Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has released an outline of his higher-education policy.

His plan sets out six broad goals:

Preparing for “the 21st century in higher education” by removing regulatory barriers that he says prevent institutions from moving forward with new ideas and by encouraging the government to support innovative approaches to education. “We must rise to the challenge and modernize our universities so that they retain their status as producers of the most skilled work force in the world,” Senator McCain’s plan reads.

Providing parents better information about colleges by making the data that institutions report to the federal government available in a “clear and concise manner” so that students can make more-informed choices about where to go to college.

Simplifying the higher-education tax benefits, to make it easier for more families to claim them.

Simplifying the process for applying for and administering federal financial aid by consolidating government programs.

Eliminating government spending that lawmakers earmark, through noncompetitive processes, for particular research projects.

Fixing problems in student lending by expanding the government’s “lender of last resort” system, in which the federal government makes sure students can find loans if a loan emergency were declared, and by demanding “the highest standard of integrity” for private lenders that participate in the federal system. —Sara Hebel