Last week, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, joined Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in reintroducing the “Understanding the True Cost of College Act.”
According to Tuberville’s official press release, the legislation looks to “help students and families make informed decisions when choosing a college and taking out loans” and to help them “avoid sticker shock, find the best school for their budget and avoid taking out ill-advised and oversized loans.”
The legislation would create a required uniform financial aid offer form and standardize terms used by institutions of higher education to describe financial aid “to allow students to more easily compare financial aid packages between schools.”
Additionally, the legislation outlines certain information which would be included on the first page of that universal form. Among the required information would be: “cost of attendance; grant aid; the net amount a student is responsible for paying after subtracting grant aid; work study assistance; eligible amounts of federal student loans.”
Also required would be “information on calculating the costs of repaying student loans; disclosures related to private loans and parent loans, treatment of scholarships; and the terms and conditions of federal financial aid.”
The bill also directs the Department of Education to establish a process to consumer test the uniform financial aid offer form and to use the results from the consumer testing in the final development of the form.
According to the senators, the legislation was inspired by findings from the Government Accountability Office “that over 90 percent of college financial aid offer letters currently understate the price students would pay.”
“More and more of our young people are finding themselves buried in student loan debt,” said Tuberville. “Too many of our young people are falling behind on their life goals because they are carrying the burden of college loans for years after completing their degrees. This bill will help young people, who are considering pursuing higher education, understand if college is right fit for them [sic] and exactly what financial assistance they may need.”
Interestingly, Tuberville has a record of opposing student debt relief in the Senate.
In 2023, Tuberville joined his Republican colleagues in the Senate, voting to block the Biden administration’s student loan relief plan which would have canceled up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans. Although the Senate vote did not prevent Biden’s plan from taking effect, the plan was ultimately sunk by a last-minute 6-3 decision issued by the conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court.
At the time, Tuberville called Biden’s student loan forgiveness efforts a “political ploy” and a “scam.”
Tuberville has also been a vocal supporter of the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate the Department of Education — the very agency which would be responsible for carrying out the policies of the Understanding the True Cost of College Act.
The Department of Education is also responsible for issuing federal student loans which help eligible students cover the cost of higher education. According to the Department’s Federal Student Aid Office, federal loans include many benefits over private loans, including fixed interest rates, income-driven repayment plans, and generally lower costs overall.
