New rules for institutions providing distance education
have been proposed by the Department of Education, that would require those schools
to get authorization in each state in which they wanted to market their online
programs to students.
Institutions already have to have state authorization
in the states where they are located, but there are no federal requirements
when instruction is being offered to students outside of that state.
“These proposed regulations achieve an important
balance between accountability and flexibility, and, in so doing, create better
protections for students and taxpayers,” U.S. Undersecretary of Education Ted
Mitchell said in a press release.
“Additionally, these regulations promote and clarify state authorization
procedures, further strengthening the integrity of federal financial aid
programs.”
The proposed rules don’t require schools to acquire program
accreditation in all states where they want to do business and the disclosure
form could be buried in the enrollment contract, according to a report in eCampus News. The student’s home state was also not given authority to
resolve consumer complaints, prompting a call to make that state power clear
from the Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports.
“Some
for-profit career colleges have a history of enrolling students in online courses
that mire them in debt without providing the education they need to get a
license in the state where they live,” said Suzanne Martindale, staff attorney
for Consumers Union. “The Department of Education should strengthen its
proposal by requiring accreditation for all specific programs offered to ensure
students aren’t pushed into signing up for programs that won’t meet their
needs.”
