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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 8. Education
Agency 40. State Council of Higher Education For Virginia
Chapter 31. Regulations Governing Certification of Certain Institutions to Confer Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates
11/1/2025

8VAC40-31-20. Prohibited acts.

A. Use of the term "college" or "university" or abbreviations or words of similar meaning is prohibited, except in accordance with § 23.1-225 of the Code of Virginia. This subsection shall not apply to an individual proprietorship, association, co-partnership, or corporation that uses the words "college" or "university" in its training programs solely for its employees or customers, that does not offer degree-granting programs, and whose name includes the word "college" or "university" in a context from which it is clear that such entity is not an educational school.

B. The council shall refuse to certify school names and terms that have the potential to mislead the general public about the school's affiliation or association with any state-supported institution of higher education. Terms that may not be used by private institutions of higher education include "public university," "public college," or "community college".

Statutory Authority

§ 23.1-225 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 23, eff. August 24, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 25, eff. September 11, 2025.

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