The U.S. Department of Education, in a letter meant to highlight to states their responsibilities to oversee colleges and protect students, reminded colleges on Friday that, beginning on July 1, they could lose their eligibility for federal student-aid programs if they aren’t authorized by a state agency that has a policy meeting minimum federal requirements.
Such "state authorization" must include a system for students to file complaints against colleges for wrongdoing and for the state to act on the complaints, the letter says.
The department has required all colleges to be authorized under such a process since 2011, but it has postponed enforcement of the rule to give state agencies more time to develop policies that would comply with it. In the "Dear Colleague" letter, issued on Friday, the department reminded institutions that those extensions expire on June 30.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Dept-Calls-Imminent/231031