Current law requires a private college or university operating in the
state to be institutionally accredited on the basis of an on-site review by a regional or national accrediting body recognized by the United States department of education (DOE). The bill allows private colleges and universities and private occupational schools to be accredited by:
•
Institutional accrediting bodies recognized by the DOE or
by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); or
•
Programmatic accrediting bodies that may accredit freestanding, single-purpose institutions.
If an institution intends to seek institutional accreditation from a programmatic accrediting body, the scope of such recognition must reflect the accrediting body's ability, as recognized by the DOE or the CHEA, to accredit a freestanding, single-purpose institution.
The bill states it is a deceptive trade or sales practice for a private
occupational school to advertise or otherwise represent that it is accredited unless the school is accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the DOE or the CHEA.
The bill allows an educational institution or educational service
that is exempt from the requirements of the Private Occupational Education Act of 1981 to waive its exempt status in order to apply for authorization to operate a private occupational school, subject to certain conditions.
