Tufts University has paused publication of its widely used National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement reports after the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into whether the project’s data-matching practices violate federal student privacy law. The department has also warned participating colleges that using new NSLVE data could put their federal funding at risk.
Tufts University has suspended the release of institution-level reports from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), a long-running effort that provides participating colleges with data on student voter registration and turnout.
The pause follows a February 5, 2026 action by the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO), which said it opened investigations into Tufts and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to determine whether NSLVE’s data practices have led to violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). (ed.gov)
In its February 5 press release, the department said it acted after “multiple reports” alleged that compiling NSLVE data involves illegally sharing students’ information with third parties, including political organizations, in ways intended to influence elections. The department did not identify the complainants or provide specific examples in that announcement. (ed.gov)
At the same time, SPPO issued a “Dear President” technical-assistance letter to higher-education leaders that describes NSLVE as encompassing data from “over 1,000” U.S. colleges and universities and advises institutions planning to use any NSLVE report or data “this year” to wait until the department completes its investigations. The letter warns that institutions using NSLVE data released in 2026 “could be at risk” of being found in violation of FERPA and outlines potential enforcement tools available to the department under FERPA, including withholding further payments and recovering funds. (studentprivacy.ed.gov)
The department’s letter also lays out its concerns about how NSLVE data is assembled. It says NSLVE relies on student data provided via the National Student Clearinghouse and describes reports that third-party vendors provide public voter registration and voting records for NSLVE’s matching process. The letter states the resulting information is understood to include whether a person registered and voted, and other voting-record details such as method and location, but not vote choice. (studentprivacy.ed.gov)
The Education Department argues that combining directory information with non-directory information can create records that cannot be disclosed without student consent, and it says that—based on its preliminary analysis—NSLVE “does not comply” with the requirements of FERPA’s studies exception. (studentprivacy.ed.gov)
Conservative policy group America First Policy Institute praised the Education Department’s action in a statement supporting the investigations, framing them as steps to protect student data and election integrity. (americafirstpolicy.com)
