HB0538 • 2026

4-Year Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Delegate Wolek
Last action: 2026-02-27
Official status: In the Senate - First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

4-Year Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)

Requiring each 4-year institution of higher education in the State, by July 1, 2027, that admits first-time undergraduate students to prominently display on its publicly accessible prospective student website a link to the U.S.

What This Bill Does

Requiring each 4-year institution of higher education in the State, by July 1, 2027, that admits first-time undergraduate students to prominently display on its publicly accessible prospective student website a link to the U.S.
Department of Education College Scorecard website and share related information in a certain manner; and requiring the Secretary of Higher Education to notify the Department of Legislative Services within 10 days of making a determination that the College Scorecard has been terminated by a federal agency.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

373127/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 373127/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 538 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 538 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
1 On page 1, in line 2, before “ Institutions” insert “ 4–Year”; in line 5, after “requiring” insert “4–year”; and in line 8, after “at” insert “4–year”.
AMENDMENT NO.
2 On page 1, in line 19, after “EACH” insert “4–YEAR”; and in line 23, after “EACH” insert “4–YEAR”.

Bill History

2026-03-10 House
Favorable with Amendments Report by Appropriations
2026-02-27 House
Third Reading Passed (136-0)
2026-02-27 Senate
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
2026-02-26 House
Favorable with Amendments { 373127/1 Adopted
2026-02-26 House
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-02-02 House
Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-01-27 House
First Reading Appropriations
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Appropriations
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - 4-Year Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)

Official Summary Text

Requiring each 4-year institution of higher education in the State, by July 1, 2027, that admits first-time undergraduate students to prominently display on its publicly accessible prospective student website a link to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard website and share related information in a certain manner; and requiring the Secretary of Higher Education to notify the Department of Legislative Services within 10 days of making a determination that the College Scorecard has been terminated by a federal agency.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0538*

HOUSE BILL 538
F2 6lr0984
HB 611/25 – APP CF SB 430
By: Delegate Wolek
Introduced and read first time: January 27, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 26, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

4–Year Institutions of Higher Education – Mandatory Disclosures for New and 2
Prospective Students 3
(Informed Enrollment Act) 4

FOR the purpose of requiring 4–year institutions of higher education in the State to provide 5
certain information to new and prospective students and display and share the 6
information in a certain manner; and generally relating to the pro vision of 7
information to new and prospective students at 4–year institutions of higher 8
education. 9

BY adding to 10
Article – Education 11
Section 15–141 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16

Article – Education 17

15–141. 18

(A) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION, ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 19
2027, EACH 4–YEAR INSTITUTION OF HIGHE R EDUCATION IN THE STATE THAT 20
2 HOUSE BILL 538

ADMITS FIRST –TIME UNDERGRADUATE S TUDENTS SHALL PROMIN ENTLY DISPLAY 1
ON ITS PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE PROSPECTIVE STUDENT WEBSITE A LINK TO THE U.S. 2
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION COLLEGE SCORECARD WEBSITE. 3

(B) EACH 4–YEAR INSTITUTION SHALL: 4

(1) INCLUDE WITH THE LINK REQUIRED UNDER SUBSECTION (A) OF 5
THIS SECTION AN EXPL ANATION OF THE RESOU RCE AND THE INFORMAT ION IT 6
PROVIDES AS IT RELATES TO: 7

(I) COST OF ATTENDANCE; 8

(II) GRADUATION RATES; 9

(III) SALARY OUTCOMES; AND 10

(IV) DEBT OUTCOMES; AND 11

(2) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION , SHARE THE 12
INFORMATION AND WHER E TO FIND THE INFORM ATION ON THE INSTITU TION’S 13
WEBSITES: 14

(I) DURING INCOMING STUDE NT ORIENTATION AND 15
RECRUITMENT EVENTS; 16

(II) IN RELATED RECRUITMENT MATERIALS; AND 17

(III) REGULARLY WITH: 18

1. PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS AND THEIR GUARDIANS OR 19
PARENTS; 20

2. NEW INCOMING STUDENTS; 21

3. CURRENT STUDENTS; 22

4. ACADEMIC ADVISORS; AND 23

5. CAMPUS CAREER COUNSELORS. 24

(C) AS APPLICABLE, EACH INSTITUTION SHA LL SHARE THE LINK AN D 25
EXPLANATIONS REQUIRED UNDER SUBSECTIONS (A) AND (B) OF THIS SECTION ON: 26

HOUSE BILL 538 3

(1) THE INSTITUTION ’S SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOU NTS AT LEAST ONCE 1
EACH SEMESTER; AND 2

(2) THE WEBSITE FOR THE INSTITUTION’S CAMPUS CAREER CENTER. 3

(D) (1) NOTHING IN THIS SECTION MAY BE INTERPRETED TO: 4

(I) REQUIRE AN INSTITUTIO N TO DISCARD OR REPR INT ANY 5
EXISTING RELATED INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS; OR 6

(II) PROHIBIT AN INSTITUTI ON FROM USING EXISTI NG 7
RELATED INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS. 8

(2) ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2027, ANY NEW RELATED INFORMATIONAL 9
MATERIALS SHALL BE D ESIGNED, PRINTED, AND SHARED IN ACCORD ANCE WITH 10
THIS SECTION. 11

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 12

(a) Section 1 of this Act is contingent on the publication and administration of the 13
College Scorecard resource by the U.S. Department of Education or another federal agency. 14

(b) If the Secretary of Higher Education determines that the College Scorecard 15
resource has been terminated or discontinued by the U.S. Depa rtment of Education or 16
another federal agency, the Secretary shall notify the Department of Legislative Services 17
within 10 days of the date of that determination. 18

(c) If the Department of Legislative Services receives notice that the Secretary of 19
Higher Education has determined that the College Scorecard resource has been terminated 20
or discontinued, Section 1 of this Act, with no further action required by the General 21
Assembly, shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 22

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 23
1, 2026. 24