This bill mandates that both four-year public and independent institutions of higher education, as well as private vocational schools, collect and report employment data for their recent graduates. Specifically, these institutions are required to conduct annual employment surveys of students who graduated in the prior academic year and post the resulting data on their websites. The employment data must include metrics such as the number and percentage of graduates employed in fields related to their major, overall employment rates, salaries earned one year post-graduation, and the percentage of graduates enrolling in further education. This information must be maintained on their websites for four years.

Additionally, the bill amends existing legislation to ensure that independent institutions of higher education are held to the same standards as public institutions regarding the disclosure of information on costs, graduation rates, and faculty composition. The Secretary of Higher Education is tasked with issuing guidelines for the collection and reporting of this data, ensuring consistency across institutions. The bill aims to enhance transparency and provide prospective students and their families with comprehensive information to make informed decisions about their education and future employment prospects.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 18A:3B-44, 18A:3B-45