The Office of Higher Education will provide the school with a renewal application package 180 days before the schools recent certificate of authorization expires. This package will include an application copies of laws and regulations and financial requirements.
The school must submit an application to the Office of Higher Education along with the necessary renewal fees ($200 per school and $200 per branch) at least 120 days prior to the expiration date of its most recent certificate of authorization.
The Office of Higher Education will review the application to ensure that all conditions from the authorization are met. Additionally documentation confirming that the school has achieved a passing financial ratio score as required by 34 CFR 668 (subject to amendments) must be submitted to the Executive Director of the Office of Higher Education.
As per Section 10a 22k 4 in the Regulations of State Agencies an evaluation visit will be conducted by representatives from the Office of Higher Education. Please refer to Section 10a 22k 5 in those regulations for details on evaluation criteria used during this visit.
Following this visit the chairperson of the evaluation team will submit a report based on their findings. The report will also include recommendations, for any improvements.
Once the necessary corrections have been made and evidence of these corrections has been provided a recommendation for authorization or non authorization will be submitted to the Executive Director of the Office of Higher Education.
With the exception of visits, accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will be considered satisfactory for meeting the requirements outlined in Sections 10a 22b and 10a 22d of Connecticuts General Statutes, including evaluation requirements. The Executive Director may choose not to rely on accreditation only if reasonable cause is found.
As part of all renewal accreditation visits conducted by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education a representative from the Office of Higher Education will be invited to participate as an observer.
Each school is required to maintain records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. School management must prepare a financial statement that provides details, about the schools financial status. This statement should be. Audited by a licensed certified public accountant or licensed public accountant following standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
A school must submit a copy of its statement to the Executive Director of the Office of Higher Education by the end of the fourth month after the end of its fiscal year. However if the school is nationally accredited and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education the financial statement must be submitted by the end of the month following its fiscal year. Audited financial statements will be accepted from nationally accredited schools. In circumstances a non accredited school may request a filing extension for up to 60 days, with good reason shown but no extensions will be granted to nationally accredited schools.
