Title 30, Education and Culture

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Designated service site” means a rural health clinic as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(2), a rural critical access hospital as defined in ORS 442.470, a federally qualified health center as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)(2) or any geographic area,…

(1) The Department of Education shall establish a program to increase the number of licensed speech-language pathologists and certified speech-language pathology assistants employed in the education service districts and school districts of this state. (2) Through the program, th…

(1) The Speech-Language Pathologist Training Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Speech-Language Pathologist Training Fund shall be credited to the fund. Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to…

As used in ORS 348.444 and 348.448: (1) “Nurse” means any person who is licensed under ORS 678.010 to 678.415 as a registered nurse. (2) “Qualifying loan” means any loan made to a nursing student under: (a) Programs under Title IV, parts B, D and E, of the Higher Education Act of…

(1) There is created the Nursing Faculty Loan Repayment Program, to be administered by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. The purpose of the program is to provide loan repayments on behalf of nurse educators at nursing schools in Oregon who have earned a master’s or do…

(1) To be eligible to participate in the Nursing Faculty Loan Repayment Program, a nurse educator or prospective nurse educator shall submit a letter of interest to the Director of the Office of Student Access and Completion. (2) At the end of each school year in which a nurse pr…

The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that: (1) It is the policy of this state to encourage cooperation between public universities listed in ORS 352.002 and community colleges on issues affecting students who transfer between the two segments; and (2) All unnecessary obsta…

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission may establish Access to Student Assistance Programs in Reach of Everyone (ASPIRE) to provide information about financial aid, education, training and career pathway options beyond high school to students in Oregon schools and colle…

As used in ORS 348.500 to 348.621, “financial aid” includes loans, grants, scholarships, work opportunities and other forms of financial aid to assist students in completing their post-high-school education. [1967 c.430 §2; 1997 c.652 §33; 1999 c.704 §14; 2007 c.426 §1; 2011 c.63…

(1) The Office of Student Access and Completion is established and shall operate under the direction and control of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. (2) The executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall appoint the Director of the Office of…

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall: (1) Make available to qualified persons financial aid from financial sources available to the commission. (2) Determine qualifications of persons to receive financial aid. (3) Maintain reports and records on persons applying for…

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission may: (1) Negotiate for and contract with private and governmental agencies for the establishment of financial aid programs. (2) Receive gifts of any type, including gifts of stock and real property, for the purpose of establishing, con…

Subject to any applicable provisions of the State Personnel Relations Law, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission may employ and fix the compensation of any employees it deems necessary for the effective conduct of the work under its charge. The commission may also arrange …

For the purpose of requesting a state or nationwide criminal records check under ORS 181A.195, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission may require the fingerprints of a person who is, or will be, working or providing services in a position: (1) In which the person has direct…

(1)(a) There is established in the State Treasury a fund, separate and distinct from the General Fund, to be known as the Oregon Student Assistance Fund. Interest earned by the fund shall be credited to the fund. (b) The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated to the Higher Edu…

(1) The STEM Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the STEM Fund shall be credited to the fund. Moneys in the STEM Fund are continuously appropriated to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for the purpo…

(1) Subject to the terms of the governing instruments and applicable law, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission may enter into agreements with one or more community foundations in Oregon to assume the management of the privately funded student aid programs of the commissio…

As used in ORS 348.584 and 348.586, “institution of higher education” means: (1) A public university listed in ORS 352.002; (2) A community college as defined in ORS 341.005; (3) The Oregon Health and Science University; (4) A career school as defined in ORS 345.010; (5) A privat…

(1) Each year, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall identify the federal or national entity that best provides information about the affordability and value of institutions of higher education in Oregon. (2) An institution of higher education that operates in this s…

An institution of higher education that operates in this state may not: (1) Promise or guarantee employment, or overstate the availability of jobs, upon completion of an educational program or degree from the institution. (2) Advertise inaccurately regarding length of time requir…

All funds for and relating to student aid programs received by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission pursuant to federal grant or from any other source, except moneys appropriated from the State Treasury for a specified period of time, hereby are continuously appropriated …

(1) The Director of the Office of Student Access and Completion may obtain loan cancellation insurance for any person holding a loan under this section and ORS 348.505 to 348.530 and 348.570. (2) The insurance shall insure the life of the student who borrows under this section an…

As used in ORS 348.594 to 348.615: (1)(a) “Diploma mill” means: (A) A school against which a court or public body, as defined in ORS 174.109, has issued a ruling or finding, after due process procedures, that the school has engaged in dishonest, fraudulent or deceptive practices …

It is the purpose of ORS 348.594 to 348.615 to provide for the protection of the citizens of Oregon and their post-secondary schools by ensuring the quality of higher education and preserving the integrity of an academic degree as a public credential. [1997 c.652 §9; 1999 c.59 §9…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, ORS 348.594 to 348.615 apply to all schools that operate in this state. (2) ORS 348.594 to 348.615 do not apply to: (a) A school, or a separately accredited campus of a school, if the school: (A) Is a nonprofit school that…

