Responses Last Confirmed:

Connecticut Office of Higher Education

Agency Contact

Sean Seepersad
(860) 947-1837
sean.seepersad@ct.gov

Additional Contact

Emily Bjornberg
(860) 947-1824

Secretary of State Contact

Stephanie Thomas
860-509-6200
Stephanie.Thomas@ct.gov
Topic

1: Important Agency Information to Note

a.
Provide any important information about your agency.

The Office of Higher Education seeks to advance the promise of postsecondary education for all state residents, and to advocate on behalf of students, taxpayers, and the postsecondary schools and colleges which fall under its purview. The Office carries out its mission by assuring that students have access to postsecondary institutions which meet the highest standards of academic quality, by administering the state’s student financial aid programs, and by serving as an information and consumer protection resource.

Key state responsibilities, in addition to student financial aid administration, include the licensure and accreditation of Connecticut’s independent colleges and universities (programmatic and institutional; non-profit and for-profit), licensure of in-state academic programs offered by out-of-state institutions, regulation of more than 150 postsecondary career schools and operation of the Alternate Route to Certification. The Office also serves as the portal agency in the administration of CT-SARA. Major federal responsibilities include AmeriCorps and Veterans Program Approval.

Topic

2: Types of Educational Providers Authorized

a.
Indicate the types of institutions that your agency authorizes. Please provide a short explanation of any ambiguity in the comment section below.

_____    Public, in-state degree granting institutions
__X__    Public, out-of-state degree granting institutions                
__X__    Private, in-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__    Private, out-of-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions  
__X__    Private, in-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__    Private, out-of-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
_____    Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
_____    Public, out-of-state, non-degree granting institutions
__X__    Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
__X__    Non-degree, for-profit institutions
__X__    Religious institutions
_____    Tribally-controlled institutions
_____    Federal Institutions
_____    Municipal institutions

b.
Does your agency authorize specific academic programs offered by institutions, only institutions themselves, or both?

____ Institution   _____ Program   __X___ Both

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

3: Accreditation

a.
Is accreditation required for an institution to be authorized in your state?

Yes

b.
If yes, please check all that apply as appropriate.

Accreditation Required for:
__X_ Public, out-of-state degree granting institutions
____ Private, in-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
__X_ Private, out-of-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, in-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
__X_ Private, out-of-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
____ Public, out-of-state, non-degree granting institutions
____ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
____ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
____ Religious institutions
____ Tribally-controlled institutions
____ Federal Institutions
____ Municipal institutions

c.
Clarifying comments:

Out of state institutions need to be regionally or nationally accredited. In-state institutions need at a minimum to be state accredited to grant degrees.

Topic

4: Exemptions

a.
Are certain institutions or programs exempt by law or policy from your state authorization requirements?
b.
If yes, for what types of institutions? Which types of programs?

No response provided

c.
Web link for exemptions.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

5: Authorization of Distance Education

a.
Does your agency require purely online programs offered by out-of-state institutions to be authorized without regard to physical presence?

Yes

b.
If not, does your agency determine whether an institution must be authorized based on a physical presence (“operating”) standard?

No response provided

c.
Does your agency require correspondence study programs to be authorized without regard to physical presence?

Yes

Topic

6: Physical Presence Policy

a.
If your agency uses a physical presence standard, how does your agency define physical presence?

No response provided

b.
Web link for physical presence definition.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

7: Student Complaints - SARA Participating Institutions

a.
Please describe the process for handling complaints about SARA participating Institutions.
b.
Is the process handled all within your agency or do you divide consumer protection and student complaint duties dependent on the type of institution (Public, Private, Technical, etc.)?

For SARA institutions it is handled by OHE.

c.
Web link for student complaints – SARA participating institutions.
d.
Who is the contact person at your agency for receiving complaints?
  • Contact Name: Emily Bjornberg
  • Title: Senior Consultant, Academic Affairs
  • Agency: Connecticut Office of Higher Education
  • Address: 450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 707, Hartford, CT 06103
  • Email: emily.bjornberg@ct.gov
  • Phone: (860) 947-1824
e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

8: Student Complaints - Non-SARA Participating Institutions

a.
Please describe the process for handling complaints about out-of-state postsecondary institutions or programs?

No response provided

b.
Is the process handled all within your agency or do you divide consumer protection and student complaint duties dependent on the type of institution (Public, Private, Technical, etc.)?

OHE handles students complaints for out-of-state, non-SARA institutions.

c.
Does this complaint process extend to institutions not authorized by the agency that may enroll residents of the state (such as explicitly distance education programs with no physical presence or exempt institutions)?

Yes.

d.
Who is the contact person at your agency for receiving complaints?
  • Contact Name: Emily Bjornberg
  • Title: Senior Consultant, Academic Affairs
  • Agency: Connecticut Office of Higher Education
  • Address: 450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 707, Hartford, CT 06103
  • Email: emily.bjornberg@ct.gov
  • Phone: (860) 947-1824
e.
Web link for the complaint form.
Topic

9: Surety Bonds

a.
Does your state require a Surety Bond for authorized out-of-state institutions?

No

b.
Web link for surety bonds.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

10: Tuition Refund Policy

a.
Does your state have a Tuition Refund Policy Requirement?

Yes, for postsecondary occupational schools/private, non-degree institutions

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

No response provided

c.
Web link for tuition refund policy.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

11: Student Tuition Recovery Fund

a.
Does your state have a Student Tuition Recovery Fund (or similar fund for school closure)?

Yes

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

Yes, for postsecondary occupational schools/private, non-degree institutions

c.
Web link for student tuition recovery fund.
d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

12: Reporting

a.
What kinds of information or data must an institution report to your agency as a condition for continued out-of-state authorization?

Institutions are required to register with the state on a yearly basis.

b.
How frequently do institutions report data?

No response provided

c.
Is this information published or shared publicly?

Yes.  On the OHE website.

e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

13: Enforcement

a.
What are possible consequences of institutional non-compliance?

Loss of authorization.

b.
Web link for enforcement information.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

14: Application Process

a.
Please provide a short description of the application process to obtain state authorization.

No response provided

b.
Web link for application.

Applications for postsecondary institutions with a physical presence: Private Occupational & Hospital-Based Schools (ct.gov)

Applications for non-SARA out-of-state, online institutions (no physical presence): Out-Of-State Online Authorization (ct.gov)

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

15: Fees Associated with Authorization

a.
Is there an application fee associated with the authorization process?

There are no application fees associated with institutions of higher education with a physical presence. There are application fees associated with non-degree, occupational schools and for non-SARA out-of-state online institutions.

b.
If yes, what is the fee or fee schedule?

Application Fee New Schools: $2,000; New Branch: $200
Annual Fee: $200 per school, $200 per branch
Renewal of Authorization: $200 per school, $200 per branch
Change of Location: No Fee
Quarterly Payments into the Student Protection Account: .004% of Net Quarterly Tuition Revenue
Change of Ownership: Application Fee $2,000; Each Branch: $200
Annual Out-of-State School Representative Fee $500

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

16: Records Retention

a.
When a school closes, what is the process your state uses to ensure that transcripts/records are kept available?

Institutions of higher education would consult without agency before closing the school to ensure students have access to transcripts. For postsecondary occupational schools, the agency keeps the transcripts/records if they school opts not to do so.

b.
From what agency do students request their transcripts/records from a closed school?
c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

17: Additional Information

a.
Is there anything else about the authorization process in your state that we and others ought to know about?

No response provided