1. (a) The Board shall disseminate the following information through the Board's Internet website:

   1. (1) the accreditation status or the status regarding authorization or approval under this subchapter, to the extent known by the Board, of each exempt institution operating in the state, each postsecondary educational institution or other person that is regulated under §§7.7 - 7.12 of this chapter or for which a determination is made under §7.12(c) of this chapter (relating to Changes of Ownership and Other Substantive Changes), and any institution offering fraudulent or substandard degrees, including:

      1. (A) the name of each educational institution accredited, authorized, or approved to offer or grant degrees in this state;
      2. (B) the name of each educational institution whose degrees the Board has determined may not be legally used in this state;
      3. (C) the name of each educational institution that the Board has determined to be operating in this state in violation of this chapter; and
      4. (D) any other information considered by the Commissioner to be useful to protect the public from fraudulent, substandard, or fictitious degrees.
   2. (2) the Board shall utilize such usual and customary sources for determining the accreditation status of institutions, such as: guides to international education; the Board's knowledge of legal actions taken against institutions, either by an agency of the state of Texas or agencies of other states or nations; or civil actions against institutions brought by governmental agencies or individuals.
2. (b) In determining the legitimacy of institutions headquartered or operating outside of Texas, the Board may determine if the state or nation in which the person or institution is headquartered, operates, or holds legal authorization to operate has standards and practices that are as rigorous as those of the Board's. A determination that a particular state or nation's standards or practices are not appropriately rigorous shall be sufficient reason to disapprove the use of the degrees of a person or institution.

Source Note:The provisions of this §7.16 adopted to be effective August 25, 2008, 33 TexReg 6813.