**(a) Institution of higher education** For purposes of this chapter, other than subchapter IV, the term “institution of higher education” means an educational institution in any State that—
(1) admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate, or persons who meet the requirements of [section 1091(d) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1091/d&num=0&edition=prelim);
(2) is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education;
(3) provides an educational program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree or provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree, or awards a degree that is acceptable for admission to a graduate or professional degree program, subject to review and approval by the Secretary;
(4) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and
(5) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association, or if not so accredited, is an institution that has been granted preaccreditation status by such an agency or association that has been recognized by the Secretary for the granting of preaccreditation status, and the Secretary has determined that there is satisfactory assurance that the institution will meet the accreditation standards of such an agency or association within a reasonable time.
**(b) Additional institutions included** For purposes of this chapter, other than subchapter IV, the term “institution of higher education” also includes—
(1) any school that provides not less than a 1-year program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a re
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Stable record: federal_law:legal_authorities:record_usc_6bfa0df4175f71dea358c440 Source file: Laws/federal/codes/united-states-code/title-20/section-1001-general-definition-of-institution-of-higher-education--0e5ccfd664.md Pages: Not recorded – Not recorded Passage SHA-256: df60756f7f8f73000e57e700fad4f974011f0c21206d2769f1b2cb0be62f60ca Retained source evidence SHA-256: e48961e890b603bc85e6b65201abe241eeec00ace4635fdfa6e084db1ef2ecbd
Source location: Title 20, Chapter 28, § 1001; chapter-028-higher-education-resources-and-student-assistance.md
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**(a) Institution of higher education** For purposes of this chapter, other than subchapter IV, the term “institution of higher education” means an educational institution in any State that—
(1) admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate, or persons who meet the requirements of [section 1091(d) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1091/d&num=0&edition=prelim);
(2) is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education;
(3) provides an educational program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree or provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree, or awards a degree that is acceptable for admission to a graduate or professional degree program, subject to review and approval by the Secretary;
(4) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and
(5) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association, or if not so accredited, is an institution that has been granted preaccreditation status by such an agency or association that has been recognized by the Secretary for the granting of preaccreditation status, and the Secretary has determined that there is satisfactory assurance that the institution will meet the accreditation standards of such an agency or association within a reasonable time.
**(b) Additional institutions included** For purposes of this chapter, other than subchapter IV, the term “institution of higher education” also includes—
(1) any school that provides not less than a 1-year program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation and that meets the provision of paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5) of subsection (a); and
(2) a public or nonprofit private educational institution in any State that, in lieu of the requirement in subsection (a)(1), admits as regular students individuals—
(A) who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in the State in which the institution is located; or
(B) who will be dually or concurrently enrolled in the institution and a secondary school.
**(c) List of accrediting agencies** For purposes of this section and [section 1002 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1002&num=0&edition=prelim), the Secretary shall publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies or associations that the Secretary determines, pursuant to subpart 2 of part H of subchapter IV, to be reliable authority as to the quality of the education or training offered.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
§ 1001. General definition of institution of higher
education
(a) Institution of higher education
For purposes of this chapter, other than sub-
chapter IV, the term ‘‘institution of higher edu-
cation’’ means an educational institution in any
State that—
(1) admits as regular students only persons
having a certificate of graduation from a
school providing secondary education, or the
recognized equivalent of such a certificate, or
persons who meet the requirements of section
1091(d) of this title;
(2) is legally authorized within such State to
provide a program of education beyond sec-
ondary education;
(3) provides an educational program for
which the institution awards a bachelor’s de-
gree or provides not less than a 2-year pro-
gram that is acceptable for full credit toward
such a degree, or awards a degree that is ac-
ceptable for admission to a graduate or profes-
sional degree program, subject to review and
approval by the Secretary;
(4) is a public or other nonprofit institution;
and
(5) is accredited by a nationally recognized
accrediting agency or association, or if not so
accredited, is an institution that has been
granted preaccreditation status by such an
agency or association that has been recognized
by
the
Secretary
for
the
granting
of
preaccreditation status, and the Secretary has
determined that there is satisfactory assur-
ance that the institution will meet the accred-
itation standards of such an agency or associa-
tion within a reasonable time.
(b) Additional institutions included
For purposes of this chapter, other than sub-
chapter IV, the term ‘‘institution of higher edu-
cation’’ also includes—
(1) any school that provides not less than a
1-year program of training to prepare students
for gainful employment in