Other Sources of College Information
The Commission's Guide to California Colleges and Universities contains information about degree-granting
colleges and universities in California. If you are not able to find the institution you seek, try
one of these other sources of information.
Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education
Department of Consumer Affairs
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: (800) 952-5210,
http://www.dca.ca.gov/
Authority to approve private postsecondary and vocational schools and colleges to operate in California
is vested in the Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational
Education (BPPVE). State Approval means the institution meets minimum standards established by
BPPVE for integrity, financial stability, and educational quality. A list of approved schools is available
on their website.
In addition, BPPVE investigates whether closed schools may have violated state or federal law. If so,
students may be eligible for a refund of all or part of tuition and other costs, such as the cost of books.
If a state-approved institution closes, state law requires the institution to arrange for the storage and
safekeeping in California of all transcripts. The length of retention varies by type of institution.
If the institution granted degrees, the transcripts must be maintained for 50 years. If it was a vocational
institution, the transcripts must be maintained for 5 years. The repository for the records is decided
on a case-by-case basis.
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 502-7300
http://nces.ed.gov/
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education
and the Institute of Education Sciences, maintains a nation-wide database of information on
postsecondary institutions that are open to the general public. COOL: College Opportunities
Online Locator (
http://collegesearch.nces.ed.gov/) is one of the ways this data has been made available on-line.
Office of Hearings and Appeals
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4611
Phone: (202) 619-9700
http://www.ed-oha.org/
The U.S. Department of Education's (DOE) Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) resolves disputes between
the DOE and recipients of Federal education funds. The website has a searchable database of decisions
rendered by OHA and by the Secretary of Education.
