Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 1 - TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
Chapter 7 - DEGREE GRANTING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OTHER THAN TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 7.14 - Distance Education Approval Processes for Degree Granting Colleges and Universities Other Than Texas Public Institutions

(A) An institution is exempt and does not need to receive permission from the Board to offer distance education programs and courses to Texas students if it fulfills the following:

(B) An institution is also exempt and does not need to receive permission from the Board to offer distance education programs and courses to Texas students if it is covered by a reciprocal state exemption agreement.

(C) An institution's exemption applies only to the degree level for which the programs or institution is accredited.

(D) An institution's exemption under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph continues as long as it is in compliance with subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph. Exempt institutions must also maintain compliance with subparagraph (C) of this paragraph. If an institution is no longer accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board or an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education of the U.S. Department of Education or no longer approved by a Texas state agency which authorizes the school's graduates to take a professional or career and technical state licensing examination administered by that agency and/or maintains a physical presence in Texas or if an institution is no longer covered by a reciprocal state exemption agreement, the institution is no longer eligible for an exemption and must receive Board authority to offer distance education to Texas students. The institution would need to either submit an application for a Certificate of Authority as outlined under § 7.8 of this chapter (relating to Institutions Not Accredited by a Board-Recognized Accreditor) or for a Certificate of Authorization as outlined under § 7.7 of this chapter (relating to Institutions Accredited by Board-Recognized Accreditors).

(A) An institution is not exempt and must receive Board permission to offer distance education programs and courses to Texas students if it fulfills any of the following:

(B) An institution that would like to offer a degree program or courses leading to a degree in a religious discipline via distance education is exempt from seeking Board approval. A religious institution that would like to offer a degree program or courses leading to a degree in a non-religious discipline via distance education must follow the requirements outlined in subparagraph (A)(i) and (ii) of this paragraph.

(C) As part of its qualification or continued approval for a Certificate of Authorization or a Certificate of Authority, a nonexempt institution must meet and agree to comply with C-RAC provisions as listed in this section before offering distance education.

(A) Online learning is appropriate to the institution's mission and purposes;

(B) The institution's plans for developing, sustaining, and, if appropriate, expanding online learning offerings are integrated into its regular planning and evaluation processes;

(C) Online learning is incorporated into the institution's systems of governance and academic oversight;

(D) Curricula for the institution's online learning offerings are coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor to programs offered in traditional instructional formats;

(E) The institution evaluates the effectiveness of its online learning offerings, including the extent to which the online learning goals are achieved, and uses the results of its evaluations to enhance the attainment of the goals;

(F) Faculty responsible for delivering the online learning curricula and evaluating the students' success in achieving the online learning goals are appropriately qualified and effectively supported;

(G) The institution provides effective student and academic services to support students enrolled in online learning offerings;

(H) The institution provides sufficient resources to support and, if appropriate, expand its online learning offerings; and

(I) The institution assures the integrity of its online offerings.