Criteria Foreign Schools: Private Sector-For Profit and Not for Profit

1845-0105 – Affected Public – For-Profit Institutions 7/3/2019

This request is to revise the information collection for the requirements in the policies and procedures related to the eligibility of foreign schools to apply to participate in Title IV, HEA programs that were added by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). The HEOA added specific reporting requirements for foreign graduate medical schools and foreign nursing schools in relation to acceptable minimum test scores. These regulations continue the policies to ensure comparability between domestic institutions and foreign institutions regarding academic year definitions for non-degree programs and showing the method used to show that equivalency. And these regulations continue requirements to development and collection of consent forms that students in nursing and graduate medical programs will have to complete to allow the schools to request specified test scores from appropriate testing agencies and to then report those scores to their accrediting agency, and the Department as required. Also the regulations continue the additional reporting by graduate medical schools to their accrediting agencies of any material changes to the education programs offered or changes to the oversight bodies or affiliation agreements with hospitals and clinics. Foreign graduate medical schools are also required to publish all of the languages in which instruction is offered. Finally, burden is noted for the requirement of foreign veterinary schools to provide evidence of accreditation by an accreditor acceptable to the Secretary.

§600.55 – Additional criteria for determining whether a foreign graduate medical school is eligible to apply to participate in the Direct Loan Program.

Regulation §600.55(c)(2) requires a foreign graduate medical school to determine the consent requirements to meet their specific country’s privacy laws and require the necessary consents of all students, who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or eligible permanent residents, that have been accepted for admission to enable the foreign school to comply with the collection and submission requirements in §600.55(d) for Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, residency placement, and U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores.

Section 600.55(d) includes the changes to reporting requirements for foreign graduate medical schools as identified in HEOA Section 102(a)(2)(A)(i).

The regulations in §600.55(d)(1) require a foreign graduate medical school to obtain, at its own expense, and by April 30 of each year submit to its accrediting authority for all students who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or eligible permanent residents: (i) MCAT scores, for those admitted during the preceding award year and the number of times each student took the exam; (ii) the percentage of students graduating during the preceding award year who are placed in an accredited U.S. medical residency; (iii) all USMLE scores earned during the preceding award year, disaggregated by step 1, step 2-CS and step2-CK, by each student and graduate and the date each student took each test, including any failed tests and (iv) a statement of its citizenship rate for the preceding calendar year and the methodology used to obtain the rate. A school would have to submit the data on MCAT scores and placement in an U.S. residency to the Department only upon request, but would be required to submit the USMLE data to the Department by April 30, unless notified by the Department. These changes are required by statutory changes in HEOA section

The regulations at §600.55(e)(2) require a foreign graduate medical school to notify their accrediting body within one year of any material changes in (1) the educational programs, including clinical training programs; and (2) the overseeing bodies and in the formal affiliation agreements with hospitals and clinics.

Finally, the regulations in §600.55(g)(3) require a foreign graduate medical school to publish all the languages in which instruction is offered.

§600.56 – Additional criteria for determining whether a foreign veterinary school is eligible to apply to participate in the Direct Loan Program.

The regulations specify additional Title IV, HEA eligibility criteria for foreign veterinary schools. Effective July 1, 2015, foreign veterinary schools are required to be accredited or provisionally accreditor by an organization deemed acceptable to the Secretary for the purpose of evaluating veterinary programs.

§600.57 – Additional criteria for determining whether a foreign nursing school is eligible to apply to participate in the Direct Loan Program.

This section specifies regulations for foreign nursing schools as identified in HEOA Sections 102(a)(2)(A).

The regulations specify additional Title IV, HEA eligibility criteria for foreign nursing schools. The foreign nursing school eligibility includes, among other items §600.57(a)(6)(i), where the school must determine the consent requirements to meet their specific country’s privacy laws for, and require the necessary consents of, all students accepted for admission who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or eligible permanent residents, to enable the school to comply with the requirements for collection and submission requirements identified in §600.57(a)(6)(ii).

The foreign nursing school eligibility also includes §600.57(a)(6)(ii) where annually, (A) at its own expense, obtain all results on the NCLEX-RN achieved by students and graduates who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or eligible permanent residents, together with the dates the student has taken the examination (including any failed examinations) and provide the results to the Department; or (B) as an alternative to obtaining the NCLEX results individually, the school may obtain a report or reports from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSB), or an NCSB affiliate or NCSB contractor, reflecting the percentage of the school’s students and graduates taking the NCLEX-RN in the preceding year who passed the examination, or the data from which the percentage could be derived, and provide the report to the Department.

The burden hours calculated below include time for reviewing the regulations; for determining the method and means to incorporate any changes; develop or update systems and forms and formats for gathering the required information; and to prepare any required reports. The burden is all related to reporting.

TOTALS

Responses 11,013

Respondents 7

Burden Hours 5,513