Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) – California Learners Only

The State of California established the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) to relieve or mitigate economic loss suffered by a learner in an educational program at a qualifying institution, who is or was a California resident while enrolled, or was enrolled in a residency program, if the learner enrolled in the institution, prepaid tuition, and suffered an economic loss. The STRF requires payment of a state-imposed fee each semester that will be collected by the College from impacted learners.

Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) - California Code of Regulations Division 7.5 Private Postsecondary Education, Article 2, Code 76120.

Amount of STRF Assessment Fee Increase - Effective April 1, 2022: 

(a) Each qualifying institution shall collect an assessment of two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of institutional charges, rounded to the nearest thousand dollars, from each student in an educational program who is a California resident or is enrolled in a residency program. For institutional charges of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or less, the assessment is zero dollars ($0). 
 
Note: Authority cited: Sections 94877, 94923 and 94924, Education Code. Reference: Sections 94843, 94911(b), 94923 and 94924, Education Code. 

Learners are not eligible for protection from the STRF and are not required to pay the STRF assessment if they are not California residents or are not enrolled in a residency program.

It is important to keep copies of the enrollment agreement, financial aid documents, receipts, or any other information that documents the amount paid to the College. Questions regarding the STRF may be directed to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95833, (916) 431-6959 or (888) 370-7589.

To be eligible for STRF, the learner must be a California resident or enrolled in a residency program, must have prepaid tuition, must have paid the STRF assessment, and must have suffered an economic loss as a result of any of the following:

1. The institution, a location of the institution, or an educational program offered by the institution was closed or discontinued, and the learner did not choose to participate in a teach-out plan approved by the Bureau or did not complete a chosen teach-out plan approved by the Bureau.
2. The learner was enrolled at an institution or a location of the institution within the 120-day period before the closure of the institution or location of the institution or was enrolled in an educational program within the 120-day period before the program was discontinued.
3. The learner was enrolled at an institution or a location of the institution more than 120 days before the closure of the institution or location of the institution, in an educational program offered by the institution in which the Bureau determined there was a significant decline in the quality or value of the program more than 120 days before closure.
4. The institution has been ordered to pay a refund by the Bureau but has failed to do so.
5. The institution has failed to pay or reimburse loan proceeds under a federal student loan program as required by law or has failed to pay or reimburse proceeds received by the institution that exceeds tuition and other costs.
6. The learner has been awarded restitution, a refund, or other monetary award by an arbitrator or court, based on a violation of this chapter by an institution or representative of an institution, but has been unable to collect the award from the institution.
7. The learner sought legal counsel that resulted in the cancellation of one or more of the learner’s student loans and possesses an invoice for services rendered and evidence of the cancellation of the student loan or loans.

To qualify for STRF reimbursement, the application must be received within four (4) years from the date of the action or event that made the learner eligible for recovery from STRF.

A learner whose loan is revived by a loan holder or debt collector after a period of non-collection may, at any time, file a written application for recovery from STRF for the debt that would have otherwise been eligible for recovery. If it has been more than four (4) years since the action or event that made the learner eligible, the learner must have filed a written application for recovery within the original four (4) year period, unless the period has been extended by another act of law.

However, no claim can be paid to any learner without a social security number or a taxpayer identification number.