S.F. No. 4003 - Higher Education Policy Summary

• Student Support Services: Establishes navigators for parenting students, protections for pregnant and parenting students, requirements for disability accommodations under the "RISE Act," and transcript access policies limiting when institutions can deny transcripts for unpaid debt.

• Student Financial Aid: Changes to state grant programs (North Star Promise scholarship), foster grant eligibility, and consolidated reporting of student aid program outcomes to the legislature.

• Sexual Misconduct Policy: Expands definitions of sexual misconduct to include intimate partner violence, sex trafficking, and stalking; requires comprehensive training for staff and students; mandates online reporting systems; and prohibits nondisclosure agreements that restrict victim disclosure.

• Institutional Regulations: Restricts legacy admissions and donor-based preferential treatment; prohibits nondisclosure agreements limiting student disclosure of school misconduct; establishes requirements for online program management company contracts; and enhances school closure and program discontinuation notification requirements.

• Academic Freedom and Career Schools: Protects faculty academic freedom at Minnesota State institutions; establishes requirements for private career school licensing, bonding, and false advertising restrictions; and clarifies physical presence definitions for regulatory jurisdiction.