Petition for Closing a Complete Degree Site
Institution’s name and address:
Name, title, email address, and phone number of person completing petition:
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INSTRUCTIONS
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Respond to each question using 12 point, black, single-spaced, Times New Roman font.
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Do not alter or delete any questions or instructions in preparing the petition, since doing so (even if accidental) could
result in the petition being returned or denied.
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Save completed petition as a PDF file and name it as follows: [School Name] Petition. In the event a school is submitting
multiple petitions, please include a petition number in the file name (i.e., [School Name] Petition 2).
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Combine any appendices into one bookmarked PDF and name file as follows: [School Name] Appendices.
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Email petition PDF and appendices PDF as attachments to the Director, Accreditation Services.
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This kind of petition does not require a fee.
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Enclose one print copy of the completed petition and of any appendices and mail to
DIRECTOR, ACCREDITATION SERVICES | ATS COMMISSION ON ACCREDITING | 10 SUMMIT PARK DRIVE | PITTSBURGH, PA 15275-1110 Failure to
respond appropriately to all items could result in this petition not being processed, which may delay its consideration by
the Board of Commissioners.
Petitions are due either November 1 (for action at the Board of Commissioners’ winter meeting) or April 1 (for action at the
summer meeting), though some petitions can be submitted at any time for expedited action. (For details, see “Petitions” on
the Accrediting section of the ATS website.
Whenever an accredited member school decides to close a location (usually an extension site or, more
rarely, its main campus) that offers 100 percent of at least one program, it must petition the Board of
Commissioners (“Board”) for approval by submitting this form. If the closure involves relocating an
approved campus or extension site to a new location not yet approved, the school must submit the
Petition for Relocating an Extension Site, regardless of how much of a degree may be completed there.
NOTE: Schools do not need to submit this closure petition for either of the following situations: (1) terminating a degree
program at a location (main campus or extension site) that will remain in operation, or (2) closing an extension site that offers
less than a complete degree program. In both situations, a formal notification (rather than a petition) is required. The
notification should be emailed to the school’s ATS Commission staff liaison as soon as possible and include the effective date of
termination or closure, a brief statement of how the educational needs of affected students will be met, and, in the case of
terminating a degree, a projected date of when the last student will finish the program.
The purpose of this petition and the Board’s approval is to ensure that all students affected by the
closure are treated equitably, have a reasonable opportunity to finish their degrees without undue delay
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or cost, and, if there are additional charges that will result, are notified of any such charges in advance
of the closure. This petition informs the Board of the school’s teach-out plan that clarifies how the
school will help affected students finish their programs. The petition may also include a teach-out
agreement—either at the school’s or the Board’s discretion. A teach-out agreement clarifies any
arrangement that the school may make with another accredited institution to “teach out” its students in
the location being closed. For more information about the Board’s policies on teach-out plans or
agreements for closing a campus or extension site, please see section II.C.3 and Appendix V of the Policy
Manual, as well as Guidelines for Petitioning the Board of Commissioners.
Schools should respond succinctly but sufficiently to all areas listed below, resulting in a petition of 5–8
pages, plus any required appendices.
In evaluating petitions, each one will be considered in light of that particular school’s larger context,
including, but not limited to, these factors:

Planning and evaluation capacity: Has this school demonstrated a capacity to evaluate itself well
and use those results to plan effectively and strategically?
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Institutional vitality: Does this school have sufficient human, financial, physical, and technological
resources?

Accreditation status: Does this school’s current or recent accreditation status demonstrate ongoing
concerns reflected in numerous reports, focused visits, and/or notations?
1. Address and type of location being closed
Please indicate the mailing address for the location being closed and also indicate whether this closure is for a main campus or
an extension site.
2. Date of closure
Please indicate the effective date of this site’s closure.
NOTE: This petition must be approved before the closure can be implemented.
3. Communication of closure
Describe how you have or will communicate to all those affected by the school’s plans to close this location? The school should
communicate certainly with all affected students but also with faculty, staff, and any other key constituents significantly
impacted by this decision. Please attach as an appendix sample letters or emails sent to the various parties.
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4. Completion options for affected students
Describe what option(s) the school is making available to students to enable them to finish their program(s) in a timely and costeffective manner. For each option, clarify how many and what percentage of students fit that option. Schools that will continue
to offer courses at that location until all affected students have finished need only state that below. Schools closing a campus or
extension site but also opening a new campus or extension site to which all affected students plan to move should state that
below.
NOTE: Besides the two options listed above, other options might include (either exclusively or in combination with others)
offering courses at an approved nearby location (indicating where that location is and how costly and convenient it will be for
students); offering online courses, if appropriate and if approved to do so; helping students transfer to equitable programs;
and/or establishing a teach-out agreement (if the latter, see question near the end of this petition).
If the school will use any option(s) other than continuing to offer all required courses at the location being closed until all have
finished or “relocating” all students to a new location, then it must include an appendix listing all students impacted by this
closure, indicating for each student what option(s) they have to complete their program and how long the option(s) will likely
take each student. If more than 50 students, summarize by category.
5. Notification of charges
Indicate any additional charges that any affected students will encounter as a result of the option(s) listed above, including how
and when students are notified of those additional charges.
6. Anticipated time line
Describe the time line that the school plans to follow in closing this location, beginning with the initial decision to close and
ending with when the last affected students will finish their programs.
7. List of other agencies
If the location being closed is accredited by any other agency, please indicate the accrediting agency name and contact
information. Please also list the contact for any state authorizing agency for that location.
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8. Teach-out agreement
One option that a school may choose (or that the Board may require if it judges that the school does not have the resources to
help students finish adequately) is a teach-out agreement. That agreement involves the “closing” institution entering into a
written agreement with another accredited institution that will provide reasonable ways for affected students to finish. Schools
using this option (exclusively or in conjunction with any other option) MUST include in an appendix a copy of the teach-out
agreement that is signed and dated by both institutions. That agreement must address the following six criteria that the Board
will use to evaluate any teach-out agreement (see also Policy Manual, section II.C.3):
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
The other institution is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency for US schools or other appropriately
recognized agency for Canadian schools.
The other institution has the necessary experience, resources, and support services to provide educational programs
comparable in quality, content, structure, and scheduling.
The other institution is stable and able to carry out its mission, while meeting all obligations to its existing students.
The other institution can provide affected students access to necessary programs and services without requiring them to
move or travel substantial distances.
The other institution notifies students of any additional charges that they may incur.
The written, teach-out agreement is signed by both institutions, is consistent with applicable standards and regulations,
and is submitted with this petition.
9. Permanent closure of main campus
If this petition is to close the main campus of a member school without any plans to reopen in a different location, the school
must indicate where its student records will be stored. Please keep in mind that there may be state regulations that govern the
permanent storage of student records. The most common place for such storage of student records is another institution that
has agreed to accept them. Regardless, the school must indicate when those records will be moved and include in an appendix a
copy of a written confirmation from the accepting entity that it will receive those student records and store them appropriately.
Approval of any petition for change is effective with the date specified in the official action. Such approval expects the change
will be implemented within a year of that approval date. If the change cannot be implemented within that time frame, the
school must submit a satisfactory explanation for the delay and a modified time line for implementation. Absent
implementation of the change or granting a request for additional time, the approval will expire one year after the initial grant
date. In such cases, the school would need to submit a new petition seeking permission to implement the change after that
one-year period. In addition, any contingency attached to an approved petition must be satisfied before the change can be
implemented, typically within a year, unless the school provides a satisfactory explanation for the delay and additional time is
granted.
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