Article 19. Severability of California Education Code >> Division 10. >> Title 3. >> Part 59. >> Chapter 8. >> Article 19.
The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any
provision of this chapter or its application is held invalid, that
invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can
be given effect without the invalid provision or application.
(a) Notwithstanding Section 94874.2, an institution
described in subdivision (i) of Section 94874 that satisfies all of
the following requirements may claim an exemption from this chapter.
(1) The institution has been accredited by an accrediting agency
recognized by the United States Department of Education for at least
10 years, and has not been placed on probation or on a greater level
than standard monitoring, or sanctioned, by its accrediting agency.
(2) The institution is headquartered in California and has
operated continuously in this state for at least 25 years.
(3) The institution is privately held and prior to its current
exemption, the institution was granted an approval to operate by the
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, or its predecessor agency
and has experienced no change of ownership since the institution was
last approved.
(4) During its existence, the institution has not filed for
bankruptcy protection.
(5) The institution maintains an equity ratio composite score of
at least 1.5 based on the current financial stability test.
(6) At least 12.5 percent of the institution's revenues are
derived from sources other than financial aid. For purposes of this
requirement, financial aid includes all forms of state or federal
student assistance, including, but not limited to, financial aid
provided to veterans and financial aid through the Cal Grant Program.
(7) The institution's cohort default rate does not exceed 13
percent for the most recent three years, as published by the United
States Department of Education.
(8) The institution has a graduation rate that exceeds 60 percent,
as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
(9) The institution has not been subject to any legal or
regulatory actions by a state attorney general for a violation of
consumer protection laws that resulted in monetary settlement, fines,
or other documented violations.
(10) The institution provides a pro rata refund of unearned
institutional charges to students who complete 75 percent or less of
the period of attendance.
(11) The institution provides to all students the right to cancel
the enrollment agreement and obtain a refund of charges paid through
attendance at the second class session, or the 14th day after
enrollment, whichever is later.
(12) The institution complies with all other reasonable criteria,
necessary to ensure educational quality and protection of veterans,
established by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans
Education.
(13) The institution verifies its exemption pursuant to Section
94874.1.
(b) An institution exempt from this chapter pursuant to this
section may apply to the bureau for an approval to operate pursuant
to Section 94874.8
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that if the exemption
provided in this section is declared by a court to be invalid for any
reason, the requirements of this chapter shall apply to an
institution that would otherwise be subject to receive this
exemption.