Before any institution of postsecondary education operating in this State discontinues academic or administrative operation, the institution shall file with the Commission the original or legible copies of all essential records of the academic achievements of all former students of the institution. In the case of an institutional closure that results in a merger, the Commission may approve a plan to file the essential records of all former students of the institution with the successor institution. The obligation of an institution under paragraph (1) of this subsection may not be discharged in bankruptcy. The records shall present, as separate documents: The official academic transcript of each former student; Any other academic information usually required by institutions of postsecondary education when considering students for transfer or advanced study; and If requested by the Commission, the financial aid and financial account information of each former student. The records shall be accompanied by an affidavit as to the accuracy and completeness of the records on behalf of the institution’s: Board of Trustees; Bursar; Chief administrative officer; Chief executive officer; Chief financial officer; or Registrar. The Commission shall maintain a permanent file of all records filed with it under this section. If a student who attended an institution that closed in accordance with this title requests a copy of the student’s official academic transcript from the Commission and the Commission determines that the requested transcript is missing, incomplete, or in a format inaccessible to the student, the Commission may issue a replacement transcript for the student based solely on the most recent information provided by the institution that the student attended. A replacement transcript issued in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection shall: Be signed by a designee of the Secretary of Higher Education; Contain an explanation of the closure of the institution; and Contain an explanation of the source of all information contained in the replacement transcript. Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, a replacement transcript issued in accordance with this section shall be accepted as an official transcript by: Any institution of postsecondary education operating in the State; and Any institution registered to provide a fully online distance education program in the State. For purposes of student transfer, an institution of postsecondary education or a fully online distance education program in the State may consider, instead of or in addition to a replacement transcript, an unofficial transcript or other transcript information provided by the student that the receiving institution or program deems relevant. The Commission shall adopt regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. The regulations adopted in accordance with this subsection shall include: A specification of the manner and format in which student records are to be filed with the Commission; and A description of the circumstances under which an institution of postsecondary education or a fully online distance education program in the State may discontinue academic or administrative operation.

This section does not apply to the recruitment of a foreign student who is: Residing in a foreign country; and Not eligible to receive federal student assistance. An institution of higher education may not pay a commission, a bonus, or any other incentive payment based on success in securing enrollments or the award of financial aid to a person or entity engaged in student recruitment or admission activity.

The Commission shall maintain a list of State higher education institutions, including community colleges, offering tuition waivers to members of the Maryland National Guard. The list required under this section shall: Include the tuition waiver policy of each institution and a contact name and telephone number; Be updated at least annually; and Be shared with the military department for distribution to members of the Maryland National Guard.

Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, an institution of higher education approved by the Commission to operate in the State that does not possess regional accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education or another regional accrediting body approved by the Commission shall require its students to sign a letter of acknowledgment that the transfer of credits may be difficult if the student intends to transfer the credits to a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the State. An institution of higher education in the State that does not possess regional accreditation from a regional accrediting body referenced in paragraph (1) of this subsection is exempt from the requirements of this section if the institution of higher education has written articulation agreements with three or more regionally accredited institutions of higher education in the State. The institution shall keep on file the letter of acknowledgment required under subsection (a) of this section while the student attends the institution and for 2 years or more after the student completes the course. The Commission shall: Create a template for the letter of acknowledgment required under subsection (a) of this section; and Post the template on the Commission’s website.

In this section, “Fund” means the Nurse Support Program Assistance Fund. There is a Nurse Support Program Assistance Fund in the Commission. The Fund is a continuing, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article. The Treasurer shall separately hold and the Comptroller shall account for the Fund. The Fund shall be invested and reinvested in the same manner as other State funds. Any investment earnings of the Fund shall be paid into the Fund. The Fund consists of revenue generated through an increase, as approved by the Health Services Cost Review Commission, to the rate structure of all hospitals in accordance with § 19–211 of the Health – General Article. Expenditures from the Fund shall be made by an appropriation in the annual State budget or by approved budget amendment as provided under § 7–209 of the State Finance and Procurement Article. The money in the Fund shall be used for competitive grants and statewide grants to increase the number of qualified nurses in Maryland hospitals in accordance with guidelines established by the Commission and the Health Services Cost Review Commission. The guidelines established under subsection (e) of this section shall provide that a portion of the competitive grants and statewide grants be used to attract and retain minorities to nursing and nurse faculty careers in Maryland.

