(1) The following
information shall be included in all catalogs of the institution:
(i) Information shall be provided on
financial assistance available to students, costs of attending the institution,
the refund policy of the institution, and the instructional programs and other
related aspects of the institution. Information shall include programs of
financial assistance from State, Federal, institutional and other sources.
Information on the institution's standards of progress shall be disclosed, if
different from those utilized for State student financial aid
programs.
(ii) Cost of attending
the institution for each of the cost categories listed below shall be provided.
Estimates, so indicated, may be used where exact figures are unavailable or
inappropriate. Where summary information is provided, an institutional office
where detailed information can be obtained shall be identified.
(a) Tuition and fees. Information shall be
provided on all assessments against students for direct educational and general
purposes. A brief description of the purpose of any mandatory fee shall be
included if the purpose of such fee is not apparent from its name. Course fees
and lab fees shall be clearly identified. Conditions under which nonmandatory
fees need not be paid shall be clearly stated.
(b) Books and supplies. Estimated costs of
textbooks, books, manuals, consumable supplies and equipment, which a student
should possess as a necessary corollary to instruction, shall be provided.
Separate estimates shall be provided for major program categories for which
such costs vary more than 25 percent from the average for the entire
institution.
(c) Room and board.
Costs of housing and food services operated by the institution shall be
provided where such services are available. Estimated costs of similar
accommodations available in the community shall also be provided. These figures
shall be consistent with estimated student budgets prepared by the
institution's financial aid office.
(d) Other living expenses. Estimated cost of
personal expenses applicable to students devoting primary efforts to pursuit of
educational objectives shall be provided. This estimate shall be consistent
with similar figures defined by the institution's financial aid
office.
(iii) The
institution shall state its policy and requirements on student withdrawal from
the institution and its policy and requirements concerning refunds due to
failure of students to complete an academic term for any reason. The policy
shall include the percentage or amount of tuition, fees, institution-operated
room and board, and other assessments to be refunded after specified elapsed
periods of time.
(iv) The
instructional programs of the institution shall be described accurately.
(a) Degree, certificate and diploma programs.
A list of degree, certificate and diploma programs shall be provided. The list
shall be consistent with the inventory of registered degree and certificate
programs maintained by the department. The list shall contain at least the
official approved program title, degree, HEGIS code number, and shall be
preceded by a statement that enrollment in other than registered or otherwise
approved programs may jeopardize a student's eligibility for certain student
aid awards.
(b) Program
descriptions. Each degree, certificate or diploma program shall be described in
terms of program objectives, prerequisites and requirements for
completion.
(c) The academic year
in which each instructional offering (course) is expected to be taught shall be
indicated.
(d) Program-related
facilities. A general description of instructional, laboratory and other
facilities directly related to the academic program shall be provided, in
addition to general information describing the total physical plant. Narrative
and/or statistical information shall be provided about library collections and
facilities, student unions, and institution-operated eating-places. Hours of
operation, including holiday and vacation schedules, shall be
provided.
(e) Faculty and other
instructional personnel. Regular resident faculty shall be listed by rank, with
the highest degree held by the faculty member and the institution by which such
degree was granted, full-time or part-time status, and department or major
program area to which such member is assigned. An estimated number of adjunct
faculty and teaching assistants in each department or major program area shall
be provided.
(f) Recruiting and
admission practices. The process and criteria for the recruitment and admission
of students to the institution and to specific programs of study, as required
by subparagraph (f)(2)(iii) of this section and by subdivision (h) of this
section, shall be published.
(g)
Transfer of credit. The process and criteria for accepting transfer of credit
from other institutions shall be publicly disclosed and include a statement of
the criteria established by the institution regarding the transfer of credit
earned at another institution of higher education and a list of the
institutions with which the institution has established articulation
agreements.
(h) Academic calendar.
The academic calendar of the institution, and of specific programs of study, if
different, shall be published.
(i)
Grading. The grading policy of the institution, and of specific programs of
study, if different, shall be published.
(j) Student retention and graduation.
Information on student retention and graduation rates shall be provided based
on a summary of the most recent cohort survival statistics
(e.g., percentages of those students enrolled at the end of
the spring term, percentages of freshman classes that graduate in four, five
and six years) available to the institution for at least full-time
undergraduates.
(k) Outcomes for
former students. Summaries of employment outcomes, advanced study, and student
professional and occupational licensing examination results compiled by or
provided to the institution shall be provided. The student cohort year or
years, or date of examinations shall be included. Data displays on employment
outcomes shall be by major or discrete curricular area.
(v) Information shall be provided on the
institution's code of conduct for students and any disciplinary measures that
may be applied to a student for a violation of such conduct, with a description
of the institution's student disciplinary process.
(2) Institutions that produce a multi-year
catalog may use an annual printed addendum to update the information in the
catalog or, if the catalog is also online, a website update. All print and
online catalogs shall be archived annually, and archived copies shall be
retained permanently.
(3) The
institution shall demonstrate that it continuously assesses the effectiveness
of its efforts to provide students and prospective students with timely,
accurate, and complete consumer information.
(4) Advertising.
(i) Advertising conducted by or on behalf of
an institution shall not be false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent and
shall be consistent with the provisions of article 22-A of the General Business
Law. Advertising and promotional material shall not leave false, misleading, or
exaggerated impressions of the institution, its personnel, its facilities, its
courses and services, or the occupational opportunities of its
graduates.
(ii) The primary
emphasis of all advertisements and promotional literature shall be the
educational services offered by the institution. Such advertising and
promotional literature shall clearly indicate that education, not employment,
is being offered by the institution.
(iii) Statements and representations in all
forms of advertising and promotion shall be clear, current, and accurate. To
the extent that statements of facts are made, such statements shall be
restricted to facts that can be substantiated. Materials to support statements
and representations in advertising and promotion shall be kept on file and
shall be available for review by the department.
(iv) Any endorsement or recommendation shall
include the author's identity and qualifications and shall be used only with
the author's consent. No remuneration of any kind for any such endorsement or
recommendation shall be paid for such endorsement or recommendation.
(v) References to the New York State Board of
Regents in any advertisement or promotional literature shall comply with the
requirements of section
13.11
of this Title and subdivision (m) of this section.