🎓 Education Access, Credit Mobility & Student Protections
Section 10 — Education Access, Credit Mobility & Student Protections
Section 10 Purpose
This section ensures that access to education is not undermined by administrative barriers, artificial credit restrictions, housing instability, or exploitative lending practices. It protects students from being financially trapped by system errors, opaque loan structures, and institutional policies that prioritize revenue over educational outcomes.
Legal-Style Provisions
10.1 Degree Structure & Credit Relevance
10.1.1 Degree-Focused Curriculum
Institutions may not require coursework that is unrelated to a student’s declared degree, minor, or documented academic pathway for the primary purpose of extending enrollment duration, increasing tuition revenue, or meeting artificial credit thresholds.
General education requirements must demonstrate a clear academic or professional nexus to the degree being awarded. Courses that do not materially contribute to the degree’s learning outcomes may not be mandatory for graduation.
Summary — 10.1 Degree Structure & Credit Relevance
This subsection prevents institutions from inflating tuition costs by requiring coursework that is unrelated to a student’s chosen degree or professional path.
Examples
- A software engineering student is required to take multiple unrelated electives solely to meet a credit quota.
- A student must remain enrolled an extra semester due to non-degree “general requirements.”
Why this subsection exists
Unnecessary coursework extends enrollment time, increases debt, and disproportionately harms students already facing housing or financial instability.
10.2 Transfer Credit Fairness
10.2.1 Credit Recognition
Credits earned at regionally or nationally accredited institutions must transfer with equivalent academic weight, credit hours, and completion status when course content, learning objectives, or instructional level are substantially similar.
Institutions may not deny transfer credit solely based on institutional preference, internal revenue considerations, or degree-path steering practices.
10.2.2 Prohibited Credit Caps
Institutions may not impose arbitrary numerical caps on transferable credits that are unrelated to academic equivalency, instructional rigor, or accreditation requirements.
Credit limits imposed for administrative convenience, financial incentives, or enrollment retention purposes are expressly prohibited.
Summary — 10.2 Transfer Credit Fairness
This subsection ensures that legitimately earned academic credits retain their value when a student transfers between accredited institutions.
Examples
- A student transfers 120 earned credits, but the receiving institution accepts only 40 without academic justification.
- Previously completed coursework is dismissed as “non-equivalent” despite matching curriculum outcomes.
Why this subsection exists
Arbitrary credit rejection forces students to repay for education they have already completed, turning transfer systems into revenue traps.
10.2A Credit Persistence & Major Mobility
10.2A.1 Credit Persistence Rule
Credits earned remain valid regardless of:
- major changes,
- school transfers,
- degree pathway adjustments.
Credits may be reapplied to new programs where relevant.
10.2A.2 Major Change Protection
Institutions may not restrict students from changing majors through:
- mandatory waiting periods,
- credit forfeiture,
- artificial probation triggers.
Summary — 10.2A Credit Persistence & Major Mobility
This subsection guarantees that earned credits remain valid across major changes and degree adjustments.
Examples
- A student changes majors and is told previously completed credits are forfeited.
- Credits earned under “undeclared” status are not applied to a later declared major.
Why this subsection exists
Students should not be penalized for academic exploration or administrative misclassification.
10.3 Academic Probation & Due Process
10.3.1 Procedural Safeguards
Students may not be placed on academic probation, suspended, dismissed, or otherwise penalized due to institutional system errors, delayed grade processing, faculty submission failures, or administrative faults outside the student’s control.
Any adverse academic action must be based on verified academic performance data that has been properly recorded, reviewed, and communicated to the student.
10.3.2 Appeal Rights & Timing
Students must be granted a clearly defined and reasonable appeal period before any academic penalties, enrollment restrictions, housing removals, or financial aid suspensions take effect.
During an active appeal, all adverse actions related to the contested determination shall be stayed. Institutions may not impose accelerated deadlines, automatic enforcement, or procedural barriers that undermine the student’s ability to meaningfully contest the action.
Summary — 10.3 Academic Probation & Due Process
This subsection protects students from punitive outcomes caused by administrative or system failures.
Examples
- Grades are posted late due to a system outage, triggering automatic probation.
- A student is removed from classes before an appeal window is provided.
Why this subsection exists
Probation without due process can instantly cut off education, housing, and financial aid — often irreversibly.
