Code of Massachusetts Regulations
610 CMR - BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Title 610 CMR 12.00 - Operation of Massachusetts Degree-Granting Institutions under the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement
Section 12.08 - Fees

(1) Massachusetts institutions seeking approval to operate under SARA shall be subject to annual fees to be paid to the Department to obtain and/or maintain their participation in SARA. The Department annual fee is separate from and in addition to the annual fee charged by NC-SARA.

(2) The annual fee schedule shall be established by the Board through policy and shall be periodically reviewed and revised as needed. Factors that the Board may take into account in setting fee levels may include, but not be limited to: the number of Massachusetts institutions participating in SARA; the full-time equivalent enrollment at institutions as reported to IPEDS; the cost to the Commonwealth to administer SARA; distance learning revenue; and industry norms, such as average fees charged by similarly situated SARA states.

(3) All fees required under these regulations shall be paid to the Board's Licensing Fee Trust Fund and shall be used solely for the purposes of the Licensing Fee Trust Fund.

(4) The annual fees for approval to operate under SARA shall be due upon an institution's submission of an application for initial approval (pursuant to 610 CMR 12.04) or an application for renewal (pursuant to 610 CMR 12.05) . Applications, both initial and renewal, will not be reviewed by the Department until the required fee has been processed.

(5) In addition to the fees required by 610 CMR 12.08(1) and set forth in Board policy, institutions that have been approved by the Department to participate in SARA shall be subject to the annual fees required by NC-SARA as provided in the SARA Manual. All institutions, regardless of the Department's fee schedule, must remit fees to NC-SARA.

(6) If the Department disapproves an institution's application, the institution will be eligible for a partial refund of its annual fee, minus an amount to be determined by the Board which represents the costs to the Department for application review. If NC-SARA disapproves an institution's application after the Department has approved it, no refund will be made.

(7) No refund shall be made to an institution that is removed from eligibility pursuant to 610 CMR 12.06 during an approval period.