4) a personal identifier, such as a student's social 
          security number, student number, or biometric record;
              ``(5) other indirect identifiers, such as a student's date 
          of birth, place of birth, and mother's maiden name;
              ``(6) other information that, alone or in combination, is 
          linked or linkable to a specific student that would allow a 
          reasonable person in the school community, who does not have 
          personal knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to identify 
          the student with reasonable certainty; or
              ``(7) information requested by a person who the educational 
          agency or institution reasonably believes knows the identity of 
          the student to whom the education record relates.
      ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
  for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2024.''.
target: Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015   This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify reporting requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in title IV federal financial aid programs. Currently, to retain title IV eligibility, IHEs must report data to the Department of Education (ED) through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).  This bill requires IHEs to submit additional student enrollment data to ED to enable coding and reporting on students' level of academic preparation. It also requires ED to calculate additional outcome measures by institution and program, including:    the percentage of students who receive federal, state, or institutional grants or loans; the average amount of federal loan debt upon graduation; the average amount of total federal loan debt of students who do not complete a program of study; student transfer rates; rates of continuation to higher levels of education; and the percentage of students who receive the degree they initially sought.   ED must report additional outcome measures established by this Act, as well as all existing student data in IPEDS, based on these student types:   receipt or non-receipt of federal Pell Grants, receipt or non-receipt of Stafford Loans,&nbsp; participation in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program,  enrollment status, and enrollment intensity.  ED must also, in cooperation with the Social Security Administration, make publicly available data on employment metrics and median annual earnings 2 years, 6 years, and 15 years after program completion. ED must report the data by:   education program,  credential received,  institution, and  state of employment.
feat_title: Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015