Responses Last Confirmed:

Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Institutions

Agency Information

Guide Topics

Agency Contact

Damaris Nolasco
787-722-2121 ext. 3801
dnolasco@estado.pr.gov

Additional Contact

Neydaliz Vega Alejandro
787-722-2121, Ext. 3809
nvega@estado.pr.gov
Topic

1: Important Agency Information to Note

a.
Provide any important information about your agency.

No response provided

Topic

2: Types of Educational Providers Authorized

a.
Indicate the types of institutions that your agency authorizes. Please provide a short explanation of any ambiguity in the comment section below.

__X__ Public, in-state degree granting institutions
__X__ Public, out-of-state degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, in-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, out-of-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, in-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Private, out-of-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
__X__ Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
__X__ Public, out-of-state, non-degree granting institutions
__X__ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
__X__ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
_____ Religious institutions
_____ Tribally-controlled institutions
_____ Federal Institutions
__X__ Municipal institutions

b.
Does your agency authorize specific academic programs offered by institutions, only institutions themselves, or both?

____ Institution   _____ Program   __X___ Both

c.
Clarifying comments:

If Out of State Institutions has physical presence as describe in the regulations they will have to apply for state authorization (License)

Topic

3: Accreditation

a.
Is accreditation required for an institution to be authorized in your state?

No

b.
If yes, please check all that apply as appropriate.

No response provided

Accreditation Required for:
____ Public, out-of-state degree granting institutions
____ Private, in-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, out-of-state, not-for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, in-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Private, out-of-state, for-profit degree granting institutions
____ Public, in-state, non-degree granting institutions
____ Public, out-of-state, non-degree granting institutions
____ Non-degree, not-for profit institutions
____ Non-degree, for-profit institutions
____ Religious institutions
____ Tribally-controlled institutions
____ Federal Institutions
____ Municipal institutions

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

4: Exemptions

a.
Are certain institutions or programs exempt by law or policy from your state authorization requirements?

Religious and Military Institutions

 https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf)  (page 5)

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions? Which types of programs?

No response provided

c.
Web link for exemptions.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

5: Authorization of Distance Education

a.
Does your agency require purely online programs offered by out-of-state institutions to be authorized without regard to physical presence?

Yes.

b.
If not, does your agency determine whether an institution must be authorized based on a physical presence (“operating”) standard?

No response provided

c.
Does your agency require correspondence study programs to be authorized without regard to physical presence?

Yes.

d.
Clarifying comments:

If not a SARA participating Institution they will have to apply for the regular licensing process.

Topic

6: Physical Presence Policy

a.
If your agency uses a physical presence standard, how does your agency define physical presence?

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf (page 13)

b.
Web link for physical presence definition.

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf (page 13)

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

7: Student Complaints - SARA Participating Institutions

a.
Please describe the process for handling complaints about SARA participating Institutions.
b.
Is the process handled all within your agency or do you divide consumer protection and student complaint duties dependent on the type of institution (Public, Private, Technical, etc.)?

No, we handle all within our agency.

c.
Web link for student complaints – SARA participating institutions.
d.
Who is the contact person at your agency for receiving complaints?
  • Contact Name: Damaris Nolasco Ortiz
  • Title: Executive Director
  • Agency: Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Education
  • Address: PO Box 9023271 San Juan PR 00902-3271
  • Email: dnolasco@estado.pr.gov
  • Phone: 787-722-2121 ext. 3801
  • URL:
e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

8: Student Complaints - Non-SARA Participating Institutions

a.
Please describe the process for handling complaints about out-of-state postsecondary institutions or programs?

Please see link below

b.
Is the process handled all within your agency or do you divide consumer protection and student complaint duties dependent on the type of institution (Public, Private, Technical, etc.)?

No, we handle all within our agency.

c.
Does this complaint process extend to institutions not authorized by the agency that may enroll residents of the state (such as explicitly distance education programs with no physical presence or exempt institutions)?

No. 

d.
Who is the contact person at your agency for receiving complaints?
  • Contact Name: Damaris Nolasco Ortiz
  • Title: Executive Director
  • Agency: Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Education
  • Address: PO Box 9023271 San Juan PR 00902-3271
  • Email: dnolasco@estado.pr.gov
  • Phone: 787-722-2121 ext. 3801
e.
Web link for the complaint form.
f.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

9: Surety Bonds

a.
Does your state require a Surety Bond for authorized out-of-state institutions?

No

b.
Web link for surety bonds.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No

Topic

10: Tuition Refund Policy

a.
Does your state have a Tuition Refund Policy Requirement?

No

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

No response provided

c.
Web link for tuition refund policy.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

11: Student Tuition Recovery Fund

a.
Does your state have a Student Tuition Recovery Fund (or similar fund for school closure)?

No

b.
If yes, for what types of institutions?

No response provided

c.
Web link for student tuition recovery fund.

No response provided

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

12: Reporting

a.
What kinds of information or data must an institution report to your agency as a condition for continued out-of-state authorization?

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf) (pages 20-21)

b.
How frequently do institutions report data?

Annually

c.
Is this information published or shared publicly?

No.

d.
Web link for reporting.

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf) (pages 20-21)

e.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

13: Enforcement

a.
What are possible consequences of institutional non-compliance?

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf) (pages 29)

b.
Web link for enforcement information.

No response provided

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

14: Application Process

a.
Please provide a short description of the application process to obtain state authorization.

No response provided

b.
Web link for application.

https://nc-sara.org/sites/default/files/files/2021-09/Institution_Application_1.8.21_4.pdf

c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

15: Fees Associated with Authorization

a.
Is there an application fee associated with the authorization process?

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/DocumentosCEPR/Documents/SARA/SARA_State_Supp_Institutions.pdf

b.
If yes, what is the fee or fee schedule?

No response provided

c.
Web link for fee information.

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/DocumentosCEPR/Documents/SARA/SARA_State_Supp_Institutions.pdf

d.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

16: Records Retention

a.
When a school closes, what is the process your state uses to ensure that transcripts/records are kept available?

https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/Documents/9272.pdf) (pages 65-66)

b.
From what agency do students request their transcripts/records from a closed school?
  • Agency Name : Puerto Rico State Department- Board of Postsecondary Institutions 
  • Contact Person: Norma Rodriguez
  • Contact Phone: 787-722-2121
  • Contact Address: PO Box 9023271 San Juan PR 00902-3271
  • Contact Email: nrodriguez@estado.pr.gov
  • Contact web site: https://www.estado.pr.gov/
c.
Clarifying comments:

No response provided

Topic

17: Additional Information

a.
Is there anything else about the authorization process in your state that we and others ought to know about?

The Act 212 of 2018 eliminates the Puerto Rico Council of Education and creates a new regulatory body, the Board of Postsecondary Institutions, ascribed to the Puerto Rico State Department. Currently we are in the transition process. 

We are currently working with the IT’s division to revise the SARA section. Because we are not the “host” of the web page, the process has been longer than we expected. As for ACT 212-2018 we have the English version available, as for the Regulation No. 9272, the official translation has been requested. As soon as the document is ready, we are going to publish it.