2007 Minnesota Statutes

136A.65 APPROVAL OF DEGREES AND NAME.
    Subdivision 1. Prohibition. No school subject to registration shall grant a degree unless such
degree and its underlying curriculum are approved by the office, nor shall any school subject to
registration use the name "college," "academy," "institute" or "university" in its name without
approval by the office.
    Subd. 1a. Accreditation; requirement. A school must not be registered or authorized to
offer any degree at any level unless the school is accredited by an agency recognized by the
United States Department of Education for purposes of eligibility to participate in Title IV federal
financial aid programs. Any registered school undergoing institutional accreditation shall inform
the office of site visits by the accrediting agency and provide office staff the opportunity to attend
the visits, including any exit interviews. The institution must provide the office with a copy of
the final report upon receipt.
    Subd. 2. Procedures. The office shall establish procedures for approval, including notice and
an opportunity for a hearing pursuant to chapter 14 if such approval is not granted. If a hearing is
requested, no disapproval shall take effect until after such hearing.
    Subd. 3. Application. A school subject to registration shall be granted approval to use the
term "college," "academy," "institute," or "university" in its name if it was organized, operating,
and using such term in its name on or before August 1, 2007, and if it meets the other policies and
standards for approval established by the office.
    Subd. 4. Criteria for approval. (a) A school applying to be registered and to have its degree
or degrees and name approved must substantially meet the following criteria:
    (1) the school has an organizational framework with administrative and teaching personnel
to provide the educational programs offered;
    (2) the school has financial resources sufficient to meet the school's financial obligations,
including refunding tuition and other charges consistent with its stated policy if the institution is
dissolved, or if claims for refunds are made, to provide service to the students as promised, and to
provide educational programs leading to degrees as offered;
    (3) the school operates in conformity with generally accepted budgeting and accounting
principles;
    (4) the school provides an educational program leading to the degree it offers;
    (5) the school provides appropriate and accessible library, laboratory, and other physical
facilities to support the educational program offered;
    (6) the school has a policy on freedom or limitation of expression and inquiry for faculty and
students which is published or available on request;
    (7) the school uses only publications and advertisements which are truthful and do not give
any false, fraudulent, deceptive, inaccurate, or misleading impressions about the school, its
personnel, programs, services, or occupational opportunities for its graduates for promotion and
student recruitment;
    (8) the school's compensated recruiting agents who are operating in Minnesota identify
themselves as agents of the school when talking to or corresponding with students and prospective
students; and
    (9) the school provides information to students and prospective students concerning:
    (i) comprehensive and accurate policies relating to student admission, evaluation,
suspension, and dismissal;
    (ii) clear and accurate policies relating to granting credit for prior education, training, and
experience and for courses offered by the school;
    (iii) current schedules of fees, charges for tuition, required supplies, student activities,
housing, and all other standard charges;
    (iv) policies regarding refunds and adjustments for withdrawal or modification of enrollment
status; and
    (v) procedures and standards used for selection of recipients and the terms of payment
and repayment for any financial aid program.
    (b) An application for degree approval must also include:
    (i) title of degree and formal recognition awarded;
    (ii) location where such degree will be offered;
    (iii) proposed implementation date of the degree;
    (iv) admissions requirements for the degree;
    (v) length of the degree;
    (vi) projected enrollment for a period of five years;
    (vii) the curriculum required for the degree, including course syllabi or outlines;
    (viii) statement of academic and administrative mechanisms planned for monitoring the
quality of the proposed degree;
    (ix) statement of satisfaction of professional licensure criteria, if applicable;
    (x) documentation of the availability of clinical, internship, externship, or practicum sites, if
applicable; and
    (xi) statement of how the degree fulfills the institution's mission and goals, complements
existing degrees, and contributes to the school's viability.
    Subd. 5. Requirements for degree approval. For each degree a school offers to a student,
where the student does not leave Minnesota for the major portion of the program or course
leading to the degree, the school must have:
    (1) qualified teaching personnel to provide the educational programs for each degree for
which approval is sought;
    (2) appropriate educational programs leading to each degree for which approval is sought;
    (3) appropriate and accessible library, laboratory, and other physical facilities to support the
educational program for each degree for which approval is sought; and
    (4) a rationale showing that degree programs are consistent with the school's mission and
goals.
    Subd. 6. Name. A school may use the term "academy" or "institute" in its name without
meeting any additional requirements. A school may use the term "college" in its name if it offers
at least one program leading to an associate degree. A school may use the term "university" in its
name if it offers at least one program leading to a master's or doctorate degree.
    Subd. 7. Conditional approval. The office may grant conditional approval for a degree or
use of a term in its name for a period of less than one year if doing so would be in the best
interests of currently enrolled students or prospective students.
    Subd. 8. Disapproval of registration appeal. (a) If a school's degree or use of a term
in its name is disapproved by the office, the school may request a hearing under chapter 14.
The request must be in writing and made to the office within 30 days of the date the school is
notified of the disapproval.
    (b) The office may refuse to renew, revoke, or suspend registration, approval of a school's
degree, or use of a regulated term in its name by giving written notice and reasons to the school.
The school may request a hearing under chapter 14. If a hearing is requested, no revocation or
suspension shall take effect until after the hearing.
    (c) Reasons for revocation or suspension of registration or approval may be for one or more
of the following reasons:
    (1) violating the provisions of sections 136A.61 to 136A.71;
    (2) providing false, misleading, or incomplete information to the office;
    (3) presenting information about the school which is false, fraudulent, misleading, deceptive,
or inaccurate in a material respect to students or prospective students; or
    (4) refusing to allow reasonable inspection or to supply reasonable information after a
written request by the office has been received.
History: 1975 c 201 s 5; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1978 c 603 s 5; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1995 c 212 art 3
s 59; 2007 c 144 art 3 s 8