The postsecondary proprietary educational institution shall pay a refund to the student in the amount calculated under the refund policy specified below or as otherwise approved by the Office for Career and Technical Schools (OCTS). The institution must make the proper refund no later than thirty-one (31) days of the student's request for cancellation or withdrawal.
If a postsecondary proprietary educational institution utilizes a refund policy of their recognized national accrediting agency or the United States Department of Education (USDOE) Title IV refund policy, the postsecondary proprietary educational institution must provide written verification in the form of a final refund calculation, upon the request of OCTS, that its refund policy is more favorable to the student than that of OCTS.
The following refund policy applies to each resident postsecondary proprietary educational institution as follows:
1. A student is entitled to a full refund if one (1) or more of the following criteria are met:
(a) The student cancels the enrollment agreement or enrollment application within six (6) business days after signing.
(b) The student does not meet the postsecondary proprietary educational institution's minimum admission requirements.
(c) The student's enrollment was procured as a result of a misrepresentation in the written materials utilized by the postsecondary proprietary educational institution.
(d) If the student has not visited the postsecondary educational institution prior to enrollment, and, upon touring the institution or attending the regularly scheduled orientation/classes, the student withdrew from the program within three (3) days.
2. A student withdrawing from an instructional program, after starting the instructional program at a postsecondary proprietary institution and attending one (1) week or less, is entitled to a refund of ninety percent (90%) of the cost of the financial obligation, less an application/enrollment fee of ten percent (10%) of the total tuition, not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100).
3. A student withdrawing from an instructional program, after attending more than one (1) week but equal to or less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the duration of the instructional program, is entitled to a refund of seventy-five percent (75%) of the cost of the financial obligation, less an application/enrollment fee of ten percent (10%) of the total tuition, not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100).
4. A student withdrawing from an instructional program, after attending more than twenty-five percent (25%) but equal to or less than fifty percent (50%) of the duration of the instructional program, is entitled to a refund of fifty percent (50%) of the cost of the financial obligation, less an application/enrollment fee of ten percent (10%) of the total tuition, not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100).
5. A student withdrawing from an instructional program, after attending more than fifty percent (50%) but equal to or less than sixty percent (60%) of the duration of the instructional program, is entitled to a refund of forty percent (40%) of the cost of the financial obligation, less an application/enrollment fee of ten percent (10%) of the total tuition, not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100).
6. A student withdrawing from an institutional program, after attending more than sixty percent (60%) of the duration of the instructional program, is not entitled to a refund.
Student Protection Fund
IC 22-4.1-21-15 and IC 22-4.1-21-18 requires each educational institution accredited by OCTS to submit an institutional surety bond and contribute to the Career College Student Assurance Fund which will be used to pay off debt incurred due to the closing of a school, discontinuance of a program or loss of accreditation by an institution. To file a claim, each student must submit a completed “Student Complaint Form”. This form can be found on OCTS’s website at http://www.in.gov/dwd/2731.htm