9 months minimum to degree - law?

Andrew Jackson and California Coast have told me it is the law they can not issue a degree before a student has been enrolled for 9 months, in fact the dean of admissions at California Coast told me no university could possibly award a degree quicker.

However, talking to Aspen and Columbia Southern, they've told me they can issue the degree as soon as the program is finished, no matter how long (or short) it takes.

Who is right here?

 

It's hard to prove the non-existence of something, but I don't know of any such law.

Such a law would exist at the state level. AJU and CCU operate in two different states.

New York is notoriously tough regarding higher education, yet Excelsior College isn't held to any time-in-program minimum.

It could be an administrative rule (which would have the force of law) associated with federal financial aid or VA benefits, but I doubt it.

It sounds like someone is being held to a school policy, but trying to make it sound more than it is.

BTW, the dean of CCU doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Excelsior, TESC, and COSC all permit degrees to be awarded in less time. In fact, all three will permit you to earn a degree entirely based upon work done elsewhere, making the time-in-program minimum requirement just the time it takes to process your application and graduation.

 

I could SWEAR that I saw something in BPPVE regs or approval standards that said a student could not receive a master's degree without at least nine months' "residence".

Probably a clever and effective device to discourage the occasional (lucrative) degree sale?

 

You are correct, the BPPVE requires a minimum of two semesters to complete a degree at an approved institution.