DATA ON NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS.

SEC. 1404. DATA ON NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS. (a) Study Required.— The Secretary of Education shall conduct a 2-year study regarding the types of programs available for, and determine the success or failure of such programs in, increasing the accessibility for nontraditional students to postsecondary education. The study shall be conducted through the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (b) Purpose.— The purpose of the study shall be— (1) to appraise the adequacies and deficiencies of current student financial aid information resources and services and 106 STAT. 818evaluate the effectiveness of these programs as they pertain to the nontraditional student; (2) to investigate the availability of grants and loans and other financial assistance to nontraditional students (including independent students and part-time students); (3) to assess the availability of supportive services for the nontraditional students including (but not limited to) counseling, child care services, campus health center services, and library services; (4) to make recommendations on how the Department of Education can maintain an effective data base regarding non-traditional students that will include— (A) a yearly count of the number of students who are nontraditional and breakdown of the institutions they are attending; (B) the number of nontraditional students who work and go to school; (C) the extent of participation in Federal student aid programs; (D) the amount of unmet costs of postsecondary education for nontraditional students; and (E) trends over the last decade regarding participation of nontraditional students in title IV programs. (c) Report.— The Secretary of Education shall submit an interim report to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate within 1 year after the date of enactment of this section and submit a final report 2 years after such date of enactment.