Title 16

(a) Governing boards of the public institutions of higher education of this state shall retain all powers and duties heretofore given and conferred upon them by the constitution or by any law expressed or implied, to govern, control and operate the institutions for which they are…

The commission is authorized to accept gifts, devises, grants or bequests and expend the same to carry out the provisions of this article or to promote the purposes for which it has been established. (Acts 1979, No. 79-461, p. 816, §14.)

(a)(1) Each public two-year and four-year institution of higher education shall submit to the commission a facilities master plan. The commission shall review the master plans of each institution and shall make known any concerns and/or recommendations that it may have concerning…

(a) The commission shall consist of 12 members. Ten of these members shall be appointed by the Governor, one shall be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and one shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. …

(a) Members of the commission shall be selected for nine-year terms expiring on August 31 of the respective year. The current nine members are subject to reconfirmation by the Senate and shall continue to the expiration of their respective terms subsequent to such reconfirmation,…

(a) The commission shall elect annually from its own members a chairperson and such other officers as it deems desirable and shall adopt rules for its organization in the conduct of its business. (b) The commission shall hold regular meetings at such times as are specified in its…

The commission, in consultation with the agencies and institutions concerned with higher education in this state, shall analyze and evaluate on a continuing basis the present and future needs for instruction, research and public service in postsecondary education in the state, in…

The commission shall be responsible for statewide long-range planning for postsecondary education in Alabama. Such planning shall be the result of continuous study, analysis and evaluation. Plans will include the establishment of statewide objectives and priorities with methods a…

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) BIOGRAPHICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ELEMENTS. Include, but are not limited to, student identification number which shall not be the Social Security number, sex code, race and ethnic ide…

(a)(1) The Commission on Higher Education is authorized to review periodically all new and existing programs and units of instruction, research, and public service funded by state appropriations at the state universities and colleges and to share with the appropriate governing bo…

Nothing in subsection (e) of Section 16-5-8 shall be deemed to require a public institution to include any grades earned at another institution in the computation of a student’s grade point average at that institution. However, if any public institution includes freshman and soph…

Nothing in subsection (e) of Section 16-5-8 shall be interpreted or used in any way to discourage or impede the efforts or abilities of the historically black institutions or their officials to carry out the mandates and objectives of federal court decrees and to provide equal ac…

It is the intent of the Legislature that all two-year and four-year institutions of higher education in the state comply with the intent of subsection (e) of Section 16-5-8 and the guidelines developed pursuant to it (unless otherwise exempted by subsection (e) of Section 16-5-8)…

Pursuant to Sections 16-5-7 and 16-5-8, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education shall make regular reports to the Legislature regarding the implementation of subsection (e) of Section 16-5-8. (Acts 1994, No. 94-202, p. 257, §5.)

(a) The governing boards of the public institutions of higher education shall submit to the commission through their appropriate administrative officers, not later than 90 days prior to each legislative session, its budget proposals for the operation and capital needs of the inst…

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education shall establish a statewide steering committee to improve participation in two-year and four-year postsecondary education. The commission shall appoint the members of the steering committee. The committee shall be composed of representat…

The steering committee shall perform each of the following duties: (1) Seek methods to improve participation in two-year and four-year postsecondary education. (2) Seek methods to improve high school retention. (3) Encourage the State Board of Education and local boards of educat…

(a) The commission shall enter into a contract with a state educational institution to establish a Postsecondary Education Communication Center to operate a statewide computer network and to perform the functions prescribed in this section. The commission shall supervise the oper…

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education may seek additional funding from foundations, governmental entities, federal grants, businesses, and other sources to supplement the state funding necessary to implement this article. (Acts 1993, No. 93-369, p. 630, §4.)

The Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program created pursuant to this article is renamed the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program. (Act 2018-504, §1; Act 2026-303, §1.)

