October 14, 2026
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released the 2025 College Affordability and Transparency Report (CATR), informed by the responses of colleges and universities submitted in the College Affordability and Transparency Explanation Form (CATEF).
Aligned with the Administration’s goal of increasing transparency in higher education, the report and accompanying data provide students, families, and taxpayers with greater clarity when making college choices and insight into the high cost of higher education. Americans remain frustrated by these elevated costs, prompting recent policy changes aimed at making college more affordable, including provisions enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.
With rising concerns about the value of a postsecondary degree, coupled with more than $100 billion in federal aid investments, students, families, and taxpayers deserve to know just how much a degree costs and why those costs have increased over time.