10.4 Financial Aid & Housing Protections
10.4.1 Aid Continuity
Housing access, meal plans, and financial aid may not be withdrawn or suspended due to unresolved administrative disputes, temporary enrollment anomalies, or pending appeals, provided the student is otherwise in good standing.
Institutions must maintain aid continuity until due process and correction mechanisms are fully exhausted.
10.4.2 Upperclassmen Housing Equity
Institutions may not withdraw housing eligibility, assistance, or placement support from upperclassmen solely based on academic year, age, or progression status without providing reasonable and accessible alternatives.
Where on-campus residency is discouraged or unavailable, institutions must offer transitional housing assistance, verified referrals, or financial offsets sufficient to prevent displacement during active enrollment.
Summary — 10.4 Financial Aid & Housing Protections
This subsection ensures students are not displaced or defunded due to temporary administrative issues.
Examples
- Financial aid is revoked while a clerical dispute is unresolved.
- Upperclassmen receive no housing support while required to remain enrolled full-time.
Why this subsection exists
Housing loss is one of the most common reasons students are forced to abandon education altogether.
10.5 Student Loan Equity
10.5.1 Federal vs Private Loan Neutrality
Relief programs, repayment protections, and hardship accommodations must not discriminate between borrowers based solely on whether a loan is federally issued, privately issued, or institution-selected.
Eligibility must be determined by borrower circumstances, repayment burden, and financial impact — not lender classification.
10.5.2 Loan Selection Transparency
Students must be clearly informed, in advance, of all available loan options, associated interest structures, repayment terms, forgiveness eligibility, and long-term financial implications prior to acceptance.
Institutions may not steer students toward private or higher-cost loans without documenting that the student was presented with comparable alternatives and provided informed consent.
Summary — 10.5 Student Loan Equity
This subsection eliminates unequal treatment between federal and private student loan borrowers.
Examples
- A private loan borrower is excluded from relief programs solely due to loan origin.
- Students were locked into private lenders chosen by institutions, not by consent.
Why this subsection exists
Loan forgiveness and protections should be based on borrower circumstances — not lender classification.
10.6 Student Loan Minimum Payment Integrity
10.6.1 Definition of Minimum Payment
For student loans, the minimum payment is defined as the amount required to:
- cover accrued interest, and
- reduce principal by a non-zero amount.
A “minimum payment” that causes a loan balance to grow is not a payment — it is a penalty. Student loans must follow the same amortization principles as other consumer loans, where meeting the minimum obligation results in actual progress toward payoff.
Any payment structure that fails to meet this standard is non-compliant.
10.6.2 Prohibition on Negative Amortization
Negative amortization — where loan balances increase despite timely minimum payments — is prohibited.
Interest may accrue beyond minimum payments only when:
- the borrower pays less than the required minimum, or
- the borrower has explicitly requested deferment or forbearance.
10.6.3 Transparency & Disclosure
Lenders must clearly disclose:
- how minimum payments are calculated,
- how much principal will be reduced per payment,
- the projected payoff timeline at the minimum rate.
Failure to disclose constitutes deceptive lending.
10.6.4 Enforcement & Remedies
Loans found to violate minimum payment integrity must:
- have excess interest reversed,
- be re-amortized to compliant terms,
- and refund overpayments where applicable.
Summary — 10.6 Student Loan Minimum Payment Integrity
This subsection prohibits loan structures where borrowers pay consistently yet owe more over time.
Examples
- A borrower makes minimum payments for years and sees their balance increase.
- Interest accrues faster than payments despite full compliance.
Why this subsection exists
Debt that grows through compliance undermines trust, financial stability, and long-term economic participation.
10.7 Food Access & Campus Support
10.7.1 Enrollment-Based Food Access
Institutions must ensure that enrolled students have access to affordable or no-cost food options sufficient to meet basic nutritional needs, regardless of housing status, commuter status, or enrollment modality.
Food access programs may not exclude students based solely on part-time enrollment, nontraditional schedules, or off-campus residency.
Summary — 10.7 Food Access & Campus Support
This subsection ensures students have access to basic nutrition while enrolled.
Examples
- A full-time student must choose between meals and textbooks.
- Campus food programs exclude nontraditional or commuter students.
Why this subsection exists
Food insecurity directly impacts academic performance and retention, especially for low-income students.