Colorado Department of Higher Education
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1: Important Agency Information to Note
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2: Types of Educational Providers Authorized
_____ 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
_____ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
_____ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
__X__ Religious institutions
_____ Tribally-controlled institutions
_____ Federal Institutions
_____ Municipal institutions
__X__ Institution _____ Program ___X__ Both (for educator preparation programs only)
The selected institutions fall under the purview of the Office of Private Postsecondary Education. The Colorado Department of Higher Education oversees public, in-state institutions and the Division of Private Occupational Schools oversees the vocational and non-degree schools in the state.
3: Accreditation
Yes; private colleges/universities require accreditation but religious training institutions are not required to hold accreditation but there are limitations on what these institutions can offer.
Accreditation Required for:
__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
_____ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
_____ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
_____ Religious institutions
_____ Tribally-controlled institutions
_____ Federal Institutions
_____ Municipal institutions
Accreditation is required for authorization under the Degree Authorization Act for private colleges and universities. The authorization for Religious Training Institutions is different than from the process for private colleges and universities; the CO Department of Higher Education nor the CO Commission on Higher Education do not make evaluative statement regarding the administration, faculty, business practice, or quality of the offerings by these institutions. The Division of Private Occupational Schools does not require accreditation for approval unless the school offers Associate level degree programs.
4: Exemptions
The Colorado Office of Private Postsecondary Education does not offer exemptions; institutions are either required to seek authorization because they meet the criteria or they do not based on presence. Institutions must seek authorization if they establish a presence in Colorado to offer degrees or credits that may be applied toward a degree.
Authorization is not required for institutions that do not meet any of the physical presence criteria found on page 6 of the policy.
See physical presence definition - https://cdhe.colorado.gov/sites/highered/files/2020-2021%20Policy%20Amendments.pdf.
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5: Authorization of Distance Education
No
Yes
No
We utilize the physical presence definition as defined in the SARA manual.
6: Physical Presence Policy
See definition in policy (page 6).
Found on page 6&7, in the definition of physical presence.
7: Student Complaints - SARA Participating Institutions
The SPE will contact the institution to determine if the student has exhausted the institutional grievance procedure published for its students. The complaint is reviewed to ensure it is warranted and alleges a violation of the C-RAC guidelines.
The process is the same but the complaints are divided among staff members of the various sectors: public, private degree-granting, and private occupational.
- Contact Name: Heather DeLange
- Title: Director, Office of Private Postsecondary Education
- Agency: Colorado Department of Higher Education
- Address: 1600 Broadway, Suite 2200 Denver, CO 80202
- Email: Heather.delange@dhe.state.co.us
- Phone: 303-862-3001
All information is same as above.
8: Student Complaints - Non-SARA Participating Institutions
Complaints are farmed out to the appropriate division within the department for review. For the private degree granting institutions, students must have exhausted all grievance avenues available at the institution prior to coming to our department. Statutorily, we have authority to investigate claims of deceptive practice only.
The complaints are divided up based on the type of institution and even down to the specific program, in some cases (i.e., educator preparation).
Yes, but there is a slightly different process. Students enrolled in out-of-state institutions through online instruction may submit a comment to our website specific to the issue they are having and we will work with the home state of the institution for resolution.
Contact Name: Heather DeLange
Title: Director, Office of Private Postsecondary Education
Agency: Colorado Department of Higher Education
Address: 1600 Broadway, Suite 2200 Denver, CO 80202
Email: Heather.delange@dhe.state.co.us
Phone: 303-862-3001
URL:
Only for the authorized institutions under the degree authorization act. Public institutions have a different staff member as do the private occupational schools.
9: Surety Bonds
Yes but the department only got authorization for surety bonds in 2012. Meaning only new institutions to Colorado since 2012 have been required to post a bond.
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10: Tuition Refund Policy
No
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11: Student Tuition Recovery Fund
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12: Reporting
At a minimum, institutions must report enrollment and degrees granted on an annual basis. Those institutions that have approved educator preparation programs or those that participate in state financial aid submit data to the respective files.
One submission in February for enrollments from the previous calendar year and one submission in August for degrees granted.
I don’t think so.
Institutions receive a reminder email to submit their data a month or two before the deadline.
13: Enforcement
https://cdhe.colorado.gov/sites/highered/files/CCHE%20Policy%20Section%20I%2C%20Part%20J%20May%202022.pdf
Non-compliant institutions may face a probationary authorization or revocation of authorization.
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14: Application Process
Institutions must demonstrate compliance with applicable statute and policy through documentation. The review is a paper based review conducted by an external evaluation team hired by me and paid for with the application fee. The team assesses the institution’s compliance with Colorado standards and applicable accreditation criteria and then provides a recommendation on whether the institution should receive authorization.
There is not an application, per se. The requirements/criteria are found in policy and the institution should tailor the documentation to the listed criteria in the policy.
15: Fees Associated with Authorization
Yes
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16: Records Retention
If the institution still maintains hard copy transcripts, we collect the transcripts from the institution. Ideally, the institution has all transcripts in electronic form which we then maintain on our server. Additionally, we may send copies of the records along to a third party vendor, Parchment, for fulfillment requests.
- Colorado Department of Higher Education or Parchment (all info is on CDHE’s website)
- Heather DeLange
- 303-862-3001
- 1600 Broadway, Suite 2200 Denver, CO 80202
- questions@dhe.state.co.us
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https://cdhe.colorado.gov/students/post-college/transcript-requests
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17: Additional Information
There are two divisions that oversee all institutions that are not Colorado public institutions. We have the Division of Occupational Schools; these schools offer diplomas, certificate programs, and associate level programs only.
The Office of Private Postsecondary Education oversees institutions that predominantly serve students at the baccalaureate level and higher.