12 2 STA T .3098PUBLIC LA W 110 – 31 5— AU G .1 4, 2008 update, a l l of t h e in fo rm ation re q uired to b e maintained on the STEMD ataba s e .‘ ‘ (5) D IS S EM I NAT I O NO F INFO R MATION. — The Se c retar y shall ta k e such actions, on an on g oing basis, as may be necessary to disseminate information under this subsection and to encour - age the use of the information by interested parties, including sending notices to secondary schools and institutions of higher education. ’ ’. (c) N O U SER F EES FOR DE P ARTMENT FINAN C IA LA I DW E B SITES.— Section 13 1 (as amended by subsection (b)) ( 20 U.S. C . 1015) is further amended by adding at the end the follo w ing
‘‘(h) NO USER FEES FOR DEPARTMENT FINANCIAL AID WEBSITES.—No fee shall be charged to any indi v idual to access— ‘‘(1) a database or website of the Department that provides information about higher education programs or student finan- cial assistance, including the College Navigator website (or successor website) and the websites and databases described in this section and section 132
or ‘‘(2) information about higher education programs or stu- dent financial assistance available through a database or website of the Department.’’. SEC.1 11. TRAN S P ARENC YI NC OL LE G ET U ITION F OR CONSU M ERS. P art C of title I (20 U.S.C. 1015) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘ ‘SEC. 1 32 . TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE TUITION FOR CONSUMERS. ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: ‘‘(1) COLLE G ENA V IGATOR W EBSITE.—The term ‘College Navigator website’ means the College Navigator website oper- ated by the Department and includes any successor website. ‘‘(2) COST OF ATTENDANCE.—The term ‘cost of attendance’ means the average annual cost of tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies, and transportation for an institution of higher education for a first-time, full-time undergraduate student enrolled in the institution. ‘‘(3) NET PRICE.—The term ‘net price’ means the average yearly price actually charged to first-time, full-time under- graduate students receiving student aid at an institution of higher education after deducting such aid, which shall be deter- mined by calculating the difference between— ‘‘(A) the institution’s cost of attendance for the year for which the determination is made; and ‘‘( B ) the quotient of— ‘‘(i) the total amount of need-based grant aid and merit-based grant aid, from Federal, State, and institu- tional sources, provided to such students enrolled in the institution for such year; and ‘‘(ii) the total number of such students receiving such need-based grant aid or merit-based grant aid for such year. ‘‘( 4 )T U ITION AND FEES.—The term ‘tuition and fees’ means the average annual cost of tuition and fees for an institution of higher education for first-time, full-time undergraduate stu- dents enrolled in the institution. ‘‘(b) CALCULATIONS FOR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.—In making the calculations regarding cost of attendance, net price, and tuition and fees under this section with respect to a public institution 20USC1 01 5a.
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