The U.S. Department of Education, with a month to go until the transition of power, has finalized a rule that clarifies how colleges become authorized to offer online programs to students in other states -- an effort in the works since the first years of the Obama administration. But the rule is by all indications dead on arrival.
The final rule, released on Dec. 16, requires colleges that offer online education programs to follow each state’s authorization process -- which often involves filling out an application and paying a fee to a local higher education agency -- and clarifies disclosure and student complaint procedures. It also recognizes that states can participate in reciprocity agreements.
The rule-making process has been one of fits and starts, complete with court cases, delays and failed negotiations -- and then a surprise last-ditch effort this summer. After collecting input on a draft this fall, the Education Department published the final rule in the Federal Register on Monday.
Yet the rule may never go into effect. The Trump administration will have plenty of time to set its own regulatory agenda, given that the rule’s effective date isn’t until July 1, 2018. Trump also promised during the campaign that he would seek to remove two existing regulations for each new one introduced.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/12/21/state-authorization-rule-long-works-faces-opposition-new-congress