Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 1 - TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD › Chapter 7 - DEGREE GRANTING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OTHER THAN TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS › Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 7.7 - Institutions Accredited by Board-Recognized Accreditors

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
An institution which does not meet the definition of an
					 institution of higher education contained in Texas Education Code §
										61.003, is accredited
					 by a Board-recognized accreditor, and is interested in offering degrees or
					 courses leading to degrees in the State of Texas is subject to the restriction
					 on professional degrees in paragraph (1) of this section and must follow the
					 requirements in paragraphs (2) - (5) of this section.
(1) Restriction on Professional Degrees. The
				  Board may not approve the issuance of a Certificate of Authorization for an
				  exempt institution to grant a professional degree, as defined in §
										7.3 of
				  this title (relating to Definitions), or to represent that credits earned in
				  this state are applicable toward a professional degree except to the extent
				  allowed for an authorized institution operating under a State Authorization
				  Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).
(2)
				  Authorization to Offer Degrees or Courses Leading to Degrees in Texas.
(A) Each institution and/or campus location
				  must submit an application for a Certificate of Authorization to offer
				  degree(s) or courses leading to degrees in Texas. The application form for the
				  Certificate of Authorization may be found on the Board's website. The
				  application must contain the following information:
(i) Name of the institution;
(ii) Physical location of campus, or in the
				  case of only providing clinicals or internships in Texas, the physical location
				  of all clinical or internship sites, number of students in clinicals or
				  internships and start and end date of clinicals or internships;
(iii) Name and contact information of the
				  Chief Administrative Officer of the campus and name and contact information of
				  the designated Single Point of Contact as defined in §
												7.3 of
				  this chapter (relating to Definitions). In the case of an application based on
				  clinicals or internships, name and contact information of clinical or
				  internship site supervisors;
(iv)
				  Name of Board-recognized accreditor;
(v) Level of degree, degree program name, and
				  CIP code as authorized by the Board-recognized accreditor;
(vi) Documentation of notification to
				  students and potential students of any program which does not make the graduate
				  eligible to take required professional examinations in that field or to
				  practice regulated professions in that field in Texas;
(vii) Dates of accreditation granted by the
				  Board-recognized accreditor.
(I) If the
				  institution or a location in Texas is currently subject to a negative or
				  adverse action by its Board-recognized accreditor which has not resulted in a
				  sanction, the institution must provide documentation explaining the reasons for
				  the action and actions taken to reverse the negative or adverse
				  action.
(II) If the institution or
				  a location in Texas is currently subject to a sanction by its Board-recognized
				  accreditor, the institution must provide documentation explaining the reasons
				  for the action and actions taken to comply with the accrediting agency's
				  standards or criteria, including a timeline for returning to compliance, in
				  order to maintain accreditation.
(III) If the institution applies based on
				  accreditation of its main campus while seeking final approval for the new
				  Texas-based campus from its Board-recognized accreditor and the Texas Workforce
				  Commission, the institution must provide documentation from its accreditor
				  acknowledging that a decision on campus accreditation can be made within
				  fifteen (15) months of the issuance of a provisional Certificate of
				  Authorization.
(viii)
				  Acknowledgement of student complaint procedure, compliance with the
				  institutional accrediting agency's standards for operation of institutions,
				  annual review reporting requirements, substantive change notification, and
				  student data reporting requirements contained in this section, §§
												1.110-
				  1.120
				  of this title (relating to Student Complaint Procedure), §
												7.4
				  of this chapter (relating to Standards for Operation of Institutions), §
												7.11
				  of this chapter (relating to Changes of Ownership and Other Substantive
				  Changes), and §
												7.13 of
				  this chapter (relating to Student Data Reporting), respectively;
(ix) Texas Workforce Commission Certificate
				  of Approval or a Texas Workforce Commission exemption or exclusion from Texas
				  Education Code, Chapter 132;
(x)
				  Disclosure of most recent United States Department of Education financial
				  responsibility composite score, including applicable academic year for score.
				  If the institution has a score under 1.5, the institution must provide
				  documentation of all actions taken since date of calculation to raise the
				  score.
(xi) Documentation of
				  reserves, lines of credit, or surety instruments that, when combined with
				  tuition and fee receipts, are sufficient to allow the institution to fulfill
				  its educational obligations for the current term to its enrolled students if
				  the institution is unable to continue to provide instruction to its enrolled
				  students for any reason. Such documentation must meet requirements as defined
				  in § 7.16 of this subchapter (relating to Financial Protections for
				  Student Tuition and Fees).