1. (a) In the event of a change in an institution's mission, educational program, program delivery methods, tuition charged, or fees charged, or a change of physical location of the school or any of its facilities, the institution and its agents shall notify the commission in writing of the change at least 90 days before the effective date of the change or as soon as plans for change are known. The institution shall provide copies of communication from accrediting agencies or oversight bodies that document changes in status that depart from the information provided with the most recent authorization application.
2. (b) A change described in (a) of this section, or any departure from program information specified in the institution's most recent authorization application must be approved by the commission before implementation, except that the commission staff may administratively approve a change in curriculum, instructional delivery method, or senior management, if the change is not significant. The institution shall notify the commission staff before the change.
3. (c) An institution with an authorization to operate shall notify the commission before entering into contracts or negotiations related to sale of the institution. At least 30 days before the effective date of a change of ownership of an institution, the new owner shall submit an application for initial authorization and application fee. The completed application must include the required fee under 20 AAC 17.055(a), a description of any changes to be made at the institution as a result of the change in ownership, the effective date of the change, and a statement of the assets and obligations that will be transferred. Upon determination that the application is complete, the commission staff shall place the application on the agenda for the next commission meeting. An institution that administers financial aid on behalf of the commission must have a change in ownership approved in order to be eligible to continue to administer that aid. Upon approval by the commission, the commission will issue to the institution an authorization to operate.
4. (d) In the event of a change of ownership for an institution that is authorized to participate in federal student aid programs under 20 U.S.C. 1001 - 1155 (Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965), the institution shall submit evidence of continued authorization by the secretary of the United States Department of Education, including copies of application materials submitted to the United States Department of Education for continued authorization after the change of ownership.
5. (e) Repealed 9/18/2022.
6. (f) An authorization to operate an institution is restricted to the fields or courses specifically indicated in the application for authorization. The holder of an authorization shall present a program amendment application and the fee required by 20 AAC 17.055(a) for approval of additional fields or courses in which the holder seeks to offer instruction. An institution may offer courses of study only at locations for which it has been approved.
7. (g) For the purposes of this section, "ownership" means a controlling interest held by a person, including a partnership or corporation, in an educational institution.

(Eff. 12/30/77, Register 64; am 3/15/85, Register 93; am 6/27/87, Register 102; am 10/11/95, Register 136; am 3/13/96, Register 137; am 8/26/98, Register 147; am 4/20/2000, Register 154; am 1/30/2003, Register 165; am 12/31/2005, Register 176; am 11/24/2007, Register 184; am 12/29/2010, Register 196; am 9/18/2022, Register 243)

Authority: AS 14.42.030, AS 14.48.060, AS 14.48.050, AS 14.48.070