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Standards are changing
November 07, 2019
Department of Education revises definition of standard terms
In what is good news for many institutions, the Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it is revising the policy on standard terms.
In a November 5 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education said it revised the policy based on the requests of institutions that wanted to better accommodate the needs of students and the specialized coursework of some educational programs.
Policy changes include the following:
- Semesters and trimesters may now be between 14 and 21 weeks of instruction;
- Quarters may now be between 9 and 13 weeks of instruction; and
- Standard terms are no longer required to be substantially equal.
The Department said the new policy strikes a proper balance between maintaining the integrity of Title IV programs and providing greater flexibility, allowing institutions to provide programs better catered to workforce needs.
A copy of the new policy is attached to the Electronic Announcement.