To be eligible for a State higher education grant, an applicant shall enroll in a program of study approved by the Agency and offered by an institution approved by the Agency under § 121.32 (relating to approved institution in higher education grant program) for participation in the State Higher Education Grant Program. An approved program of study shall comply with the following:

1. (1) An approved program of study shall be a program of instruction of at least 2 academic years which shall be the equivalent of at least 60 semester credit hours or at least 1,800 clock hours of instruction (1,500 clock hours in the case of programs leading to the associate degree in specialized technology or the associate degree in specialized business offered by institutions of higher education located within this Commonwealth) except that, other than for those community college programs which are measured in credit hours, programs not leading to a degree shall be measured in clock hours, with at least 30 semester credit hours or 900 clock hours earned through instruction within the classroom, and shall be presented over a calendar of at least 15 months.
2. (2) An approved program of study shall require that at least 50% of the credits needed for completion of the program at the approved institution be earned through instruction within the classroom.
3. (3) If offered at a trade, technical or business school located within this Commonwealth, an approved program of study shall be approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education or by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

4. (4) An approved program of study shall be on the approved list as of August 1 for the ensuing academic year. Approval after August 1 will become effective the following August 1 with two exceptions:

   1. (i) To be effective for the ensuing summer term, approval must be obtained prior to May 1.
   2. (ii) In the light of the particular circumstances related to the approval of the program of study and the funding and application processing conditions of the Agency, the President and Chief Executive Officer may make the approval effective on a date prior to August 1.

Authority

The provisions of this § 121.33 issued under section 4 of the act of August 7, 1963 (P. L. 549, No. 290) (24 P. S. § 5104); section 1 of the act of January 25, 1966 (P. L. 1546, No. 541) (24 P. S. § 5151); section 1 of the act of October 11, 1972 (P. L. 899, No. 213) (24 P. S. § 5161); and section 1 of the act of October 11, 1972 (P. L. 909, No. 216) (24 P. S. § 5171); amended under section 4 of the act of August 7, 1963 (P. L. 549, No. 290) (24 P. S. § 5104); sections 1 and 6(e) of the act of January 25, 1966 (P. L. 1546, No. 541) (24 P. S. § § 5151 and 5156(e)); The Institutional Assistance Grants Act (24 P. S. § § 5181—5189); the Urban and Rural Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act (24 P. S. § § 5191—5197); and the Agriculture Education Loan Forgiveness Act (24 P. S. § § 5198.1—5198.7).

Source

The provisions of this § 121.33 adopted March 24, 1972, effective March 25, 1972, 2 Pa.B. 506; amended August 22, 1975, effective August 23, 1975, 5 Pa.B. 2189; amended October 28, 1977, effective October 29, 1977, 7 Pa.B. 3195; amended March 31, 1978, effective April 1, 1978, 8 Pa.B. 832; amended March 30, 1979, effective March 31, 1979, 9 Pa.B. 1128; amended March 11, 1983, effective March 12, 1983, 13 Pa.B. 975; amended June 7, 1985, effective June 8, 1985, 15 Pa.B. 2102; amended October 16, 1987, effective October 17, 1987, 17 Pa.B. 4120; amended June 9, 1989, effective June 10, 1989, 19 Pa.B. 2428; amended August 4, 2000, effective August 5, 2000, 30 Pa.B. 3924; amended July 31, 2015, effective August 1, 2015, 45 Pa.B. 4163. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (269161) to (269162).

Cross References

This section cited in 22 Pa. Code § 121.32 (relating to approved institutions in higher education grant program); and 22 Pa. Code § 121.151 (relating to application of existing Agency regulations).