FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY IN RECRUITING, ADMISSIONS, AND ENROLLMENT PRACTICES

Effective: August 15, 2024

Purpose: Emporia State University is committed to promoting fundamental fairness and transparency in all aspects of the enrollment process. For purposes of this policy, the enrollment process includes lead generation, recruiting activities, admissions processing through matriculation, and related practices such as financial aid determinations and administration.

Scope: This policy applies comprehensively to prospective students and, to the extent applicable, current students (referred to collectively in this policy as “students”).

Responsible Office: Division of Student Success

Policy Statement: In addition to requirements set forth in other, related University policies, the University shall require the following regarding its enrollment process:

• Students are treated ethically, respectfully and professionally in the marketing, recruiting, admissions, and financial aid process so that students can make informed enrollment decisions about matters such as enrollment and financial aid without the University or any enrollment contractor:
• Falsely claiming that enrollment spots are limited;
• Taking advantage of students’ lack of understanding to pressure students to enroll;
• Unduly pressuring students to make any immediate financial aid decision; or
• Engaging in excessively repeated, unsolicited contact.
• All University recruiting, admissions, and financial aid personnel are expected to have appropriate education, job titles, and skills for their role.
• Any third-party contractors who provide recruiting, admissions, and financial aid services are expected to have similar education, skills, and experience as similarly situated personnel employed by the University. Such third-party contractors are expected to provide consistent, accurate information, and a high quality of service.
• Policies related to consumer protection shall be accessible and transparent to students. Information provided to students during any aspect of the enrollment process shall be accurate, complete, and up-to-date and shall be provided to all students.
• Student information collected through any aspect of the institution’s enrollment processes shall be maintained and protected as outlined in the institution’s data privacy policy, and in accordance with FERPA, both of which shall be prominently posted on the University’s website.
• University recruiters, admissions officers, financial aid officers, or appropriate third parties engaged in similar roles on the University’s behalf may answer questions about the student application process for admissions and financial aid, but in no case will such personnel complete applications for students without student permission or apply the signature of a student to an application.
• If students are required to sign an enrollment agreement, the enrollment agreement shall be limited to basic information about course of study, tuition and fees, and other related information and shall not include language limiting a student’s ability to: (1) file a complaint with an accreditor or state agency; (2) take legal action in the event that any dispute resolution processes agreed to by the University and the student are unsuccessful in resolving the dispute to the satisfaction of the parties; OR (3) seek to discharge a student loan through remedies available to borrowers under state or federal law.
• Students shall have the right and responsibility to register for each academic term in which they are eligible to enroll. The University shall not automatically register any student in a subsequent term without that student’s affirmative consent to such registration or the opportunity for the student to cancel that registration before the student is assessed tuition or fees for that term.
• Prior to enrolling a student in a program or major, the University shall ensure that the student has had sufficient time to review the University’s policies and procedures; to understand the amount of federal, state, and institutional financial aid the student is eligible to receive; to learn how many credits previously earned, if any, will transfer and whether those transferred credits will be applied to requirements of the major or general education or the process; and to understand the timeline for evaluation of those credits.
• The University shall not induce or pressure a student to enroll by a specific deadline outside of the regular process of scholarship monies, institutional discounting, fee waivers, financial aid, other assistance, or University-branded gifts of nominal value.
• In addition to procedures related to the refund of Title IV funds, the University shall maintain a refund procedure to assure that students receive a refund where appropriate if they withdraw from an academic term.
• The University shall not otherwise engage in aggressive or deceptive recruitment tactics or conduct, such as may be defined and prohibited by federal regulations. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, the following acts or omissions:
• Obtaining students’ contact information through websites that falsely claim to provide assistance with finding employment or obtaining government benefits;
• Discouraging students from consulting with parties unrelated to the University prior to finalizing their decisions or commitments; or
• Failing to timely respond to students’ requests for additional substantive information related to enrollment or loan obligations.
• The University shall not use threatening, abusive, or manipulative language to influence a student’s decision.

Definitions: All words and phrases shall be interpreted utilizing their plain meanings unless otherwise defined in another University or Board of Regents policy or by statute or regulation.

Procedures: All procedures linked and related to the policies above shall have the full force and effect of policy if said procedures have first been properly approved by the University’s administrator in charge of Division of Student Success.

[Division of Student Success procedures - coming soon]

Related Policy Information: [coming soon]