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S 2281 113th Congress Senate

Net Price Calculator Improvement Act

Official title: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make technical improvements to the Net Price Calculator system so that prospective students may have a more… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make technical improvements to the Net Price Calculator system so that prospective students may have a more accurate understanding of the true cost of college.

Introduced: June 11, 2014 See on congress.gov
Education Congressional oversightConsumer affairsGovernment information and archivesHigher education
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Internet and video servicesInternet, web applications, social mediaStudent aid and college costsVeterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 1, 2014
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
May 1, 2014
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action May 1, 2014

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Net Price Calculator Improvement Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the minimum requirements for the net price calculator that each institution of higher education (IHE) receiving federal funds under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Act must include on its website. (An IHE's "net price" is the average yearly price actually charged to first-time, full-time undergraduate students receiving student aid at the school after deducting such aid.)

Requires the link for the calculator to be clearly labeled and conspicuously posted on an IHE's website.

Requires each calculator's results page to include:

  • the individual net price of attending the IHE (the individual net price is calculated like the net price but takes into account the cost of attendance for, and aid available to, the individual student to the extent practicable);
  • the cost of attending the IHE;
  • the estimated total need- and merit-based grant aid from federal, state, and institutional sources that may be available to the individual student;
  • the percentage of such students enrolled at the school who receive any of that grant aid; and
  • a notice that an estimate of an individual's net price is non-binding and subject to change.

Requires calculators that estimate a user's eligibility for veterans' education benefits or educational benefits for active duty service members to clearly distinguish those benefits from other grant-aid. Requires calculators that do not make such estimates to provide users with notice of, and a link to information concerning, those benefits.

Directs IHEs to populate their calculators with data from not earlier than two academic years prior to the most recent academic year.

Requires the calculators to: (1) clearly indicate which questions need to be completed for a net price estimate, (2) clearly mark requests for contact information as optional, (3) prohibit personally identifiable information from being sold or made available to third parties, and (4) clearly state that any information a user provides is confidential and that the calculator does not store responses or require personal identifying information.

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to develop a universal net price calculator that enables users to answer one set of questions and receive net prices for any IHE that is required to have a net price calculator.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2281: Net Price Calculator Improvement Act. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2281/
MLA
"S. 2281: Net Price Calculator Improvement Act." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2281/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2281, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2281/.
Markdown link
[S. 2281: Net Price Calculator Improvement Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-2281/)
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