UPDATE: National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement

NSLVE UPDATE: March 2026

On February 5, 2026, Tufts University received a letter from the Department of Education raising concerns that the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), which is conducted by Tisch College at Tufts University using de-identified data from the National Student Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse), is not in compliance with the Family and Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA). That same day, the department sent letters to more than 1,000 university presidents advising them not to use any NSLVE report or data until the department had completed its investigation into Tufts and the National Student Clearinghouse.

On February 20, Tufts University sent a detailed response, with documentation, to the department, defending the NSLVE study, its FERPA compliance, and the university’s commitment to civic engagement. At the department’s request, the university will pause release of its upcoming NSLVE reports (analyzing data from the last election cycle), pending conclusion of the investigation.

As Tufts explained in its response to the department, NSLVE is a longitudinal nonpartisan study, that seeks to understand whether students vote, not who they vote for. Since its launch in 2013, NSLVE has offered colleges and universities an opportunity to understand student voting behavior and leverage that understanding to improve educational programs promoting civic learning and engagement. Over 1,100 institutions of higher education, including public and private colleges and universities, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, participated in the last published national report.

Participation in NSLVE is voluntary. Institutions choose to participate by signing a Participation Authorization Form that authorizes limited use of student data already held by the Clearinghouse, to be matched to publicly available voting records by a third-party vendor. After a comprehensive de-identification process conducted by the Clearinghouse, the data are returned to NSLVE for analysis and incorporated into its reports, which are then sent to authorized individuals at participating institutions.

All data received by Tufts from the Clearinghouse are anonymized, and NSLVE’s reports include only de-identified, aggregated data about overall student voting trends. Tufts does not solicit, receive or review any identifying student information and never has access to information about party affiliation or candidate selection.

NSLVE, by design, complies with FERPA. For years, NSLVE has measured student civic participation and shared findings that provide evidence-driven resources to support civic learning and improve instruction on campuses.

Tufts has requested a swift review and conclusion to the investigation and looks forward to resolving this matter with the department. On February 25, while awaiting the department’s response, Tufts learned that the Clearinghouse notified all participating institutions that it was “terminating its Participation Authorization Form” for NSLVE effective thirty (30) days from the date of notification.