Responses Last Confirmed:

Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Institutions

Agency Contact

Damaris Nolasco
787-722-2121 ext. 3801
dnolasco@estado.pr.gov

Additional Contact

Neydaliz Vega Alejandro
787-722-2121, Ext. 3809
Topic

1: Important Agency Information to Note

b.
What types of institutions are subject to this agency’s authority?

Indicate the types of institutions that your agency authorizes. 

  • Note: Some agencies may refer to out-of-state public institutions as “private colleges” in their law.  If this is the case for your agency, please select “public, out-of-state degree granting institutions” for purposes of this Guide so that the out-of-state public institution will find appropriate information.
  • Note: If your agency is a coordinating board, your agency may have one division with some authority such as program approval over in-state public institutions that are established per statute, which is structured differently than another division of your agency with state authorization authority over non-public institutions that they “license” pursuant to different statute(s).

__X__ Public, in-state degree granting institutions
__X__ Public, out-of-state degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, in-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, out-of-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, in-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, out-of-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
__X__ Public, out-of-state, non-degree granting institutions
__X__ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
__X__ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
_____ Religious institutions
_____ Tribally-controlled institutions
_____ Federal Institutions
__X__ Municipal institutions

c.
Does your agency authorize specific academic programs offered by institutions, only institutions themselves, or both?
  • For example, an agency may require an institution apply for licensure for institutional approval and also require the institution to apply for specific program(s) approval.

_____ Institution   

_____ Program   

__X__ Both

d.
Clarifying comments:

If Out of State Institutions has physical presence as describe in the regulations they will have to apply for state authorization (License)

Topic

2: Authorization of Distance Education

a.
Does your agency require exclusively online offerings offered by out-of-state institutions to be authorized?
  • Meaning as example, the state regulates an out-of-state institution for merely enrolling a student into a distance education program
  • Meaning as example, a solely online program that does not have any internships and practicums

Yes.

c.
Clarifying comments:

If not a SARA participating Institution they will have to apply for the regular licensing process.

Topic

3: Accreditation by an Accrediting Agency Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

a.
Is accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education required for an institution to be authorized in your state?

No

b.
If yes, please check all that apply as appropriate.

No response provided

Accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education required for:
____ Public, out-of-state degree granting institutions
____ Private, in-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, out-of-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, in-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, out-of-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
____ Public, out-of-state, non-degree granting institutions
____ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
____ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
____ Religious institutions
____ Tribally-controlled institutions
____ Federal Institutions
____ Municipal institutions

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

4: Physical Presence Policy

a.
If your agency uses a physical presence standard, how does your agency define physical presence? Include sample triggers.
b.
Web link for physical presence definition.
c.
Does a clinical/internship trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency?

Does a virtual clinical / internship trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency? 

No response provided

d.
Does a faculty member residing in your state and teaching an online course trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency?

No response provided

e.
Does advertising targeted to residents of your state trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency?

No response provided

f.
Does having an administrative site in your state trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency?

No response provided

g.
Does having a recruiter in your state trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency?

No response provided

h.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

5: Application Process

a.
Please provide a short description of the application process to obtain state authorization.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

6: Fees Associated with Authorization

a.
Is there an application fee associated with the authorization process?
b.
If yes, what is the fee or fee schedule?

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

7: Surety Bonds

a.
Does your agency require a Surety Bond for authorized out-of-state institutions?

No

b.
Web link for surety bonds.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No

Topic

8: Student Tuition Recovery Fund

a.
Does your agency have a Student Tuition Recovery Fund (or similar fund for higher education institution closure)?

No

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

No response provided

c.
Web link for student tuition recovery fund.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

9: Tuition Refund Policy

a.
Does your agency have a Tuition Refund Policy Requirement?

No

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

No response provided

c.
Web link for tuition refund policy.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

10: Reporting

a.
What kinds of information or data must an institution report to your agency as a condition for continued institutional state authorization?
b.
How frequently do institutions report data?

Annually

c.
Is this information shared publicly?

No.

d.
Web link for reporting.
e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

11: Enforcement

a.
What are possible consequences of institutional non-compliance?
b.
Web link for enforcement information.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

12: Student Complaints - Non-SARA Participating Institutions

a.
Please describe the process for handling complaints about non-SARA out-of-state postsecondary institutions or programs? (34 CFR 600.9(a))

Please see link below

c.
How does your agency handle a non-SARA complaint from a resident of its state that is against an out-of-state institution that the agency does not authorize?

No response provided

d.
Is the non-SARA process handled all within your agency or do you divide consumer protection and student complaint duties dependent on the type of institution (Public, Private, Technical, etc.)?

No, we handle all within our agency.

e.
Who is the contact person or entity for your state for receiving non-SARA student complaints?
  • Contact Name: Damaris Nolasco Ortiz
  • Title: Executive Director
  • Agency: Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Education
  • Address: PO Box 9023271 San Juan PR 00902-3271
  • Email: dnolasco@estado.pr.gov
  • Phone: 787-722-2121 ext. 3801
f.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

13: Records Retention

a.
When a higher education institution closes, what is the process your state uses to ensure that transcripts/records are kept available?
b.
From what agency or entity do students request their transcripts/records from a closed higher education institution?
  • Agency Name : Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Institutions 
  • Contact Person: Norma Rodriguez
  • Contact Phone: 787-722-2121
  • Contact Address: PO Box 9023271 San Juan PR 00902-3271
  • Contact Email: nrodriguez@estado.pr.gov
  • Contact web site: https://www.estado.pr.gov/
c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

14: Additional Information

a.
Is there anything else about the state authorization process in your state that institutions and others ought to know about?

The Act 212 of 2018 eliminates the Puerto Rico Council of Education and creates a new regulatory body, the Board of Postsecondary Institutions, ascribed to the Puerto Rico State Department. Currently we are in the transition process. 

We are currently working with the IT’s division to revise the SARA section. Because we are not the “host” of the web page, the process has been longer than we expected. As for ACT 212-2018 we have the English version available, as for the Regulation No. 9272, the official translation has been requested. As soon as the document is ready, we are going to publish it.

b.
What is your preferred method of communication?

No response provided

 

Please note: There could be additional state agencies with oversight of activities of your institution.