Iowa Department of Education’s Bureau of Iowa College Aid
Agency Contact
Additional Contact
Secretary of State Contact
1: Important Agency Information to Note
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
_X___ Religious institutions
_X___ Tribally-controlled institutions
_____ Federal Institutions
_____ Municipal institutions
- 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.
_X___ Institution
_____ Program
_____ Both
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2: Authorization of Distance Education
- 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
See Bureau of Iowa College Aid's website at https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/authorization
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3: Accreditation by an Accrediting Agency Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
Degree granting institutions must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education.
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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
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4: Physical Presence Policy
“Presence” means a location in Iowa at which a student participates in any structured activity related to a school’s distance education course of instruction, with the exception of proctored examinations. “Presence” also means an address, location, telephone number, or internet protocol address in Iowa from which a school conducts any aspect of its operations. For the purpose of a residential course of instruction offered on a school’s campus that is not located in Iowa, “presence” does not include:
a. Occasional, short-term activities conducted at a location in Iowa for the purpose of recruiting students for the school’s residential course of instruction.
b. A residency, practicum, internship, clinical, or similar experience that the school permits the student to participate in at a location in Iowa, provided that a person who provides instruction or supervision at the Iowa location is not compensated by the school.
Does a virtual clinical / internship trigger the requirement for authorization with your agency?
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Schools that have questions about authorization in Iowa or require further information are encouraged to contact the Postsecondary Authorization Team at stateauthorization@iowa.gov.
5: Application Process
See Bureau of Iowa College Aid's website at https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/authorization
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6: Fees Associated with Authorization
See Bureau of Iowa College Aid's website at https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/authorization
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7: Surety Bonds
Authorized SARA participating institutions are not required to obtain a surety bond.
For other institutions, Iowa Code Section 714.18, requires that every person, firm, association, or corporation that maintains or conducts in Iowa any course of instruction via classroom instruction, correspondence or distance education, or that solicits in Iowa the sale of such a course, must file evidence of financial responsibility with Iowa College Aid and reapply to demonstrate continuing compliance, at a minimum, every two years.
These requirements include schools and education providers located in Iowa and out-of-state that offer courses and programs via in-person or distance education instructional methods.
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8: Student Tuition Recovery Fund
Yes
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9: Tuition Refund Policy
Yes. Under Iowa Code Section 714.23, tuition refund policies apply to a refund (i.e., reduction) of tuition charges the school assesses, regardless of whether and to what extent those charges have been paid by the student or some source of financial aid.
Certain for-profit institutions are required to adopt the Iowa tuition refund policy under Iowa Code Section 714.23, see https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/authorization/tuition-refunds for more information.
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10: Reporting
Not applicable
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11: Enforcement
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12: Student Complaints - Non-SARA Participating Institutions
Student complaint information can be found at https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/student-complaints
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All student complaints are handled within our agency.
Contact Name: Postsecondary Authorization Team
Title: Postsecondary Authorization Administrators
Agency: Iowa College Student Aid Commission
Address: 475 SW 5th Street Ste D, Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Email: stateauthorization@iowa.gov
Phone: 877-272-4456
URL: https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/student-complaints
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13: Records Retention
The University of Iowa retains transcripts/records for Iowa’s closed schools, with some restrictions. See Iowa Code Section 264.1 https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/2023/264.1.pdf
Agency Name: University of Iowa
Contact Person: Office of the Registrar
Contact Phone: 319-335-0229
Contact Address: 2700 University Capital Centre (UCC) Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact Email:
Contact website:
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14: Additional Information
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Please note: There could be additional state agencies with oversight of activities of your institution.