Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Institutions

Provide important web links:

• Home Page web link  https://www.estado.pr.gov/instituciones-educativas
• Statutes and Regulations Page web link
  • https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/leyesyeglamentos/Pages/Leyes-de-Educacion-Superior.aspx
  • REG_Num_9272-Institutions-of-Postsecondary-Education-Institutions-Licensing-Regulation-CERT.pdf
  • Act 212 of 2018

• Authorization Information Page web link  https://www.estado.pr.gov/instituciones-educativas

• Application Information Page web link
  • REG_Num_9272-Institutions-of-Postsecondary-Education-Institutions-Licensing-Regulation-CERT.pdf
  •  https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/Pages/SARA.aspx

• Renewal Information Page web link
  • REG_Num_9272-Institutions-of-Postsecondary-Education-Institutions-Licensing-Regulation-CERT.pdf
  • https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/Pages/SARA.aspx

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

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

Clarifying comments:

For Religious institutions Regulation Num, 9272 establishes as follows:

Section 9.2.1 – Non-university Religious Programs This Regulation shall not apply to the courses or programs for non-university religious degree programs and courses whose only purpose is to train students to hold positions or to discharge religious or denominational functions for which they were trained and that do not entail the awarding of a university degree.

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

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.

Clarifying comments

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