HB21-1306 Summary

• Expands accreditation requirements for private colleges and universities to include programmatic accrediting bodies recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, in addition to institutional accrediting bodies.

• Specifically allows freestanding, single-purpose institutions of construction education to meet accreditation requirements through programmatic accrediting bodies recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

• Requires schools offering associate degrees to be accredited by an institutional or programmatic accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

• Prohibits schools from advertising or representing that they are accredited unless they meet the specified accreditation standards, establishing this as a deceptive trade practice.

• Appropriates $98,796 to the Department of Higher Education for the 2021-22 fiscal year to implement the act, including $45,626 for program costs and $53,170 for legal services.