ORS 348.606: Prohibition on conferring or offering of degree before approval obtained; fees; rules.

(1) A school may not confer or offer to confer any academic degree upon a person, or provide services purporting to lead to a degree in whole or in part, without first obtaining approval from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. The commission shall adopt by rule standards and procedures for the approval of schools. (2) A school based outside of Oregon may not offer any educational credit or degree within Oregon, including through the Internet, mail or telephone, without first obtaining approval from the commission. This subsection does not apply to schools operating as part of an interstate agreement entered into under ORS 350.075 (3). (3) The commission, by rule, may impose fees on any school applying for approval to confer or offer to confer a degree upon a person or to provide academic credit applicable to a degree, with the amount of each fee being established to recover the expenses incurred by the commission in carrying out the administration of ORS 348.594 to 348.615. Any fee authorized under this section is nonrefundable. (4)(a) The fees the commission may impose by rule under this section include fees for expenses relating to: (A) The review or oversight of a school’s administrative or academic operations; (B) The evaluation of practicums, academic programs or changes in academic programs; (C) The review of the qualifications of new faculty, administrators or senior academic staff prior to hiring; (D) The use of experts or travel necessary to decide whether to approve a school’s application under this section; and (E) Any other action the commission deems necessary to determine whether a school should be authorized to confer or offer to confer a degree upon a person or to provide academic credit applicable to a degree. (b) The fees imposed by rule by the commission under this section may account for differences in the anticipated complexity or time required to review an application depending on the type of school or program that is the subject of the application. (5) Any fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the Degree Authorization Account established under ORS 348.601. (6) As used in this section, “practicum” means a portion of a degree program that involves a supervised field placement in a professional or workplace environment. [1997 c.652 §11; 1999 c.59 §95; 2003 c.674 §2; 2005 c.546 §9; 2007 c.325 §3; 2011 c.637 §183; 2013 c.593 §1; 2015 c.775 §1; 2025 c.385 §1]