The purpose of the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama Program is as follows: (1) To encourage individuals to enroll in and complete educator programs identified as having acute educator shortages and obtain Alabama certification in those programs. (2) To improve t…

For the purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) ACUTE EDUCATOR SHORTAGE. A shortage of certified educators in identified educator programs as determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the State Department …

(a) The program shall be administered by the commission, which may adopt rules necessary for the administration of the program. (b) A percentage of any annual appropriations received by the program, not to exceed 10 percent, may be expended for its operation and maintenance. Any …

(a) The commission shall develop an accountability and evaluation plan for the program that does all of the following: (1) Identifies the goals, objectives, and expected outputs and outcomes of the program. (2) Describes the specific activities of the program and how those activi…

Any eligible applicant who met the requirements of the program and received a loan repayment prior to August 1, 2026, shall remain eligible for loan repayments pursuant to the requirements of the program as long as they remain continuously employed with a qualifying school. (Act …

(a) The program shall provide two levels of payment for loan assistance: (i) base support in the amount of seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) per year worked or three thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($3,750) per semester, for a maximum of four consecutive years, an…

Beginning in the fall semester of 2021, the benefits outlined in Section 16-5-54(a) and the criteria outlined in Section 16-5-54(b) and (c) shall also apply to eligible individuals who are authorized to be educators in Alabama and are subsequently employed in an Alabama public K-…

(a) Program funds shall be awarded and distributed by the commission in the following manner: (1) Loan assistance awards shall be distributed directly to eligible applicants in two disbursements during the applicable year: One disbursement shall be made after January 1 and the se…

Any individual or institution not satisfied with the actions of the commission in its administration of the program may submit a written petition to the commission within 30 days after notice of the action. If not satisfied with the response of the commission to the written petit…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the Students’ Right to Know Act of 2023. (Act 2023-556, §1.)

This article requires the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to provide information to students to allow those students to make informed decisions about their education and professional future. (Act 2023-556, §2.)

As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) COMMISSION. The Alabama Commission on Higher Education. (2) DIVISION. The Workforce Development Division of the Department of Commerce that administers or oversees the state’s workforce programs, state …

The commission shall collect and compile all of the following information on an annual basis: (1) The 50 most in-demand jobs in the state and their corresponding starting salaries and education level requirements. (2) The average cost for all colleges and universities in the stat…

(a) The commission shall create an interactive online tool, known as the Student Horizon Database, to publish and provide to individuals information including, but not limited to, the following: (1) The 50 most popular education programs in colleges, universities, and career and …

On or before October 31, 2024, and each October thereafter, the commission shall publish and make available to high school students a Student Graduate Horizon Scorecard that shall contain all of the following data, collected and aggregated pursuant to this article: (1) The 50 hig…

The commission shall issue an annual report to the Legislature outlining the effectiveness of colleges, universities, or any other postsecondary education institutions accepting public funding in aligning their curricula or programs with the state job market, including the degree…

The commission and the division shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to share any data or information necessary to comply with this article. (Act 2023-556, §8.)

To satisfy the requirements of this article, the commission may do either of the following: (1) Utilize and incorporate preexisting databases, such as the United States College Scorecard, administered by the federal department of education, as well as any other data sets availabl…

The commission shall adopt any necessary rules to implement this article. (Act 2023-556, §10.)

For the purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) APPROVED DEGREE. A completed master’s degree recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education for an athletic training program through which students become eligible…

(a) This article shall be administered by the commission in consultation with the Alabama Board of Athletic Trainers. (b) A percentage not to exceed 10 percent of any annual appropriations received by the program may be expended for the operation and administrative requirements p…

(a) The commission may award loan assistance from the program to eligible applicants. (b) To be eligible for loan assistance of seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) per year worked or three thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($3,750) per semester worked, for a maximum o…

Any individual or institution not satisfied with the commission’s actions in administering the program may submit a written petition to the commission within 30 days after notice of the action. If the individual or institution is not satisfied with the commission’s response, the …

(a) The commission shall develop an accountability and evaluation plan for the program which does all of the following: (1) Identifies the goals, objectives, and expected outputs and outcomes of the program. (2) Describes the specific activities of the program and how those activ…