Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)
If enacted, SB713 will have a significant impact on how higher education institutions communicate vital information to students. By requiring transparency in displaying critical data regarding educational costs and outcomes, the bill seeks to ensure that students and their families can access the information necessary to make informed choices about their education. The implementation of this bill is expected to not only empower prospective students but also to enhance accountability among institutions regarding their performance metrics.
Senate Bill 713, titled the Informed Enrollment Act, aims to enhance the transparency and accessibility of information for prospective college students in Maryland. The bill mandates that institutions of higher education prominently display a link to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard on their publicly accessible websites. This scorecard includes essential data such as cost of attendance, graduation rates, salary outcomes, and debt outcomes, facilitating informed decisions for new and prospective students. Institutions are required to make this information readily available during recruitment events and share details regularly with various stakeholders, including students and academic advisors.
The primary points of contention surrounding SB713 may revolve around concerns about the practicality of implementing the mandated disclosures and whether the information provided sufficiently captures the complexities of student experiences and outcomes. Some stakeholders may feel that merely providing these statistics does not account for individual circumstances and may mislead prospective students. Additionally, there may be discussions related to the administrative burden placed on institutions to comply with the new requirements, particularly in terms of the resources needed to gather and present the data effectively.