New Licensure Disclosure Regulation Takes Effect July 1

The U.S. Department of Education’s latest state authorization regulation takes effect July 1, 2020. 

The new regulation clarifies requirements for an institution to be authorized to operate in the state where a student is located and requires an institution to disclose whether a licensure or certification program meets requirements for professional licensure or certification in all 50 states. Compliance is required to continue participation in Title IV federal financial aid programs.

Specifically, an institution must disclose states in which:

• a program meets educational requirements for licensure or certification,
• a program does not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification, and  
• the institution has not determined whether the program meets educational requirements for licensure of certification

Previous versions of the regulation only required disclosures for online licensure programs. In contrast, the new regulation requires institutions to share disclosures for all licensure programs, regardless of whether the program is offered online or on campus.

Disclosures are intended to increase awareness regarding the impact that moving to another state may have on a student’s ability to seek a license or certification. Because licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state, students’ eligibility to seek a license or certification that is required for employment could be impacted if they relocate. As students become increasingly mobile, it is important for Ohio State to increase student awareness of state licensure requirements.

Centralized Disclosures

The Office of Distance Education and eLearning (ODEE) researches and maintains licensure disclosure information for all 50 states on two central disclosure websites:

• Online program disclosures are located at go.osu.edu/disclosures  
• On-campus program disclosures are located at go.osu.edu/onground

Unit Responsibilities

Compliance requires the support and participation of every Ohio State unit that offers a licensure or certification program. Units must share links to the central disclosures on their websites and send direct disclosures to prospective students.

Public Web Disclosures

Units that offer licensure or certification programs should post a link to the central ODEE disclosure page on the program website maintained by the unit. Units can use the ODEE web disclosure template language, which includes the link.

Direct Email Disclosures

Units are required to share disclosure information directly with prospective students and students who enroll in a program that leads to licensure or certification. Units should include ODEE direct disclosure template language in an email response to a prospective student inquiry and in an acceptance letter, welcome packet, or another email that is sent directly to the student.

What’s Next?

ODEE will continue to prioritize and complete state licensure and certification research for programs that lead to a license or certification. Research will be prioritized based on program enrollments.

Program disclosures will indicate that Ohio State has not determined whether completion of the program meets educational requirements for licensure or certification until research into each state’s requirements is complete.

Contact the state authorization team with questions about unit responsibilities for compliance with the new regulation.