Title 49, Education

(a) Beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year, each institution operated by the board of regents, each state university, and each campus in the University of Tennessee system shall provide each student with a detailed and completed current-year federal college financing plan. The …

(a) (1) The board or governing entity of each private institution of higher education, whether for-profit or nonprofit, or the chief administrative officer if the institution does not have a board or governing entity, may establish a policy for the carrying of handguns on the cam…

(a) No person who is registered, or required to register, as a violent sexual offender or offender against children pursuant to the Tennessee Sexual Offender and Violent Sexual Offender Registration, Verification and Tracking Act of 2004, compiled in title 40, chapter 39, part 2,…

No public postsecondary institution shall take any adverse or disciplinary action against an employee or student of the postsecondary institution solely for such person's transportation and storage of a firearm or firearm ammunition in compliance with § 39-17-1313 while on or usi…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Dependent child” means a natural child, stepchild, or adopted child who is either living with or receiving regular support contributions from a military parent at the time of the military parent's death. “Dependent child” also means a posthumous c…

(a) The general assembly finds a public necessity in protecting specified records relating to the investment program of the state university and community college system and the University of Tennessee system. (b) (1) Records of the state university and community college system a…

(a) As used in this section, “college system of Tennessee” means the community colleges and colleges of applied technology governed by the board of regents. (b) As used in this section, “state universities” means:(1) The University of Tennessee and all its several branches;(2) Th…

(a) Public institutions of higher education are authorized to appoint the following persons as administrative judges and hearing officers to conduct contested cases under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act:(1) A person who is licensed to practice law and who is not employe…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Continuous enrollment” means a student is enrolled in the fall and spring semesters of a single academic year. Enrollment in summer semester or inter-session terms is not required;(2) “Dependent child” means a natural child, stepchild, or adopted …

(a) The department of correction shall, in partnership with the Tennessee higher education commission and the board of regents, develop and submit to the general assembly an annual report that details the higher education opportunities available to eligible incarcerated individua…

(a) Notwithstanding § 10-7-504 or another law to the contrary, records of or relating to an intercollegiate athletics program of a public institution of higher education must be treated as confidential and must not be open for public inspection if:(1) The records contain informat…

This part shall apply to all public higher education institutions located in this state.

(1) As used in this part, unless the context requires otherwise:(1) “Institution” means any public institution of higher education located within this state;(2) “Notice” means written information sent to a student by the institution transmitted by:(A) United States mail, courier …

(a) An institution shall provide a student accused of sexual misconduct with notice of the extent to which the institution may allow a licensed attorney or other advisor to represent or advise the student in an investigation or student disciplinary proceeding. (b) At least sevent…

(a) An institution must adopt a policy requiring that the process of disciplining a student for sexual misconduct be carried out in a manner that is free from conflicts of interest consistent with due process of law. (b) With respect to student disciplinary hearings other than co…

(a) A degree-granting postsecondary educational institution, as defined in § 49-7-2003, that has a campus in this state shall:(1) Designate a staff member who is employed in the financial aid office, or another appropriate office or department as determined by the institution, to…

(a) Each state institution of higher education shall develop and implement a suicide prevention plan for students, faculty, and staff. The plan must:(1) Be developed in consultation with campus mental health professionals and suicide prevention experts;(2) Identify procedures rel…

(a) An act of the general assembly enacted after January 1, 2021, that mandates a discount or waiver of the tuition or fees charged at public institutions of higher education in this state is unenforceable against an institution affected by the act in any fiscal year for which th…

(a) As used in this section, “state-mandated discount or waiver program” means a discount or waiver of the tuition or fees charged at public institutions of higher education in this state, as required by an act of the general assembly. (b) Each public institution of higher educat…

(1) Any communication provided to students or parents by a public institution of higher education regarding immunization requirements must include information on the grounds for any exemption from the immunization requirements. The exemption information and immunization requireme…

(a) The governing body of the University of Tennessee system, the state university and community college system, or a state university may lease public lands under the governing body's jurisdiction to fraternities and sororities for a nominal consideration for a term not to excee…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Community college” means a two-year public institution operated by the board of regents of the state university and community college system;(2) “Personally-identifiable information” means information that would allow a reasonable person, who does…

(a) The department of children's services, working jointly with the Tennessee higher education commission, the board of regents, and participating institutions of higher education, shall establish a foster care youth outreach liaison pilot program at participating institutions of…

(a) (1) Intercollegiate or intramural athletic teams or sports that are designated for “females,” “women,” or “girls” and that are sponsored, sanctioned, or operated by a public institution of higher education or by a private institution of higher education whose students or team…

This part is known and may be cited as the “Transparency in Foreign Investment Act.”

