(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 standards and procedures for the approval of schools.

(2) A school based outside of Oregon may not offer any educational credit or degree within Oregon, including through the Internet, mail or telephone, without first obtaining approval from the commission. This subsection does not apply to schools operating as part of an interstate agreement entered into under ORS § 350.075 (3).

(3)(a) The commission, by rule, may impose fees on any school applying for approval to confer or offer to confer a degree upon a person or to provide academic credit applicable to a degree. Any fee imposed under this section is nonrefundable.

(b) The amount of each fee in this section is established to recover designated expenses incurred by the commission in carrying out the administration of ORS § 348.594 to 348.615, and may not exceed the amounts specified in this section adjusted for inflation annually, beginning on July 1, 2012, pursuant to the increase, if any, from the preceding year in the U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (All Items) as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor.

(4) For periodic review of a school’s general administrative and academic operations, and continued oversight and support of the school, the commission may impose the following fee on each school, to be paid biennially:

(a) $2,000 for a full review and oversight of a school with a complex organizational structure.

(b) $1,000 for a full review and oversight of a school wholly administered and governed at a single campus in this state.

(5) For periodic evaluation of academic programs offered by schools subject to continued oversight, the commission may impose the following fees per program for the following degrees or certificates:

(a) $2,000 for a nondegree certificate.

(b) $3,000 for an associate degree.

(c) $4,000 for a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree.

(6) Notwithstanding subsections (4) and (5) of this section, the commission may impose the following fees on each school that is not based in this state, offers distance learning courses or programs in this state and is not operating as part of an interstate agreement entered into under ORS § 350.075 (3):

(a) $7,000, to be paid biennially, for a full review and oversight of a school.

(b) $1,000 for each new program application not offered at the time of the school’s initial application to the commission.

(7)(a) In addition to the fees described in subsections (4) to (6) of this section, the commission may impose on each school that is not based in this state a fee of $1,000 per program that, as part of the program, places students in a practicum based in this state.

(b) This subsection does not apply to a placement that is part of an online program offered by a school.

(c) The commission may waive the fee imposed under this subsection for limited placements or special circumstances that involve Oregon residents who return to this state for a practicum.

(8) In addition to the fees described in subsections (4) to (7) of this section:

(a) The commission may impose a fee of not more than $500 for a change in program, based on the scope and complexity of the proposed program change.

(b) For review of qualifications of staff prior to hiring, the commission may impose a fee of:

(A) Not more than $50 for each new instructor.

(B) Not more than $100 for each new administrator or senior academic staff person.

(9) In addition to the fees described in subsections (4) to (8) of this section, the commission may assess:

(a) The actual costs related to the use of experts to evaluate programs leading to professional licensure by the state, if such costs exceed 10 percent of the base fees.

(b) Costs associated with travel expenses for:

(A) Schools subject to review and oversight under subsection (4) of this section; or

(B) Schools located outside this state that seek authorization to offer degrees without accreditation to residents of this state.

(10) Any fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the Degree Authorization Account established under ORS § 348.601.

(11) As used in this section, ‘practicum’ means a portion of a degree program that involves a supervised field placement in a professional or workplace environment. [1997 c.652 § 11; 1999 c.59 § 95; 2003 c.674 § 2; 2005 c.546 § 9; 2007 c.325 § 3; 2011 c.637 § 183; 2013 c.593 § 1; 2015 c.775 § 1]