(a) It is the purpose of this Code section to create a trust fund from participation fees from postsecondary educational institutions to enable such institutions, collectively, to protect students against financial loss when a postsecondary educational institution closes without reimbursing its students and without completing its educational obligations to its students and to provide consumer information, as necessary in the determination of the commission, to prospective and currently enrolled students.

(b)

(1) Effective on July 1, 1992, the Tuition Guaranty Trust Fund is created. The participation fees received by the commission from postsecondary educational institutions pursuant to the provisions of subsections (c) and (d) of this Code section shall be deposited in a special account designated “Tuition Guaranty Trust Fund” and shall be held in trust by the board of trustees provided for in paragraph (2) of this subsection for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Code section. The money in the fund may be invested by said board of trustees in any bonds and other securities of agencies of the government of the United States and bonds and other securities of state and local governments. The earnings from such investments shall be deposited to the credit of the Tuition Guaranty Trust Fund and shall be available for the same purposes as other money deposited in the fund.

(2) The fund shall be administered by the Board of Trustees of the Tuition Guaranty Trust Fund. The board of trustees shall consist of five members of the commission designated by majority vote of the commission, where at least two members, by June 30, 2020, shall represent postsecondary educational institutions. The five members of the commission who are so designated shall serve for such terms of office as members of the board as the commission shall establish by rule or regulation. The commission shall appoint one of the members so designated as chairman of the board. The executive director shall also serve as executive director and secretary of the board. Three members of the board must vote in agreement in order for the board to take official action. The commission may by rule or regulation provide for another member of the commission to serve in the place of a member of the board who is absent from a meeting of the board.

(c)

(1) All postsecondary educational institutions operating in this state, except those which are exempt from the provisions of this Code section pursuant to Code Section 20-3-250.3, shall participate in the tuition guaranty fund. Those postsecondary educational institutions specified in paragraphs (10) and (14) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-3-250.3 and in subsection (c) of Code Section 20-3-250.3 shall participate in the tuition guaranty fund.

(2) Postsecondary educational institutions which were authorized to operate in this state prior to July 1, 1990, and which have maintained continuous authorization in this state since July 1, 1990, and institutions which have been continuously licensed since July 1, 1990, pursuant to the provisions of Title 43 and were authorized by the commission prior to July 1, 2022, shall participate in the fund and shall not be required to provide surety bonds as provided in Code Section 20-3-250.10; provided, however, that any surety bond provided by an institution before July 1, 2021, shall remain in effect for one full year after the effective date of such surety bond.

(3) Postsecondary educational institutions which are currently authorized to operate in this state and which were first authorized to operate in this state on or after July 1, 1990, shall participate in the fund for seven years of authorized operation; provided, however, that no postsecondary educational institution first authorized to operate in this state on or after July 1, 1990, which fully participated in the fund for five years on or before January 1, 2022, shall be required to participate in the fund for seven years as otherwise provided in this paragraph.

(4) Following a change of ownership, as provided for in subsection (f) of Code Section 20-3-250.8, a postsecondary educational institution may be required to participate in the fund for a period of up to seven years as determined by the executive director in his or her sole discretion.

(d)

(1) In addition to any other fees required by this part, the commission shall by regulation establish fees to be paid annually by postsecondary educational institutions for participation in the tuition guaranty fund. The fees shall be based on gross tuition collected during a year by each postsecondary educational institution. If an institution has not operated for a full year, its participation fee shall be based initially on its projected gross tuition for the first full year of operation. At the conclusion of the first year, the fee for that year shall be adjusted to reflect actual gross tuition. The annual fee established by the commission shall be sufficient, when added to the earnings of the fund, to create a balance in the fund of at least $10 million by July 1, 2040. The board of trustees shall notify the commission when the fund balance exceeds $10 million, and, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, upon receiving such notification, the commission shall cease collection of participation fees from postsecondary educational institutions which have contributed to the fund for at least five years. The commission, upon notification from the board of trustees, shall reestablish collection of participation fees from such participating postsecondary educational institutions at any time the fund balance is less than $4 million. At such time, fees shall be collected from such participating institutions according to a schedule adopted by the commission based on gross tuition in amounts sufficient to raise the fund balance to $10 million.

(2) Each postsecondary educational institution which is first authorized to operate in this state after July 1, 1992, and is required to participate in the fund for seven years of authorized operation under the provisions of paragraph (3) of subsection (c) of this Code section shall be required to pay participation fees for such period of time notwithstanding the amount in the tuition guaranty fund. If the balance in the fund exceeds $10 million, participation fees shall be collected from each such institution according to the fee schedule adopted by the commission pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection. No postsecondary educational institution first authorized to operate in this state on or after July 1, 1992, which fully participated in the fund for five years on or before January 1, 2022, shall be required to participate in the fund for seven years as otherwise provided in this paragraph.

(e) The annual cost incurred by the commission and by the board of trustees in administering the Tuition Guaranty Trust Fund and providing consumer information as necessary for prospective and currently enrolled students, including expenses incurred in collecting from defaulting postsecondary educational institutions the amounts paid from the fund to or on behalf of students pursuant to the provisions of subsection (g) of this Code section, shall be paid from the fund; provided, however, that such annual administrative costs shall not exceed 2.5 percent of the fund during the fiscal year. The commission shall issue a report annually to each postsecondary educational institution participating in the fund. The report shall provide an evaluation of the financial condition of the fund and a summary of claims paid or other expenditures from the fund during the immediately preceding fiscal year.

(f) The commission shall establish by regulation a late payment fee for the failure of a postsecondary educational institution to pay its participation fee at the time established by regulation of the commission for the payment of such fees. An application for authorization to operate or for the renewal thereof may be denied under Code Section 20-3-250.12 for failure to pay participation fees. Late payment fees shall be paid into the fund. Any authorization to operate may be revoked, suspended, or made conditional under Code Section 20-3-250.13 for failure to pay participation fees.

(g)

(1) In the event a postsecondary educational institution participating in the fund ceases operations without fulfilling its educational obligations to its students or without reimbursing its students, the board of trustees may reimburse from the fund valid and documented claims of students for tuition and fees paid to that institution as well as costs incurred as a result of such cessation of operations in accordance with guidelines and procedures adopted by the commission. Payments from the fund shall be made by warrant of the state treasurer on the order of the board of trustees.

(2) The maximum amount that may be paid from the fund in claims on behalf of the students of any single defaulting postsecondary educational institution shall be determined by the commission, but shall not exceed 10 percent of the total fund, regardless of the fact that total claims may exceed that amount, unless a higher percentage is authorized by a two-thirds’ majority vote of the commission in the event of a significant precipitous closure.

(3) As an alternative to paying claims to or on behalf of students of a defaulting postsecondary educational institution, the board of trustees may arrange for another postsecondary educational institution to complete the educational obligations to the students of the defaulting postsecondary educational institution, provided that the program offered by the other institution is substantially equivalent to the program for which the students had paid tuition; and provided, further, that attendance at the other institution does not cause unreasonable hardship or inconvenience to the students. The commission shall have the authority to adopt rules or regulations which shall govern the board of trustees in the administration of the provisions of this paragraph. As a part of any such program, the board of trustees may reimburse the other postsecondary educational institution from the fund for expenses incurred by the institution in providing educational services for the students of the defaulting postsecondary educational institution. The Tuition Guaranty Trust Fund shall have an independent claim for recovery against the defaulting postsecondary educational institution and any surety issuing a bond pursuant to Code Section 20-3-250.10 to the extent that the fund has reimbursed a postsecondary educational institution from the fund for expenses pursuant to this paragraph and without the necessity of any further act by any party.

(4) It shall not be necessary to claim a loss or damage pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 20-3-250.14 in order for the board of trustees to pay claims to or on behalf of students pursuant to the provisions of this Code section. Procedures and requirements for filing claims under this Code section shall be as provided by rules or regulations adopted for that purpose by the commission.

(5) Any person aggrieved by a decision of the board of trustees to pay or deny a claim pursuant to the provisions of this Code section may appeal to the commission. A decision of the board of trustees shall be in writing and shall be sent by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery to the claimant and to the owner of the defaulting postsecondary educational institution. If the whereabouts of the owner of the defaulting postsecondary educational institution is not known and cannot reasonably be ascertained by the board of trustees, a notice of the decision shall be published in the legal organ of the county where the student claimant attended the defaulting postsecondary educational institution or a facility of such institution. The appeal to the commission shall be commenced by filing a written notice of such appeal to the commission within 30 days after receiving the written decision of the board of trustees. Within 30 days after receiving a notice of appeal, the commission shall affirm the decision of the board of trustees, modify and affirm the decision of the board of trustees, or overrule the decision of the board of trustees. Any person aggrieved by the action of the commission shall have the right to judicial review pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 20-3-250.16. The commission shall adopt rules or regulations providing procedures for the conduct of appeals from the board of trustees, but such rules or regulations shall be consistent with the provisions of this paragraph.

(h) The board of trustees shall issue a biennial report to the Governor and members of the General Assembly providing a summary of the financial condition of the fund and claims experience during the preceding biennium. Such reports shall be issued during the regular session of the General Assembly held during each even-numbered year beginning in 1994.

(i) The tuition guaranty fund shall be exempt from all license fees or income, franchise, privilege, occupation, or other taxes levied or assessed by the state or by any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state. Any payment of claims or refund of participation fees from the tuition guaranty fund shall not be exempt from taxation unless such payment or refund is exempt from taxation pursuant to the provisions of law independent of the provisions of this part.

(j) Authorization for a postsecondary educational institution to operate shall be suspended upon written notice by the executive director when such institution fails to participate in the fund as required under this Code section.

HISTORY: Code 1981, § 20-3-250.27, enacted by Ga. L. 1992, p. 2615, § 4; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1402, § 18; Ga. L. 1994, p. 1282, § 11; Ga. L. 1995, p. 10, § 20; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 3; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1414, § 5; Ga. L. 2010, p. 863, § 3/SB 296; Ga. L. 2015, p. 83, § 9/HB 353; Ga. L. 2016, p. 846, § 20/HB 737; Ga. L. 2018, p. 724, § 3/HB 448; Ga. L. 2022, p. 378, § 16/SB 333.

NOTES: THE 2010 AMENDMENT, effective July 1, 2010, substituted “state treasurer” for “director of the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services” in the last sentence of paragraph (g)(1).

THE 2015 AMENDMENT, effective July 1, 2015, added “and to provide consumer information, as necessary in the determination of the commission, to prospective and currently enrolled students” at the end of subsection (a); in the first sentence of paragraph (d)(3), substituted “$7,750,000.00” for “$5,025,000.00” in the middle, and substituted “$7.5 million” for “$5 million” at the end; and, in the first sentence of subsection (e), inserted “and providing consumer information as necessary for prospective and currently enrolled students” near the beginning, and substituted “fund” for “participation fees collected from postsecondary educational institutions” near the end.

The 2016 amendment, effective May 3, 2016, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, revised language in paragraph (d)(3) and subsection (e).

The 2018 amendment, effective May 7, 2018, substituted “where at least two members, by June 30, 2020, shall represent postsecondary educational institutions” for “but one of such members shall be a representative of a nonpublic nondegree-granting postsecondary educational institution, and one of such members shall be a representative of a nonpublic degree-granting postsecondary educational institution” in the second sentence of paragraph (b)(2); and substituted “(10) and (14)” for “(10) and (15)” in the second sentence of paragraph (c)(1).

The 2019 amendment, effective May 12, 2019, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, revised punctuation in the first sentence of paragraph (g)(5).

The 2022 amendment, effective July 1, 2022, in paragraph (c)(2), substituted “July 1, 2022” for “July 1, 1992” and substituted “July 1, 2021” for “July 1, 1992”; substituted the present provisions of paragraph (c)(3) for the former provisions, which read: “Postsecondary educational institutions which are currently authorized to operate in this state and which were first authorized to operate in this state on or after July 1, 1990, shall participate in the fund for five years of continuous authorized operation and shall provide the surety bonds required in Code Section 20-3-250.10; provided, however, that such surety bonds shall no longer be required of any such institutions which have maintained five full years of continuous authorized operation to the present. Any institution which fails to maintain continuous authorization in this state, and which subsequently applies for reinstatement of its certificate of authorization, must provide a surety bond for five full years following reinstatement of authorization.”; added paragraph (c)(4); rewrote subsections (d) and (g); and added subsection (j).