173.604. Minimum standards for certification of proprietary school — out-of-state applicants.

735 words·~3 min read·/mo/chapter-173/173-604

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173.604. Minimum standards for certification of proprietary school — out-of-state applicants. — 1. The board shall issue certificates of approval to proprietary schools that meet the minimum standards established pursuant to the provisions of sections 173.600 to 173.618 .

2. Minimum standards for proprietary schools shall be established in the rules and regulations and shall require that:

(1)Educational and experience qualifications of directors, administrators, and instructors are adequate for students to receive training consistent with the published objectives of the course or program of study;

(2)The course, curriculum and instruction are of adequate level, content, and duration to achieve the published objectives for which they are offered;

(3)The school has adequate facilities and equipment to train, instruct or educate the number of students enrolled or proposed to be enrolled;

(4)The school has a sound financial structure with sufficient resources for its continued operation;

(5)The following shall be available in writing to each student: course outline, course objective, schedule of tuition, fees and other charges, cancellation and refund policy, appropriate financial aid information, regulations pertaining to absence, student evaluation, and student conduct;

(6)The school shall have a fair and equitable refund policy for the refund of the unused portion of tuition, fees, and other charges in the event that a student enrolled in the school fails to begin a course, withdraws, or is discontinued therefrom at any time prior to completion;

(7)Satisfactory standards relating to attendance, progress, and conduct are established and enforced by the school;

(8)Upon satisfactory completion of training, the student is given a certificate, diploma, or degree by the school indicating completion of the course or courses;

(9)No earned certificate or degree may be given, awarded, or granted solely on the basis of payment of tuition or fee, credit earned at another school or schools, on the basis of credit for life experience or other equivalency, on the basis of testing out, on the basis of research and writing, or solely on the basis of any combination of these factors. No honorary degree may be given, awarded, or granted by any school which does not give, award, or grant an earned degree and no fee or other charge may be assessed for giving, awarding, or granting an honorary degree;

(10)No school, whether certified or exempted, may advertise as having a Missouri presence or use a Missouri address on its letterhead in the absence of that school conducting an actual instructional activity in this state;

(11)The school or its agents do not utilize advertising of any type which is untrue, deceptive, or misleading. The name of the school shall appear in all media advertising;

(12)The school or its agents do not sell or offer to sell material or service by written, visual, or oral misrepresentation;

(13)Adequate financial and academic records are maintained;

(14)The school is maintained and operated in compliance with all pertinent ordinances and laws relative to the safety and health of all persons on the premises;

(15)Governmental student financial aid, including both grants and loans, awarded through or by the school shall be administered in compliance with all applicable law and regulations;

(16)Provisions are made by the school to file student transcripts and all other student records as specified in the rules and regulations with a repository approved by the board should the school terminate its operations. Failure to comply with this subdivision in the event of a school terminating operations shall result in forfeiture of the security deposit as required by section 173.612 .

3. The board shall accept accreditation by national or regional accrediting agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education as evidence of partial or complete compliance with standards established by the board pursuant to this section. Such acceptance shall be on a school-by-school basis.

4. The board may dispense with investigation of an out-of-state applicant and may grant a certificate of approval upon payment of the required fees, provided that in the board's judgment, requirements for approval in the state, territory, or District of Columbia are substantially equal to those in force in Missouri at the time application for approval is filed and upon due proof that such applicant has continually operated a proprietary school for two years, and holds a current license in the other state.

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(L. 1983 H.B. 560 § 6, A.L. 1991 H.B. 51, et al.)