The U.S. Department of Education completed a negotiated rulemaking process that resulted in a new federal regulation, as outlined in the Federal Register under "" (Docket ID: ED-2024-OPE-0050), that has significant implications for all distance education programs. ̽»¨Â¥ had several concerns about the proposed regulations that were shared with the Department during the negotiated rulemaking process. ̽»¨Â¥ is happy to see that many of the provisions of concern were addressed by the final regulations, including:
- The final regulations do NOT require institutions to take attendance.
- The final regulations do NOT make asynchronous distance education clock-hour programs ineligible for federal student aid.
- The final regulations will require institutions to report, via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), students as enrolled in either in-person, distance, or hybrid programs. The reporting deadline for this is July 1, 2027.