H.B. No. 2784
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the refund policy for courses and programs at career
  schools and colleges.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 132.061(b), (f), and (g), Education
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (g), as a condition for
  granting certification each career school or college must maintain
  a policy for the refund of the unused portion of tuition, fees, and
  other charges in the event the student, after expiration of the
  72-hour cancellation privilege, fails to enter a program in which
  the student is enrolled or withdraws or is discontinued from the
  program at any time prior to completion, and such policy must
  provide:
               (1)  refunds for resident programs and synchronous
  distance education courses or programs will be based on the period
  of enrollment computed on the basis of course or program time;
               (2)  the effective date of termination for refund
  purposes in residence programs and synchronous distance education
  courses or programs [career schools or colleges] will be the
  earliest of the following:
                     (A)  the last date of attendance, if the student
  is terminated by the school or college;
                     (B)  the date of receipt of written notice of
  withdrawal from the student; or
                     (C)  10 school days following the last date of
  attendance;
               (3)  if tuition and fees are collected in advance of
  entrance, and if, after expiration of the 72-hour cancellation
  privilege, the student does not enter the residence career school
  or college, not more than $100 shall be retained by the school or
  college;
               (4)  for the student who enters a residence program or a
  synchronous distance education course and who [of not more than 12
  months in length, terminates, or] withdraws or is otherwise
  terminated, the school or college may retain not more than $100 of
  any administrative [tuition and] fees charged and the minimum
  refund of the remaining tuition and fees will be the pro rata
  portion of tuition, fees, and other charges that the number of hours
  remaining in the portion of the course or program for which the
  student has been charged after the effective date of termination
  bears to the total number of hours in the portion of the course or
  program for which the student has been charged, except that a
  student may not collect a refund if the student has completed 75
  percent or more of the total number of hours in the portion of the
  program for which the student has been charged on the effective date
  of termination[:
                     [(A) during the first week or one-tenth of the
  program or course, whichever is less, 90 percent of the remaining
  tuition and fees;
                     [(B)     after the first week or one-tenth of the
  program or course, whichever is less, but within the first three
  weeks or one-fifth of the program or course, whichever is less, 80
  percent of the remaining tuition and fees;
                     [(C)     after the first three weeks or one-fifth of
  the program or course, whichever is less, but within the first
  quarter of the program or course, 75 percent of the remaining
  tuition and fees;
                     [(D)     during the second quarter of the program or
  course, 50 percent of the remaining tuition and fees;
                     [(E)     during the third quarter of the program or
  course, 10 percent of the remaining tuition and fees; or
                     [(F)     during the last quarter of the program or
  course, the student may be considered obligated for the full
  tuition and fees];
               (5)  [for residence programs or synchronous distance
  education courses more than 12 months in length, the refund shall be
  applied to each 12-month period paid, or part thereof separately,
  and the student is entitled to a refund as provided by Subdivision
  (4);
               [(6)]  refunds of items of extra expense to the
  student, such as instructional supplies, books, student
  activities, laboratory fees, service charges, rentals, deposits,
  and all other such ancillary miscellaneous charges, where these
  items are separately stated and shown in the data furnished the
  student before enrollment, will be made in a reasonable manner
  acceptable to the commission;
               (6) [(7)]  refunds based on enrollment in residence and
  synchronous distance education courses or programs [schools or
  colleges] will be totally consummated within 60 days after the
  effective date of termination;
               (7) [(8)]  refunds for asynchronous distance education
  courses or programs will be computed on the basis of the number of
  lessons in the course or program;
               (8) [(9)]  the effective date of termination for refund
  purposes in asynchronous distance education courses or programs 
  will be the earliest of the following:
                     (A)  the date of notification to the student if
  the student is terminated;
                     (B)  the date of receipt of written notice of
  withdrawal from the student; or
                     (C)  the end of the third calendar month following
  the month in which the student's last lesson assignment was
  received unless notification has been received from the student
  that the student wishes to remain enrolled;
               (9) [(10)]  if tuition and fees are collected before
  any courses [lessons] for a program have been completed, and if,
  after expiration of the 72-hour cancellation privilege, the student
  fails to begin the program, not more than $50 shall be retained by
  the school or college;
               (10) [(11)]  in cases of termination or withdrawal
  after the student has begun the asynchronous distance education
  course or program, the school or college may retain $50 of tuition
  and fees, and the minimum refund policy must provide that the
  student will be refunded the pro rata portion of the remaining
  tuition, fees, and other charges that the number of courses 
  [lessons] completed and serviced by the school or college bears to
  the total number of courses [lessons] in the program [course]; and
               (11) [(12)]  refunds based on enrollment in
  asynchronous distance education schools or colleges will be totally
  consummated within 60 days after the effective date of termination.
         (f)  A career school or college shall record a grade of
  "incomplete" for a student who withdraws during the portion of a
  course or program for which the student is not eligible to collect a
  refund under Subsection (b)(4) [but is not entitled to a refund
  under Subsection (b)(4)(F)] if the student requests the grade at
  the time the student withdraws and the student withdraws for an
  appropriate reason unrelated to the student's academic status. A
  student who receives a grade of incomplete may re-enroll in the
  course or program during the 12-month period following the date the
  student withdraws and complete those incomplete subjects without
  payment of additional tuition for that portion of the course or
  program.
         (g)  A program that is 40 hours or less of course time, or a
  seminar or workshop, is exempt from the 72-hour rule provided by
  Subsection (a).  The career school or college shall maintain a
  policy for the refund of the unused portion of tuition, fees, and
  other charges in the event the student fails to enter the program or
  withdraws or is discontinued from the program at any time before
  completion of the program as provided by this section.  The policy
  must provide that:
               (1)  refunds are based on the period of enrollment
  computed on the basis of course or program time;
               (2)  the effective date of termination for refund
  purposes is the earlier of:
                     (A)  the last date of attendance; or
                     (B)  the date the school or college receives
  written notice from the student that the student is withdrawing
  from the class; and
               (3)  the student will be refunded the pro rata portion
  of tuition, fees, and other charges that the number of hours [of
  course time] remaining in the portion of the [student's] program
  for which the student has been charged after the effective date of
  termination bears to the total number of hours in the portion of [of
  course time in] the program for which the student has been charged.
         SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act to Section
  132.061, Education Code, applies only to the refund policy of a
  career school or college to which a certificate of approval is
  granted or for which a certificate of approval is renewed on or
  after the date this Act takes effect.
         (b)  The refund policy of a career school or college to which
  a certificate of approval is granted or for which a certificate of
  approval is renewed before the date this Act takes effect is
  governed by the law in effect on the most recent date the
  certificate of approval was granted or renewed until the
  certificate of approval expires or is renewed on or after the date
  this Act takes effect, and the former law is continued in effect for
  that purpose.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2784 was passed by the House on May 5,
  2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 2784 on May 25, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 144, Nays 0,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 2784 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 23, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor