Fee Management for Vocational Schools

Clock-hour billing tracks every instructional hour toward program completion rather than semester credit-hours. Cosmetology programs typically require 1,500-2,100 clock-hours per state board (varies by state); allied-health certificates typically 600-900 hours; IT certificates variable. The platform tracks per-student clock-hour accumulation against program-completion requirements, schedules Title IV disbursement per clock-hour payment period (Pell disburses per clock-hour completed under Title IV regulations), and handles tuition billing per state refund-policy schedule (typical pro-rata for first 25-60% of program then graduated refund schedule).

Title IV gainful-employment regulations (34 CFR Part 668 subpart Q) require career-college programs to demonstrate that graduates can repay federal student loans. Per regulation, the platform tracks: program completion rates, graduate placement rates in field of study, graduate earnings vs program-cost data, and debt-to-earnings ratios. Annual gainful-employment disclosure data export per Department of Education submission format. Programs failing thresholds face Title IV eligibility risk over time (institutional response typically includes program redesign, tuition reduction, placement-rate improvement). The platform supports the data infrastructure for compliance demonstration; institutional response to gainful-employment data is the institution's decision.

For proprietary career colleges (for-profit institutions), the 90-10 rule requires that no more than 90% of revenue come from Title IV federal aid sources. The platform tracks per-program revenue by source: Title IV federal aid (Pell, SEOG, Direct Loans), state aid (state grants, state-funded vocational programs), institutional aid (institutional grants, institutional payment plans treated as institutional revenue), and private payment (parent payment, employer-sponsored education benefits, third-party scholarships). Annual 90-10 ratio calculation per Department of Education methodology, with trend-toward-90% threshold flagging for institutional response. Annual 90-10 report export per Department of Education submission format. Non-profit institutions are not subject to the 90-10 rule.

ABHES (Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools) accredits allied-health and medical-assisting career programs. ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges) accredits broader career-college programs. Per ABHES Standards and ACCSC Standards, accredited institutions submit annual reporting: enrolment by program, retention rates by cohort, completion rates by cohort, placement rates in field of study at 6 / 12 / 36 months post-graduation, graduate-employment-and-salary data, and licensure pass-rate data where applicable (cosmetology state board pass-rate, medical assisting CMA pass-rate, etc.). Self-study evidence assembly during accreditation cycle (typically every 5-7 years) packages from source data. Per-accreditor template configuration done once per institution.

Career colleges face strict state-specific refund policies. A typical state requires pro-rata refund for first 25-60% of program enrolment, then graduated refund schedule, with specific notification requirements when student withdraws. The platform configures per-state refund-policy per program (cosmetology refund policy may differ from allied-health refund policy in the same state), automatically calculates refund obligation per withdrawal-date and per-policy formula, generates parent / student-side refund-disclosure documentation per state requirements, and retains state-board audit-trail per refund transaction. State board of cosmetology / state board of nursing / state agency for vocational education compliance varies; per-state configuration matches each state's rules.