New Data from the Department of Education Empowers Families to Make Informed Decisions about Higher Education
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education released new information on college costs. Displayed on the Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center website, the college cost data highlights institutions with the highest and lowest tuition and fees and net prices. It also lists schools where costs are rising the fastest – providing students and families with the information they need to make smart educational decisions.
“I applaud Secretary Duncan for releasing this college cost information. It will aid students and families in comparing prices and making informed decisions about their higher education. These new data shine a bright light on the prices charged by colleges and universities, and that’s an important step in addressing rising tuition costs,” said Rep. George Miller.
The data released today was required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, legislation Rep. Miller co-authored, and is one of many steps the Obama Administration is taking to increase transparency and ensure that parents and students are aware of tuition costs as they work to obtain a degree. The Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced last week that 10 institutions have pledged to provide every incoming student for the 2013-2014 school year with easy to understand information as part of their financial aid package. In addition, CFPB released a new website in April to help families make informed decisions by giving them information on the comprehensive costs associated with a higher education.
Democrats in Congress have taken significant steps to make higher education more affordable and put a degree within reach for Americans. One of the many ways Congressional Democrats helped make higher education more financially manageable was by lowering interest rates on need-based student loans to 3.4 percent. Unfortunately, in less than a month that reduced rate will expire and double to 6.8 percent on July 1 if Congress doesn’t act, throwing 7 million Americans into deeper debt.
In April, House Democrats proposed legislation that would keep college students’ loan rates at 3.4 percent by ending unwarranted subsidies to big oil and gas companies. However, the Democratic plan has not been allowed a vote on the House floor. House Republicans instead pushed through partisan legislation, which would pay for interest rate relief by eliminating an important component of the Affordable Care Act that has already supported preventative health care initiatives like childhood immunizations and early cancer detection for women. The Republican plan continues to shift additional costs onto middle and low-income students and families.
For more information on Democratic efforts to increase transparency and keep college affordable, click here.
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