Ongoing Requirements for Licensed Career Schools

Continuing Education

Each school director, full-time instructor and director of admissions must complete a minimum of six hours of continuing education applicable to the position held within 12 months of employment and each calendar year thereafter. A staff member who fills more than one of those roles must complete the continuing education requirement for each position.

Your school must implement a written plan for staff development which includes continuing education, staff meetings, attendance at trade and professional conferences, and observation of, or participation in, on-the job activities. You must maintain your written staff development plan and update it annually.

The list of Continuing Education Providers for Career Schools and Colleges is offered to assist you in finding options for appropriate training for your staff.

Contact the Career Schools and Colleges department at the Texas Workforce Commission if you have questions or suggestions regarding other continuing education providers.

In-Service Training

Your school also must deliver and document in-service training that provides updates on skills, knowledge and technology required by business and industry for instructors who have taught for two years but have not gained relevant work experience during the two-year period.

You must maintain an outline and schedule of in-service training provided for instructors without prior teaching experience. The training must begin within their first three months of teaching and be constructed to assist them in learning and developing effective teaching strategies such as competency-based training, instructional methods, adult learning styles, student learning, and skills assessment.

Director and Representative Training for Career Schools and Colleges

All directors and representatives must take and pass our free online training course, Director and Representative Training for Career Schools and Colleges, in order to recruit or enroll students into a career school or college. Other school staff may wish to complete the course to enhance their professional development.

Your records must be current and ready for review by TWC at any time. Refer to the Survey Checklist for records we will review in an on-site survey visit at your school. For complete details on all records you must maintain for your school’s students and the school, read the law and rules on career schools and colleges.

• Survey Checklist or

Master Student Registration List & Student Transcripts

Your school must permanently maintain a Master Student Registration List that includes the information in our Sample Master Student Registration List.

• Sample Master Student Registration List or

You also must permanently maintain student transcripts of academic records.

If your school closes, you are still responsible for making arrangements for the continued preservation and accessibility of these records.

Student Financial Records

Keep your student financial records in accordance with federal retention requirements. Retain all other student records for at least five years from the student’s last date of attendance.

Student Files

For each student, maintain an individual student file with documents from the student's school career, including:

• Entrance requirements documentation
• Student tour of campus
• Attendance records
• Make-up requests
• Leave of absence
• Progress records (not for Seminar-only schools)
• Transcripts (not for Seminar-only schools)
• Enrollments and re-enrollments
• Receipt of enrollment policies or
• Receipts for payments
• Cancellations and drops
• Conduct conferences
• Grievance filing and resolution
• Probation conference
• Refunds including calculations and front and back of cancelled checks
  • Refund Worksheet - Vocational Programs or
  • Refund Worksheet - Vocational Programs at Title IV Schools Not Taking Attendance or
  • Sample Refund Worksheet for Seminars and Small School Programs of 40 Clock Hours or Less or
  • Sample Refund Worksheet for Asynchronous Distance Education Courses or
• Record of previous education and training or (required only if credit may be granted)

Student Attendance Records

You must have a written narrative description of the school’s system for maintaining a positive record of attendance, and you must maintain a master record of attendance for each student showing the number of hours scheduled each day and the hours of absence. 

• Attendance Roll or

There are special student attendance record keeping rules for Title IV schools, synchronous distance education schools, and seminar classes.

School Records

Retain your school records for at least five years.

You must have the following documents ready for TWC on-site survey visits:

• Copies of all advertising, sales and enrollment materials
• Fire inspection records
• Staff approvals
• Instructor evaluations from supervisor as well as students
• Staff development/continuing education documentation
• Lesson plans

Unless yours is a seminar school, you must also keep and have ready for our survey visits:

• Syllabi given to students
• Backup documentation for the annual enrollment and outcome report (See Completer Follow-Up Survey or)

Lists of advisory committee members and minutes of advisory committee meetings, if applicable.

You must pay any refund owed to a student within 60 days of a student's effective date of termination. Beginning with the 61st day after a student leaves the school, you must pay a penalty for each day the refund is late. TWC sets the annual rate of interest on the late payment of refunds each year. The 2014 late refund penalty rate is 250%. Schools can avoid this penalty by correct calculation and timely payment of refunds.

• Late Refund Penalty Rate Notice

Check your school’s listings in our Directory of Licensed Career Schools and Colleges on a regular basis and provide information updates as needed.