The Private Postsecondary Education (PPE) section of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is responsible for the wide range of private schools and colleges that serve Virginians interested in learning about such varied fields as information technology, healthcare or cosmetology, just to name a few.
Virginians who attend postsecondary institutions certified by SCHEV receive certain protections based on Virginia’s laws and regulations. These provisions include:
- Protections through the Student Tuition Guaranty Fund (STGF), which was designed to reimburse tuition paid by students attending certified schools that cease to operate, prohibiting students from completing their program of study. In the event of the closure of a certified school, SCHEV will:
- Coordinate the enrollment of affected students in another certified institution that offers a comparable program at no additional charge to the students, so that students may complete their program of study; or
- Reimburse students for the unearned portion of tuition paid to the school, if a comparable school cannot be secured to allow them to complete their program of study.
- Assurance that credits earned at out-of-state postsecondary institutions with physical presence in Virginia will transfer to the school’s principal location or another branch campus as part of an existing degree, certificate or diploma program offered by the school; and
- Guarantee that SCHEV staff will investigate and respond to all written and signed complaints and inquiries concerning certified institutions.