Overview of Private & Proprietary Schools Division

Purpose of the Private & Proprietary Schools (PPS) Division

The PPS Division is charged with the oversight function of laws such as  the Post-Secondary Educational Institution Act, which was created to improve the quality of private post-secondary education, to prevent misrepresentation, fraud and collusion in offering educational programs to persons over the compulsory school attendance age and to protect consumers enrolled in private post-secondary educational institutions when those schools cease operation or fail to meet standards of quality established by the department, [Section 21-23-2 NMSA 1978, as amended]. The New Mexico Higher Education Department provides consumer protection for students and prospective students.
 

Institution Registration and Licensure

New Mexico state laws require private in-state and out-of-state postsecondary education institutions to meet state standards to operate legally in New Mexico. The laws do not differentiate between private for-profit or private non-profit institutions.  However, there is a difference between private and public out-of-state institutions.

Public out-of-state institutions should refer to the Out-of-State Non-Proprietary Schools Act  [Section 21-25-1 through 21-25-5 NMSA 1978] for more information on offering courses of instruction to any student within the state.

Application forms and instructions are available at  Application Process for Private & Proprietary Institutions. 

Student Academic Records

The New Mexico Higher Education Department is the custodian of student transcripts for a limited number of closed private and proprietary institutions. 

Transcript request forms and instructions are available at Transcript Requests.

Complaints

The New Mexico Higher Education Department is responsible for reviewing complaints about private and proprietary institutions. Students wishing to file a complaint  will need to submit a written complaint with the Department using a standardized complaint form.

Complaint forms and instructions are available at New Mexico Complaint Registration.

For any questions, please contact:

Diane Vigil-Hayes, School Administrator and Compliance Officer

diane.vigil@state.nm.us