In this section, “cultural diversity” means the inclusion of those racial and ethnic groups and individuals that are or have been underrepresented in higher education. Each public institution of higher education in the State shall develop and implement a plan for a program of cultural diversity. If an institution of higher education already has a program of cultural diversity, the institution of higher education shall develop and implement a plan for improving the program. A plan developed and implemented under this subsection shall include an implementation strategy and a time line for meeting goals within the plan. A plan developed under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall include: A description of the way the institution addresses cultural diversity among its student, faculty, and staff populations; A description of how the institution plans to enhance cultural diversity, if improvement is needed; A process for reporting campus–based hate crimes, as defined under Title 10, Subtitle 3 of the Criminal Law Article and consistent with federal requirements under 20 U.S.C. 1092(f), known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act; and A summary of any resources, including State grants, needed by the institution to effectively recruit and retain a culturally diverse student body. A plan developed under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall enhance cultural diversity programming and sensitivity to cultural diversity through instruction and training of the student body, faculty, and staff at the institution of higher education. On or before July 1 of each year, each institution shall submit the plan developed under subsection (b) of this section to the governing body of the institution for the governing body’s review. On or before September 1 of each year, the governing body of an institution shall submit a progress report regarding the institution’s implementation of its plan to the Commission. The Commission shall review the progress report submitted by each governing body under subsection (c) of this section to monitor compliance with the diversity goals of the State Plan for Higher Education. On or before December 1 of each year, the Commission shall submit a report, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, to the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Committee on Ways and Means on the extent to which the institutions of higher education in the State are in compliance with the diversity goals of the State Plan for Higher Education.

The Commission may require reasonable annual reports and data from a for–profit institution of higher education as the Commission generally requires of other institutions of higher education. The Commission may not require a for–profit institution of higher education to report to the Commission on matters that concern information, data, or documents, however styled, that are proprietary to the institution or that constitute a trade secret.

If a private nonprofit institution of higher education engages in a reportable incident, as defined under § 10–101 of this article, the Commission shall determine whether the incident constitutes private inurement.

In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. “Community college” means a community college established under Title 16 of this article. “Over–the–counter contraception” means a contraceptive drug or device approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration that can be obtained for use without a prescription. “Public senior higher education institution” means: The constituent institutions of the University System of Maryland; Morgan State University; or St. Mary’s College of Maryland. “Public senior higher education institution” does not include: The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; or The University of Maryland Global Campus. On or before September 1, 2026, and each September 1 thereafter, on a form provided by the Commission, each public senior higher education institution and community college shall submit a report to the Commission on the provision of over–the–counter contraception on campus, including: How students are provided access to over–the–counter contraception on campus; Whether the public senior higher education institution or community college has provided access to all methods of over–the–counter contraception as required under §§ 15–136 and 16–111 of this article; The amount of over–the–counter contraception provided on campus, disaggregated by each method of over–the–counter contraception; and A description of how the public senior higher education institution or community college has consulted with students and student organizations in relation to providing over–the–counter contraception on campus. On or before October 1, 2026, and each October 1 thereafter, the Commission shall report to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the information provided under subsection (b) of this section.

Each institution of postsecondary education that operates in the State and that is required to make a net price calculator publicly available on its website under the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C.A. § 1015a, shall ensure that the net price calculator is posted on its website in a conspicuous location. For all first–time, full–time undergraduate students at an institution of postsecondary education that operates in the State, the institution shall provide to the student information on the cost of higher education at the institution by completing and mailing or providing electronically, at a minimum, the information contained on the form known as the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, as promulgated by the U.S. Department of Education. The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet or the information contained on the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet shall be mailed or provided electronically to the student at the same time that an award of federal financial aid is mailed or provided electronically to the student.

In this section, “public institution of higher education” does not include the University of Maryland Global Campus. The Commission shall collect student–level data from each public institution of higher education in the State on the parental status of students enrolled in each institution. The Commission, in consultation with the public institutions of higher education, shall develop questions that allow each student to identify: Whether the student is a parent or a legal guardian, acting as a parent or a legal guardian, or exercising care, custody, or control over a child of any age; The age of the children for which the student has responsibility; and The type of caregiving responsibilities the student provides, including whether the student: Is a single parent; or Shares parental responsibilities with someone in the same household or a different household. Each public institution of higher education shall place the questions developed under subsection (b) of this section on one or more forms that are used by the institution to collect demographic data from students. Each public institution of higher education shall make the data collected under this section available to the Commission in accordance with the format determined by the Commission under subsection (d) of this section. The Commission shall adopt regulations to carry out this section, including: Establishing a common format and time frame for the collection and reporting of the data required under this section; and Requiring the collection of parental status data to be included with the collection of other demographic data. Information collected in accordance with this section is not considered to be a medical or health record for purposes of § 24–701(l) of this article. On or before September 1, 2027, and each September 1 thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment, and the House Appropriations Committee, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, that summarizes the data collected by the Commission under this section.