Rule Amendments
All career schools and colleges should be aware that they may be subject to penalties levied for violations of requirements of statute or rule. On January 4, 2013, amendments to the Career Schools and Colleges rules were passed that further clarify penalties that may be applied for repeat violations. These amendments became effective on January 8, 2013.
- 2013 Final Rule Amendments (PDF) and 2013 Summary of the Amendments (PDF)
- Career Schools and Colleges Laws and Rules
Annual School Reports for 2012
All currently licensed career schools and colleges were instructed to submit to TWC their annual reports on enrollment and student outcomes by the deadline of December 1, 2012. Reports submitted after December 1, 2012, resulted in an administrative penalty. The information submitted by schools in their reports is currently being reviewed by TWC. When the reviews are complete, the results will be issued to schools and published on TWC's Directory of Licensed Career Schools and Colleges.
Representative Training Requirement
The Career Schools and Colleges rules now include a requirement that all representatives (those who recruit or admit students to a career school or college) take training approved by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) on the laws and regulations for representatives, admissions, advertising, and related topics [Texas Administrative Code, Section 807.51(d)]. TWC has developed a free online training course that is now available and required for use in meeting this requirement. Schools have until October 9, 2012, to ensure that all of their new and current representatives have taken and passed this training before they can begin or continue to recruit or enroll new students. Please see the following:
- Letter explaining the Representative Training for Career Schools and Colleges requirement, sent August 10, 2012 (PDF)
- Online Representative Training for Career Schools and Colleges course - Follow the link provided to the course entry screen, which will ask for your full name, the institution that you represent, and the city where it is located.
Student Complaint Policy Template
As a reminder, schools were notified in December 2010 of a new requirement within the Career Schools and Colleges rules (Texas Administrative Code, Section 807.301) that all licensed schools post a visible notice about how students can file complaints about their school. The notice has to have certain minimum content and needs to be posted on the school's website and in specific locations on the school grounds. A template for this notice was provided, and it is now included among the Career Schools and Colleges Forms as PS-401P, the Notice of Student Complaint Policy - Instructions and Sample Template. (PDF)
Revised Survey Checklist
TWC recently revised the Survey Checklist (PS-100) (PDF), which identifies routine items examined during TWC survey visits to career schools and colleges. The checklist is used by TWC staff to guide their survey visits, and it is used by schools to ensure their facility and files are ready for a visit at any time. The current Survey Checklist (PS-100) is available in Microsoft Word or PDF format on the Career Schools and Colleges forms page. Schools are encouraged to always check this page for the most recent version of forms they need to use.
School Directory Enhancement
The Directory of Licensed Career Schools and Colleges was recently enhanced. The search results displaying data for approved programs now provides the past three years of student outcome data for vocational programs. Also, we have added a link (see the top right corner) to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's database of online resumes of higher education institutions, which includes resumes for career schools and colleges with degree programs.
Renewal Rate Reduction
At the July 10, 2012 Texas Workforce Commission meeting, the Commission amended the fee for renewal of certificates of approval for large schools, establishing the percentage rate for renewal at 0.12%, beginning September 1, 2012. For more information, view this letter regarding the renewal rate reduction (PDF).
Revised Cancellation and Refund Policy Requirements for Schools with Vocational Programs
A notice (PDF), dated June 8, 2012, informs career schools and colleges of changes to requirements for cancellation and refund policies that Residence Schools must begin using immediately with their vocational programs greater than 40 hours in length. The notice identifies and provides links to the school policy forms and refund worksheets that must be used.
FY 2011 Enrollment and Outcomes Results
Annual enrollment and student outcomes results for licensed Career Schools and Colleges for Fiscal Year 2011 (the year ending on August 31, 2011) were finalized on March 21, 2012. Each year, schools that offer approved vocational programs report on enrollment, student completion and employment, while schools offering only seminars report total enrollment. The results are published on the online Directory of Licensed Career Schools and Colleges.
Revised Refund Policy Requirements
A letter to all School Directors (PDF), dated August 29th, 2011 provides information on changes to requirements for refund policies due to House Bill 2784, enacted by the 82th Legislature, Regular Session.
Notice to Schools July 2011
This letter to all school Directors and Owners (PDF), dated July 26, 2011 advises schools on legislative changes affecting career schools, updates to the Directory of Licensed Career Schools and Colleges, and enhanced expectations for student enrollment and outcome reporting for the 2010-2011 reporting year.
2011 Change to Career School Definition
The 82nd Texas Legislature passed legislation to exclude certain institutions and types of educational programs from the definition of a career school or college required to have either a license or exemption from the Agency prior to enrolling Texas residents. Details are included in What is a Career School or College? (PDF) and the General Information Sheet (PDF) for schools.
82nd Legislative Session, Texas Legislature
The 82nd Texas Legislature passed legislation affecting career schools and colleges (PDF) in various areas.