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Confucius Institute” means a Confucius Institute or Chinese Language Partner Network operated by the Office of Chinese Language Council International, also known as Hanban, which is affiliated with the ministry …

An institution shall not host a Confucius Institute.

(a) An institution shall not accept a gift from a foreign source or enter into a contract with a foreign source if the institution believes that doing so would threaten:(1) The integrity of the institution's research, instruction, or operations;(2) The institution's intellectual …

(a) If a state governmental entity or an institution of higher education receives a complaint from a person who alleges that antisemitism has occurred on the premises of an institution of higher education, or through electronic outreach from an institution of higher education, th…

(a) This section and § 49-6-1904 are known and may be cited as the “Save Tennessee Students Act.” (b) (1) If a public institution of higher education issues new student identification cards to students enrolled in the institution, then the institution shall include on the cards:(…

(a) A public postsecondary institution that provides internet access to students, faculty, staff, or the general public shall not allow an individual to access a social media platform using the institution's network if the platform is operated or hosted by a company based in the …

(a) A public institution of higher education, shall not:(1) Require a faculty member or other employee of the institution to complete or participate in implicit bias training; or(2) Take an adverse employment action against a faculty member or other employee of the institution fo…

(a) (a) As used in this section, “artificial intelligence” means a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments and that is capable of using machine and human-b…

A public institution of higher learning that holds personal information of students, including, but not limited to, names; campus, home, or email addresses; telephone numbers; or other identifying information, shall not share the personal information with a third party that has c…

(a) (1) Each governing board of a public institution of higher education in this state shall regularly update the institution's policies and practices regarding institutional accreditation to conform with changes made by the United States department of education or by the United …

(a) Each public institution of higher education shall safeguard its academic research from foreign adversaries by establishing a research security policy that promotes a security culture, furthers national security interests, and mitigates threats to the integrity and conduct of …

To ensure compliance with the United States supreme court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 600 U.S. 181 (2023), the office of the comptroller of the treasury shall include in any audit conducted by the office of the board…

All residential educational programs in this state, regardless of type or duration, that allow minors enrolled in elementary or secondary schools, as defined in § 49-6-301, to stay overnight in residential facilities must segregate by sex, as defined in § 1-3-105(c), all multi-oc…

The general assembly finds that the divisive concepts described in § 49-7-1902 exacerbate and inflame divisions on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, and other criteria in ways contrary to the unity of the United States of America and the well-be…

(1) As used in this part:(1) “Divisive concept” means a concept that:(A) One (1) race or sex is inherently superior or inferior to another race or sex;(B) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether co…

(1) In furtherance of the general assembly's findings in § 49-7-1901, the following restrictions apply to public institutions of higher education in this state:(1) A student or employee of a public institution of higher education shall not be penalized, discriminated against, or …

(a) A public institution of higher education shall not:(1) Conduct any mandatory training of students or employees if the training includes one (1) or more divisive concepts;(2) Use training programs or training materials for students or employees if the program or material inclu…

(a) Each public institution of higher education shall conduct a biennial survey of the institution's students and employees to assess the campus climate with regard to diversity of thought and the respondents' comfort level in speaking freely on campus, regardless of political af…

(1) This part shall not be interpreted to:(1) Prohibit public institutions of higher education from training students or employees on the non-discrimination requirements of federal or state law;(2) Infringe on the rights of freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment to th…

(a) The general assembly finds that:(1) Freedom of expression and inquiry at public institutions of higher education are indispensable to the pursuit of educational excellence and the furtherance of the ordered individual liberty established in our nation's founding documents;(2)…

If any provision of this part or its application to a person or circumstance is held invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this part that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the provisions o…