General Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Education exercises limited jurisdiction over colleges, universities and seminaries. Each institution must be authorized to operate. Depending on the type of authorization, institutions may be required to have new programs approved.
Each institution of higher education has its own board (or council) of trustees, which is responsible for the governance of that institution. The academic administration and day-to-day operations of the institution fall to the presidents and their staffs.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (The State System) governs the 14 State System universities. The State System has a twenty-member Board of Governors. The Chancellor is responsible for the operation of The State System. Each State System institution has its own president and Council of Trustees.
Private colleges and universities appoint members to their boards of trustees in accordance with the provisions stated in their articles of incorporation.
Community college boards of trustees are appointed by the local sponsor (school district, county, etc.) and are required to be representative of the region to be served by the college.
Records - Academic records are held by each institution. Please contact the institution's registrar for a copy of your transcript.
Students who attended a college, university or seminary that has closed should contact the Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity at 717-783-6786 or RA-HigherEducation@pa.gov for information about records.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education does not accredit colleges or universities. Accreditation is provided by accrediting agencies that are approved by the United States Department of Education. A list of approved accrediting agencies and accredited institutions is available from the United States Department of Education.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education investigates student complaints against institutions of higher education and Private Licensed Schools. A signed complaint form authorizing the department to share the complaint information with the institution is required.
Institution Resources
Postsecondary institutions are required to submit reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Reports must be submitted on English fluency of instructors, gifts, sexual violence awareness training, campus crime, graduation rates and program offerings.
Pennsylvania offers a voluntary registration process for out-of-state providers of distance education that enroll residents of Pennsylvania. This registration is offered to enable providers to demonstrate authority to offer programs via distance education to students in Pennsylvania. There is a $5,000 Registration Fee for Out-of-State Distance Education Providers that are not participating in The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).
Out-of-state institutions or organizations must be authorized by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education before conducting any education activity that awards academic or continuing education credit or charges a fee or tuition. Out-of-state institutions must have approval as an Education Enterprise before establishing a physical presence in Pennsylvania. (See 22. Pa. Code § 31.2 and § 36.1 - 8). The Fee for The Application for Education Enterprise is $10,000. Out-of-state institutions are required to renew their Education Enterprise authorization every five years. The Education Enterprise Renewal Fee is $2,000. For more information, please contact the Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity at 717-783-6786 or ra-highereducation@pa.gov.
Any institution offering programs for academic credit or a degree must be authorized by the Secretary of Education prior to operating in Pennsylvania. Please note that Pennsylvania does not have a religious exemption. The Fee for Establishing a New Institution is $5,000.
- Please contact the Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity at 717-783-6786 or ra-highereducation@pa.gov prior to preparing an application for a new degree-granting institution.
To be a degree-granting college, university or seminary, an institution must abide by 24 Pa. C.S.A. § 6502(b), which states:
"No institution shall be authorized to confer degrees in the arts, pure and applied science, philosophy, literature, law, medicine and theology, or any of them, unless it has:
(1) A minimum protective endowment of at least $500,000, beyond all indebtedness and assets invested in buildings and apparatus for the exclusive purpose of promoting instruction, except that, in the case of tax-supported institutions or those maintained by religious or other eleemosynary organizations, financial support or contributed services equivalent in value to the endowment herein specified may be substituted for such endowment.
(2) A faculty consisting of at least eight regular professors who devote all their time to the instruction of its higher education classes, unless the institution is devoted to a specific subject in the arts, archaeology, literature or science (medical and law schools excepted), in which case the faculty shall consist of at least three regular professors who devote all their time to the instruction in the special branch for which the institution is established, and two or more instructors or fellows in the particular branch, who shall be provided to assist in the instruction to be given the students for the promotion of original investigation and in the development and growth of the special branch of science to which such institution may be devoted."
The regulations relevant to this approval process are found in 22 Pa. Code Chapters 31, 36, 40 and 42.
Act 69 of 2012 established that accredited not-for-profit institutions that have operated in Pennsylvania for more than 10 years are not required to have the approval of the Secretary of Education to launch new programs. Institutions not exempted by Act 69 are required to obtain approval by the Secretary of Education to offer new degree programs. The regulations governing new degree program applications are 22 Pa. Code Chapter 42. Please note that institutions that are exempt from PDE approval of programs are still required to maintain compliance with the regulations regarding programs. The New Program or Degree Application for Approval Fee for Institutions not exempted by Act 69 is $1,400. To request a new program or degree application, please contact the Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity at 717-783-786 or ra-highereducation@pa.gov.
The words "college," "university," and "seminary" are restricted words in Pennsylvania. (See 24 Pa. C.S.A. § 6503.) Filing of corporate names and fictitious corporate names using these words requires approval. Contact the Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity at 717-783-6786 or at ra-highereducation@pa.gov to request approval. The Fee for an Application for Approval to use the word “college,” “university,” or “seminary” in a business name is $100.
Any change in status, such as from college to university or establishing a new college, university or seminary, requires approval and a separate certificate of authority. The Fee for an Application to Change Status From College or Seminary to University is $1,000.
Contact the Division of Higher Education, Access, and Equity at 717-783-6786 or at ra-highereducation@pa.gov for information on applying for University Status.
To amend the Articles of Incorporation, please submit a short cover letter summarizing the proposed changes signed by the President, evidence that the Board of Trustees has approved the change, a copy of the current Articles, a redlined copy of the current Articles highlighting the proposed changes, and a clean copy of the revised Articles. The request must be published in the PA Bulletin for 30 days.