GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

S                                                                                                                                                    2

SENATE BILL 536

Education/Higher Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/22/15

Short Title:        Students Know Before You Go.	(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:

March 30, 2015

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to provide ACCURATE and complete data to students on postsecondary student completion, graduation, and earnings outcomes at north carolina postsecondary institutions.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Article 23 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

"§ 116‑209.16A.  Information on career and major options.

(a) Know Before You Go. – The Authority shall provide information on its Web site, under a section entitled "Know Before You Go," to students and parents to assist in selection of major and career options as provided in this section. The information shall be updated annually.

(b) Career Options. – The Authority shall provide information on projected employment needs in the labor economy and associated salary ranges for those areas of employment, college majors which may fulfill those needs, and institutions of higher education that may provide those majors. The Authority may use existing sources of public information, such as the employment projections produced by the federal Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, to develop this information.

(c) Major Options. – The Authority shall, as data is available, provide information based on aggregate data for outcomes of public and private institutions of higher education in North Carolina. Outcome information for each public and private institution of higher education shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Completion rates within the expected number of semesters for the degree sought.

(2) Transfer rates of students to other institutions.

(3) Percentage of students receiving financial aid, by type of aid.

(4) Average and median amount of loan debt upon student graduation, by major.

(5) Average and median salary, by major.

(6) Percentage of graduates employed full‑time within six months of graduation, by major.

(7) Percentage of graduates enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation, by major."

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.