Responses Last Confirmed:

Idaho State Board of Education

Agency Contact

Tamara Baysinger
208-332-1587
tamara.baysinger@osbe.idaho.gov

Additional Contact

Secretary of State Contact

Lawerence Denney
208-334-2300
ldenney@sos.idaho.gov
Topic

1: Important Agency Information to Note

a.
Provide any important information about your agency.

No response provided

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.

__X__    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
__X__    Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
__X__    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?

__X__ Institution   _____ Program   _____ Both

c.
Clarifying comments:

Unless exempted by statute or this rule, a postsecondary educational institution which maintains a presence within the state of Idaho, or that operates or purports to operate from a location within the state of Idaho, shall register and hold a valid certificate of registration issued by the Board. An institution shall not conduct, provide, offer, or sell a course or courses of study, or degree unless registered.

Courses or courses of study must follow applicable trade or occupational board training curriculum standards, and may require additional programmatic accreditation.

Topic

3: Accreditation

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

Yes, Degree granting institutions must be fully accredited, by a Board recognized accrediting organization. (full institution accreditation).

Non-accredited institutions cannot grant degrees and must operate as non-degree granting institution.

Accreditation is not required for non-degree granting institutions; have surety bond requirement.

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

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
__X__ Religious institutions (if degree-granting)
_____ Tribally-controlled institutions
_____ Federal Institutions
_____ Municipal institutions

c.
Clarifying comments:

The Board recognizes the regional and national accreditation organizations that are recognized by and in good standing with the United States Department of Education, and which accredit entire colleges or universities, and which do not accredit only courses or courses of study (such as specialized accreditation organizations).

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?

Institutions with no physical presence in Idaho. Certain private, non-profit, specifically-named institutions that are grandfathered from before the registration requirement went into effect.

c.
Web link for exemptions.

See above

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?

No; however, institution activity/clinicals within the state, can trigger physical presence and require registration.

b.
If not, does your agency determine whether an institution must be authorized based on a physical presence (“operating”) standard?
c.
Does your agency require correspondence study programs to be authorized without regard to physical presence?

Determined by physical presence.

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

6: Physical Presence Policy

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

An institution shall be deemed to have a presence in Idaho, or to be operating or purporting to be operating from a location within the state of Idaho, if it owns, rents, leases, or uses any office or other type of physical location in Idaho, including a mailing or shipping center, or if it represents in any way, such as on an electronic or Internet website, to have an Idaho street or mailing address, including a post office box in Idaho, for purposes of conducting, providing, offering or selling a course or courses of study or degrees.

b.
Web link for physical presence definition.

https://adminrules.idaho.gov/rules/current/08/080111.pdf

IDAPA 08.01.11.200.03

IDAPA 08.01.11.300.03

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.)?
d.
Who is the contact person at your agency for receiving complaints?

Contact Name: Tamara Baysinger
Title: State Authorization Program Manager
Agency: Office of State Board of Education
Address: 650 W State Street, Suite 307, Boise, ID 83720
Email: tamara.baysinger@osbe.idaho.gov
Phone: 208-332-1587
URL: https://boardofed.idaho.gov/higher-education-private/private-colleges-degree-granting/state-authorization-reciprocity-agreement-sara/complaint-procedures/

e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

8: Student Complaints - Non-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.)?
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)?

No – distance education with no physical presence.

Yes – exempt institutions with physical presence.

d.
Who is the contact person at your agency for receiving complaints?

No response provided

Contact Name:
Title:
Agency:
Address:
Email:
Phone:
URL:

f.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

9: Surety Bonds

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

No, but proprietary schools are required to commit to teaching out or refunding students if the schools are unable to fulfill their obligations to students.

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)?

No

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

No response provided

c.
Web link for student tuition recovery fund.

No response provided

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?

Refer to registration form.

b.
How frequently do institutions report data?

annually

c.
Is this information published or shared publicly?

Public information, with certain exceptions pursuant to public records law

d.
Web link for reporting.

No response provided

e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

13: Enforcement

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.

See application forms

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

15: Fees Associated with Authorization

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

Defined in IDAPA 08.01.11 and registration form.

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

No response provided

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?

No regulations

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

No response provided

Agency Name:
Contact Person:
Contact Phone:
Contact Address:
Contact Email:
Contact website:

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