§6503. Certification of institutions.

(a) General rule.--No person shall apply to itself, either as part of its name or in any other manner, the designation of "college," "university" or "seminary" in such a way as to give the impression that it is an educational institution conforming to the standards and qualifications prescribed by the State board unless it shall have received from the department a certificate of authority authorizing the institution to use such designation, and, if the institution is authorized to confer degrees, specifying the degrees which the institution is authorized to confer.

(b) Exemptions.--Subsection (a) does not apply to:

(1) Any:

(i) Nonprofit corporation incorporated with the approval of the department or the former Department of Public Instruction under the former provisions of sections 211 and 312 of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1933, or otherwise incorporated with the power to confer degrees under corresponding provisions of prior law.

(ii) Foreign nonprofit corporation that received a certificate of authority as a qualified foreign corporation from the Department of State with the approval of the department or the former Department of Public Instruction under the former provisions of section 902(4) of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1933, or otherwise admitted to do business with the power to confer degrees under corresponding provisions of prior law.

For the purposes of this chapter, such a corporation shall be deemed to be a holder of a certificate of authority issued under this section authorizing the conferring of those degrees that the institution was authorized by law to confer immediately prior to the effective date of this chapter.

(2) Any corporation incorporated prior to September 1, 1937, the corporate name of which, or any unincorporated person then conducting any educational institution, the trade or fictitious name of which, included the designation "college" or "university."

(c) Form of application.--Every application for a certificate of authority under this section shall be made to the department in writing and shall be in such form and contain such information as the regulations of the department may require.

(d) Standards for issuance of certificate.--A certificate of authority shall be issued by order of the department only if and when the department finds and determines that:

(1) The application complies with the provisions of this chapter, the regulations of the department thereunder and the standards and qualifications for institutions prescribed by the State board thereunder.

(2) The courses of instruction, the standards of admission to the institution and the composition of the faculty appear to be sufficient and to conform to the requirements of this chapter.

(3) The educational needs of the particular locality in which the institution is to be situated and of the Commonwealth at large are likely to be furthered by the granting of the application.

(e) Procedure.--For the purpose of enabling the department to make the finding or determination required by subsection (d), the department shall, by publication of notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, afford reasonable opportunity for hearing, which shall be public, and, before or after any such hearing, it may make such inquiries, audits and investigations, and may require the submission of such supplemental studies and information, as it may deem necessary or proper to enable it to reach a finding or determination. The department, in issuing a certificate of authority, may impose such conditions as it may deem to be just and reasonable. In every case, the department shall make a finding or determination in writing stating whether or not the application has been approved and, if it has been approved in part only, specifying the part which has been approved and the part which has been denied. Any holder of a certificate of authority exercising the authority conferred thereby shall be deemed to have waived any and all objections to the terms and conditions of such certificate.

(e.1) Additional degrees, programs or majors.--Subject to the authority of the State board to regulate teacher education programs under section 2603-B of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, and the authority of the department to regulate teacher education programs under 22 Pa. Code Ch. 49 (relating to certification of professional personnel), a private, nonprofit college or university or seminary may offer an additional degree that is not specified in a certificate received under subsection (a) or may institute an additional major or program if either of the following applies:

(1) The college, university or seminary satisfies both of the following:

(i) The college, university or seminary has operated continuously in this Commonwealth for the immediately preceding ten years.

(ii) The college, university or seminary is accredited by a regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.

(2) The department approves the additional degree, major or program pursuant to the procedure for issuing a certificate provided in subsection (e).

(f) Judicial review.--Orders of the department upon an application for a certificate of authority under this section shall be subject to judicial review in the manner and within the time provided or prescribed by law.

(June 22, 2012, P.L.647, No.69, eff. imd.; June 18, 2014, P.L.769, No.67, eff. imd.)

Notation

2014 Amendment.  Act 67 amended subsec. (e.1).

Cross References.  Section 6503 is referred to in section 6504 of this title.