Title 49, Education

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…

(a) As used in this section, “institution” means a four-year public or private institution of higher education located in this state. (b) A person must not be excluded from participating in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination by an institution, or any program …

(a) (1) A public institution of higher education in this state shall not use a discriminatory preference in an effort to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion or establish or maintain an office, division, or department for such purposes. All mandates, policies, programs, activ…

(a) The general assembly finds that public institutions of higher education are at their most effective when the faculty members and employees of the institutions are the most highly qualified candidates for employment with the institutions and that hiring decisions should be bas…

(1) When providing instruction on the topic of American history, faculty or instructors employed at a public institution of higher education may provide instruction on the positive impacts of religion on American history, which may include:(1) The history of the Pilgrims, includi…

Each public institution of higher education shall adopt policies to preserve the essential principles of institutional neutrality, free expression, and civil discourse, and to preserve a campus climate that allows for the free expression of all viewpoints with respect. The polici…

(a) The board of trustees for the University of Tennessee, the board of regents, and each state university board shall adopt and implement a policy regarding the use of revenues generated by the out-of-state undergraduate tuition and fees charged by the institutions governed by t…

This part shall be known and cited as the “Tennessee Higher Education Authorization Act of 2016.”

(a) (1) It is the purpose of this part to provide for the protection, education, and welfare of the citizens of this state, its postsecondary educational institutions, and its students, through regulatory oversight to ensure consumer protections are appropriately maintained, whil…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Agent” means any person representing a postsecondary educational institution for payment, who solicits in any form and enrolls, or seeks to enroll, a student for education offered by an authorized institution, o…

(a) The following education and educational institutions are exempted from this part:(1) Institutions exclusively offering instruction at any or all levels from preschool through the twelfth grade;(2) Education sponsored by a bona fide trade, business, professional or fraternal o…

(a) The commission has the power and duty to:(1) Establish minimum standards in conformity with § 49-7-2006, concerning the provision of education, ethical business practices, and fiscal responsibility, that applicants for authorization must meet before the authorization may be i…

(a) An authorized postsecondary educational institution must be maintained and operated, or, in the case of a new institution, demonstrate that it can be maintained and operated, in compliance with the following minimum standards:(1) The content of each course or program of instr…

(1) A postsecondary educational institution, alone or in concert with any person, agent, group, or entity, shall not:(1) Operate a postsecondary educational institution in this state that is not exempted from this part, unless the postsecondary educational institution has a curre…

(a) (1) Each postsecondary educational institution creating a physical presence in Tennessee must apply for authorization with the commission on forms provided by the commission pursuant to this section or § 49-7-2022(a). When physical presence activities or operation is not the …

In order to achieve coordination and unity in the program of public higher education, there is created the Tennessee higher education commission, called the commission in this part.

(a) (1) If the commission, upon review and consideration of an application for institutional authorization, program registration, or other application, determines that the applicant fails to meet the criteria established as provided in this part or as provided in the rules promul…

(a) (1) A person claiming damage or loss as a result of an act or practice of an authorized postsecondary educational institution or its agent, or both, that is a violation of this part or of the rules promulgated pursuant to this part, may file with the commission a verified com…

(a) (1) A person, agent, group, or entity aggrieved or adversely affected by a decision of the executive director that results in adverse action, as described in §§ 49-7-2010, 49-7-2011, and 49-7-2017, being taken has the right to a hearing and review of the decision by the commi…

(a) (1) At the time an application is made for authorization, or for renewal of the authorization, the commission may require the postsecondary educational institution making the application to file with the commission a good and sufficient surety bond in a penal sum in the amoun…

(a) The commission is authorized to set fees annually based on the intent to collect revenues sufficient to fully fund all costs of this regulatory function. (b) All fees collected pursuant to this part shall be deposited in the state treasury credited to a special agency account…

(a) (1) If the person to whom educational services are to be rendered or furnished by a postsecondary educational institution is a resident of this state at the time any contract relating to payment for the services, or any note, instrument or other evidence of indebtedness relat…

(a) If a postsecondary educational institution engaged in activities or operating in this state proposes to discontinue its activities or operations in this state, then the owner or chief administrative officer, by whatever title designated, of the institution shall file with the…

(a) (1) A person, group, or entity, or any owner, officer, agent, or employee of a person, group, or entity, that violates a provision of this part or the rules promulgated pursuant to this part is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500) for the viola…

(a) The general assembly recognizes:(1) The need to establish a fund from which reimbursement can be made to students who reside in Tennessee or attend an authorized location with a Tennessee address, or an entity making loans to those students at postsecondary educational instit…

(a) Information related to graduation, job placement, and tuition costs that institutions are required to provide the commission must also be provided, in writing, to a prospective student for the specific field of study in which the student is considering enrolling. (b) An insti…

(a) It is the duty of the commission on a continuing basis to study the use of public funds for higher education in this state and to analyze programs and needs in the field of higher education. (b) The commission shall establish and ensure that all postsecondary institutions in …