OAR 583-030-0030: Application Procedure

(1) A school seeking initial or renewal of degree authorization shall allow up to three months to prepare its application and six additional months for review by the Commission. To be considered timely, a complete application for renewal of an existing authorization must be submitted six months before the date that authorization expires, and a school seeking renewal is fully responsible for beginning the procedure. (2) In order to be valid, application must be made by the method determined by the Commission, including completion according to instruction of any forms provided for the purpose. Modification will be allowed by explicit permission only. The applicant school shall submit any information requested by the Commission and may submit such supplemental information as it considers pertinent. (3) Program approval may be conditional on approval of employees hired after the approval date. (4) Application for authorization to offer a degree or to provide services leading to a degree in whole or in part must be accompanied by payment of the fee described in OAR 583-030-0046, or such reduced fee as determined by the Commission in special circumstances. A school seeking to have a degree program concentration or specialization evaluated must submit an application and fee after the initial program has been approved. (5) Authorized degree-granting postsecondary schools shall notify the Commission of school and program changes for a determination of substantive or non-substantive changes. The school shall submit the following information to the Commission: (a) Name of the school (and specific campus, if applicable), (b) Name of the authorized program or school change, and (c) The details of the proposed change(s). Depending on the information provided to the Commission, the change(s) may result in a comprehensive evaluation of the school and/or program(s) and may include application fees. (6) The Commission defines a substantive change proposed by a school as one that would be sufficiently extensive and may impact the resources of the school and the requirements for program completion or graduation. A substantive change is a significant departure from current practice as outlined in the school’s last authorization approval. Examples of substantive changes include, but are not limited to the following: (a) A change in location or geographical area served; (b) A change in legal status, form of control, or school ownership; (c) Acquiring another school or any program or location of another school; (d) An increase or decrease of required credit hours for successful completion of a degree program; (e) Changes in academic outcomes, such as professional licensing or graduation requirements; (f) Offering courses or programs at a higher or lower degree level than authorized, such as from an associate to a bachelor or the reverse; (g) Changing the way a school measures student satisfactory academic progress; (h) Entering into a written agreement with a third-party servicer, such as an online program manager, for providing academic services. (7) If the change includes a change in mode of delivery of over 50%, the school must provide to the Commission a written explanation of the percentage of distance education, percentage of face-to-face instruction, and experience in distance education. In addition, the school must submit a summary that includes the following information: (a) A curriculum map, a list, and descriptions of all courses within a program outlining which course(s) will be offered via distance education (synchronous or asynchronous, etc.); (b) An explanation of the appropriateness of the program for delivery through distance education methods; (c) The school’s technology infrastructure, such as online library resources for each program offered; (d) Information pertaining to the ability of students to successfully participate in distance education without creating undue hardships, other educational options that may be available, suitability to student learning styles, and available technology such as internet connections, software, and hardware; (e) Faculty training and experience in online teaching and measurement of student progress; (f) Technical assistance available for faculty and students; (g) Evaluation of the effectiveness of distance education such as faculty and student surveys and reviews. (8) A non-substantive change does not affect the requirements for program completion or graduation requirements, impact the resources and capacity of the school, or include any of the substantive changes listed above. Non-substantive changes require review to confirm it is non-substantive, but do not require an evaluation and fees by the Commission as is the case for substantive changes. Examples of non-substantive changes include, but are not limited to: (a) Name change of existing program; (b) Change of program title or course number; (c) Change in the mode of delivery of an existing program if the modification(s) does not affect credit or degree completion/graduation requirements more than 50%, and meets the curriculum standards as listed in OAR 583-030-0035(6). (9) Accredited institutions must submit to the Commission a copy of the institutional accrediting agency’s substantive change approval letter or determination that the program change is non-substantive. (10) Institutions seeking a substantive or non-substantive change in a program leading to professional licensure must submit a copy of the approval letter from the appropriate professional licensing board with their request for change.