STATE OF OKLAHOMA

1st Session of the 54th Legislature (2013)

HOUSE BILL 1878	By:	Walker

AS INTRODUCED

An Act relating to higher education; providing for application to certain institutions; directing each board of regents to maintain an informed student document for each institution under its supervision; stating design of the document; requiring the informed student document to identify certain groupings and peer institutions; describing how peer institution information is to be reported; listing information to be included in the informed student document; requiring comparison of recent information with preceding information; allowing the use of state or national data in certain circumstances; requiring prospective students verify the reading of the informed student document prior to enrollment; directing each institution to submit required information to the board of regents; requiring the informed student documents to be made available on certain websites; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3248 of Title 70, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A.  The provisions of this section shall apply to every institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, but shall not include medical or dental agencies which are an integral part of an institution.
B.  The board of regents for each institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education shall maintain for each institution for which it has supervision, management and control and for which this section applies an informed student document that is designed for use by prospective students of the institution and their parents, and is also made available to the public, legislators and other interested policy makers.
C.  The informed student document required by this section shall identify:
1.  The institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the higher education accountability system of the State Board of Regents; and
2.  The in-state and out-of-state peer institutions for the institution.
D.  For purposes of subsection C of this section, the information required to be included in the informed student document regarding the in-state or out-of-state peer institutions shall be listed in the form of the average of that information for those institutions unless otherwise prescribed by the board of regents.
E.  The informed student document shall include the following information relating to the institution for the most recent fiscal year for which the information is available as compared to the same information for the preceding fiscal year and shall compare the information for the preceding fiscal year with the same information which is available for the next five (5) preceding years:
1. Part one will include under the heading “COSTS”:
a.	the average annual total academic costs for a resident undergraduate student enrolled in thirty (30) semester credit hours:
(1) 	at the institution, and
(2) 	at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions,
b.	net annual total academic costs for a resident undergraduate student enrolled in thirty (30) semester credit hours, after grants and scholarships:
(1)  at the institution, and
(2)  at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions,
c.	average student debt:
(1)  at the institution, and
(2)  at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions,
d.	the average number of fall and spring semesters of enrollment attempted by a student to obtain a bachelor’s degree:
(1)	at the institution, and
(2)	at the in-state peer institutions;
2.  Part one will include under the heading “STUDENT SUCCESS”:
a.	average Collegiate Learning Assessment scores:
(1)	at the institution, and
(2)	at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions,
b.	the four-year, five-year, and six-year graduation rates of full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students:
(1)	at the institution, and
(2)	at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions;
3.  Part one will include under the heading “ADMISSIONS”:
a.	the middle fifty-percent (50%) test score range of first-time undergraduate students at the institution whose Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores were in the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile of scores by students at that institution,
b.	the middle fifty-percent (50%) test score range of first-time undergraduate students at the institution whose American College Test (ACT) scores were in the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile of scores by students at that institution,
c.	the percentage of the students who applied for first-time undergraduate admission to the institution who were offered admission to the institution, and
d.	the percentage of students admitted from the top ten percent (10%) of Oklahoma high school classes; and
4.  Part two will include the following sorted alphabetically by university or academic major:
a.	average Collegiate Learning Assessment scores:
(1)	at the institution,
(2)	ranked against other university or academic majors, and
(3)	at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions,
b.	the retention rate of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking entering undergraduate students:
(1)	enrolled in the institution after one (1) academic year and after two (2) academic years, and
(2)	enrolled in the in-state peer institutions after two (2) academic years,
c.	average starting salary:
(1)	at the institution, and
(2)	at the in-state and out-of-state peer institutions,
d.	unemployment rate for:
(1)  recent college graduates,
(2)  experienced college graduates, and
(3)  graduate degree holders, and
e.  	average earnings for:
(1)  recent college graduates,
(2)  experienced college graduates,
(3)  graduate degree holders,
(4)  twenty-fifth percentage of graduates,
(5)  median of graduates, and
(6)  seventy-fifth percentage of graduates.
F.  For purposes of the information required as set forth in subsection E of this section, if comparable data is not available for the institution, the board or regents shall utilize state data or national data, whichever is available, more reliable, and most current.
G.  Each prospective student, or legal guardian of the prospective student, shall verify by signature that the entire informed student document has been read.  The signed document shall be included in the application process for all institutions and shall be completed prior to consideration for enrollment.
H.  Each institution shall submit to the board of regents any information requested by the board as necessary to comply with the provisions of this section.
I.  The informed student document shall be made available to the public, legislators and other interested policy makers on the home page of the Internet website of the board of regents and each institution.
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2013.

54-1-5914	KB	01/04/13