State Authorization - Accreditation

1845-0144 – Affected Public – State, Local or Tribal Governments 10/1/2019

The Department of Education (the Department) amends the Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended regulations to implement changes to §600.9 – State Authorization. These final regulations are a result of negotiated rulemaking in early 2019 and will add new requirements to the current regulations.

The final regulations in §600.9(c)(2)(i) will require an institution to determine in which State a student is located while enrolled in a distance education or correspondence course when the institution participates in a State authorization reciprocity agreement under which it is covered in accordance with the institution’s policies and procedures. The institution must make such determinations consistently and apply them to all students.

The final regulations in §600.9(c)(2)(ii) will require an institution, upon request from the Secretary, provide the written documentation of its determination of a student’s location, including the basis for such determination.

For the final regulations in §600.9(c)(2)(i), we estimate that, on average, an institutions will need 30 minutes to update its policies and procedures manual to ensure consistent location determinations for distance education and correspondence course students.

Affected entity # of Respondents # of Responses Hrs/Response Total Burden

Public Institutions 1,860 1,860 X .5 hours 930 hours

For the final regulations in §600.9(c)(2)(ii), we estimate that, on average, an institutions will need 30 minutes provide the Secretary, upon request, with written documentation from its policies and procedures manual of its method of determination of a student’s location, including the basis for such determination. We estimate that no more than five percent of institutions will be required to provide written documentation to the Secretary regarding the basis for the institutions’ determination of a State location.

Affected entity # of Respondents # of Responses Hrs/Response Total Burden

Public Institutions 1,860 x5% 93 X .5 hours 47 hours

TOTALS

Responses 1,953

Respondents 1,860

Burden Hours 977