The Degree Authorization Account is established separate and distinct from the General Fund. All moneys received by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission under ORS 348.603, 348.606 and 348.609 shall be deposited into the account and are continuously appropriated to the com…

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall: (a) Authorize approved schools to offer academic degree programs; (b) Authorize approved degree-granting schools to offer nondegree programs leading to a certificate or diploma; (c) Validate claims of degree possession; (d) …

Upon application from a school, as defined in ORS 348.594, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall grant an exemption from ORS 348.594 to 348.615 to the school if the school: (1) Is, or is operated by, a nonprofit corporation; (2) Offers only associate, bachelor’s or m…

(1) A school that obtains an exemption under ORS 348.604 or that, on July 14, 2005, met the criteria and followed procedures to obtain a religious exemption adopted by rule by the Oregon Student Access Commission and that offered only degrees leading to occupations in theology or…

(1) A school may not confer or offer to confer any academic degree upon a person, or provide services purporting to lead to a degree in whole or in part, without first obtaining approval from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. The commission shall adopt by rule standar…

(1)(a) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission may by rule impose a fee on a school that applies for an exemption under ORS 348.604. (b) The amount of the fee the commission may impose by rule under this section may not exceed the actual cost to the commission of determining…

(1) Each year, on a date prescribed by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, a school that obtains an exemption under ORS 348.604 or a school that, on July 14, 2005, met the criteria and followed procedures to obtain a religious exemption adopted by rule by the Oregon Stu…

(1) A person may not claim or represent that the person possesses any academic degree unless the degree has been awarded to or conferred upon the person by a school that: (a) Has accreditation recognized by the United States Department of Education or the foreign equivalent of su…

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission may place a school, or a program within a school, on probation, or suspend or revoke any approval given to a school under ORS 348.606, for proper cause after a hearing. (2) The commission shall by rule establish criteria for placin…

(1) A school approved by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to confer any academic degree under ORS 348.606 shall annually obtain a bond or letter of credit demonstrating that the school is financially sound and capable of fulfilling its commitments to students. A bond …

If the Higher Education Coordinating Commission refuses to grant approval to a school to confer degrees or revokes the approval to confer degrees, the refusal or revocation shall be subject to the right of review by an action brought in the circuit court of the county in which th…

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall develop and adopt rules that provide the minimum criteria that an employer must meet in order for the employer’s scholarship program for employees and dependents to be certified as eligible for the employee and dependent scho…

(1) An application for employee and dependent scholarship program certification shall be filed by the employer establishing the program. The application shall be filed with the Director of the Office of Student Access and Completion at least three months prior to the close of the…

(1) An application for tax credit certification shall be filed by an employer that has obtained program certification under ORS 348.618 or that has applied for program certification and is awaiting program certification by the Director of the Office of Student Access and Completi…

(1) Pursuant to Article XV, section 4 (4)(d), of the Oregon Constitution, the Education Stability Fund is established separate and distinct from the General Fund. Moneys in the Education Stability Fund shall be invested as provided in ORS 293.701 to 293.790. Except as provided in…

(1) There is created within the Education Stability Fund the Oregon Growth Account, to which shall be credited, in the manner provided in subsection (2) of this section, 10 percent of the funds transferred under Article XV, section 4, of the Oregon Constitution, from the Administ…

The Oregon Education Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Moneys in the Oregon Education Fund are continuously appropriated to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services for public education and education lottery bond debt …

ORS 348.748 to 348.757 shall be known and may be cited as Oregon’s Open Educational Resources (OER) Program. [2017 c.708 §2] Note: 348.748 to 348.757 were enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly but were not added to or made a part of ORS chapter 348 or any series therein by…

(1) As used in ORS 348.748 to 348.757, “open educational resources” means teaching, learning and research resources that: (a) Reside in the public domain or that have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others; and (…

(1) Each community college and public university listed in ORS 352.002 shall establish a textbook affordability plan. Each plan established under this section shall: (a) Contain measurable goals for increasing textbook affordability, such as: (A) Establishing a target amount of s…

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall regularly convene faculty, staff and librarians from public universities listed in ORS 352.002 and community colleges for the purpose of coordinating Oregon’s Open Educational Resources (OER) Program by: (a) Assisting and adv…

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall provide a report on Oregon’s Open Educational Resources (OER) Program to the committees of the Legislative Assembly relating to higher education during each regular session of the Legislative Assembly held during an odd-numbe…

Each public university listed in ORS 352.002 and community college shall prominently designate courses whose course materials exclusively consist of open or free textbooks or other low-cost or no-cost course materials. The course designation required by this section must appear i…

(1) The Employment Department, in consultation with health care industry employers, shall perform a statewide and regional needs assessment for health care occupations to identify emerging occupations and occupations for which there is high demand or a shortage of workers. The as…

(1) As used in this section, “applied baccalaureate degree” means a bachelor’s degree designed to incorporate applied associate courses and degrees with additional coursework emphasizing higher-order thinking skills and advanced technical knowledge and skills. (2) The Higher Educ…