Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires proprietary degree-granting institution to disclose status as for-profit business; requires institution of higher education and proprietary degree-granting institution to disclose accreditation status.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning transparency in higher education and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Each proprietary degree-granting institution shall disclose its status as a for-profit business in a prominent place on: the institution’s official website; contracts for instruction; catalogs; and all promotional digital and print media created on or after the effective date of this act. The disclosure shall be made in a type size as large or larger than any other text on the website, page, or document, except for the type size of the name of the institution. The disclosure shall be presented in a manner reasonably calculated to draw the attention of the reader.
2. a. Each institution of higher education and proprietary degree-granting institution shall disclose its accreditation status on the institution’s official website, contracts for instruction, catalog, and all promotional digital and print media created on or after the effective date of this act. The disclosure shall be made in a type size as large or larger than any other text on the institution’s official website, contracts for instruction, catalog, and promotional digital and print media, except for the type size of the name of the institution. The disclosure shall be presented in a manner reasonably calculated to draw the attention of the reader.
b. In the event that the institution’s official website, contracts for instruction, catalog, or promotional digital or print media created on or after the effective date of this act includes content pertaining to the institution’s accreditation with an agency not recognized by the United States Department of Education, the disclosure required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be restated on each page in which a reference to accreditation appears.
c. As used in this section, “accreditation status” means whether the institution has received the appropriate accreditation from an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.
3. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a proprietary degree-granting institution to disclose the institution’s status as for-profit businesses and requires institutions of higher education to disclose the institution’s accreditation status.
Under the bill, each proprietary degree-granting institution is required to disclose its status as a for-profit business in a prominent place on: the institution’s official website; contracts for instruction; catalogs; and all promotional digital and print media created on or after the bill’s effective date. The disclosure is required to be made in a type size as large or larger than any other text on the website, page, or document, except for the type size of the name of the institution. The disclosure will be presented in a manner reasonably calculated to draw the attention of the reader.
The bill also requires each institution of higher education and proprietary degree-granting institution to disclose its accreditation status on the institution’s official website, contracts for instruction, catalog, and all promotional digital and print media created on or after the bill’s effective date. The disclosure is required to be made in a type size as large or larger than any other text on the institution’s official website, contracts for instruction, catalog, and promotional digital and print media, except for the type size of the name of the institution. The disclosure must be presented in a manner reasonably calculated to draw the attention of the reader.
Under the bill, if the institution’s official website, contracts for instruction, catalog, or promotional digital or print media includes content pertaining to the institution’s accreditation with an agency not recognized by the United States Department of Education, the accreditation disclosure required by the bill is required to be restated on each page in which a reference to accreditation appears.