Congress is moving toward a potential shift in how federal agencies can collect student-level college outcomes data, with major higher education associations urging lawmakers to advance the College Transparency Act. The bill would lift a long-standing ban on the U.S. Department of Education collecting student-level data, enabling a new database at the National Center for Education Statistics. Supporters say current federal datasets—like College Scorecard and graduation-rate reporting within IPEDS—are incomplete because they rely heavily on students who receive federal financial aid or on first-time, full-time cohorts. Advocates argue that the measure would close gaps for students who don’t participate in federal aid programs and for community college populations where graduation-rate reporting covers less than half of students. Privacy concerns that helped drive the 2008 Higher Education Act provision would need to be addressed as the bill advances. If approved, the act could accelerate more robust outcomes measurement that influences institutional strategy, program evaluation, accreditation, and student decision-making.