How to Start a Religiously Exempt Institution
To start a religiously exempt college or university usually
requires two equally important elements, first, the school must be owned by a religious organization of some kind and
second, it should be incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Each state is authorized to oversee the schools that advertise that they are
offering degrees or programs that lead toward degrees, within their state. Each state
has its own regulations. Please review the
approval agencies pageon
this site for the entity in your
state that governs degree granting religiously exempt institutions.
Generally, each state requires that
institutions may not use words like "college, university, seminary, credit and degree". You cannot use these words
in print without permission from your state education department's approval agency, or an exemption from it,
which affirms you are exempt from licensure because you only offer religious degrees. Even then, they will have
restrictions as to what you can offer and what you can say. You should take the time to visit my
approval agencies
page and find your state's approval agency and then take the time to familiarize yourself with your state's laws concerning religious exemption degrees.
As a Rule As a rule a
religious exempt application is fairly short and you should have no problem
handling it yourself. If you require any assistance however please free feel to
contact me or call me at 818-349-3645 and I will be happy to assist you in any
way I can.
California as an Example
To give you an idea of the
usual regulatory requirements for a religiously exempt institution I am inserting
the California regulations regarding religiously exempt schools as of July 31st
2007 which stated that to be religiously exempt an institution had to abide by the following:
1. The institution is owned,
controlled, operated, and maintained by a bona fide church, religious
denomination, or religious organization comprised of multi-denominational
members of the same well-recognized religion.
2. The
Institution is lawfully operating as a nonprofit religious corporation pursuant
to the Corporations Code. Submit a copy of the filing of the Articles of
Incorporations with the California Secretary of State. (Note: The first page
must include the filing stamp.)
3. The
education offered by the Institution is limited to instruction in the principles
of the church, religious denomination, or religious organization that owns the
Institution, or to courses offered pursuant to §2789 of the Business and
Professions Code relating to care of the sick in accordance with the religious
tenets of the church, religious denomination, or religious organization.
4. Each
diploma or degree offered by the Institution is limited to evidence of
completion of education that is in the principles of the church, religious
denomination, or religious organization that owns the Institution, or to courses
offered pursuant to §2789 of the Business and Professions Code relating to care
of the sick in accordance with the religious tenets of the church, religious
denomination, or religious organization.
5. The
meritorious recognition upon which the Institution confers any honorary degree
also is limited to the principles of the church, religious denomination, or
religious organization that owns the Institution, or to courses offered pursuant
to §2789 of the Business and Professions Code relating to care of the sick in
accordance with the religious tenets of the church, religious denomination, or
religious organization.
6. The
degrees and diplomas offered by the Institution are only in the beliefs and
practices of the church, religious denomination, or religious organization.
7. Each
degree or diploma granted by the Institution contains on its face, in the
written description of the title of the degree or diploma being conferred, a
reference to the theological or religious aspect of the degree or diploma’s
subject area.
8. Each
degree or diploma awarded by the Institution reflects the nature of the degree
title, such as “Associate of Religious Studies,” or “Bachelor of Religious
Studies,” or “Master of Divinity” or “Doctor of Divinity.”
9. The
Institution does not award degrees in any area of physical science.
10. The
Institution does not use the degree titles “Associate of Arts” or “Associate of
Science,” “Bachelor of Arts” or “Bachelor of Science,” “Master of Arts” or
“Master of Science,” or “Doctor of Philosophy” or “Ph.D.”, and understands that
it may not do so unless it either is approved to operate by the Bureau under
Articles 8 of the Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act of
1998 (Act), or meets the requirements for a partial exemption from the Act as
set forth in CEC §94750.
11. The
Institution does not market or grant degrees or diplomas that are represented as
being linked to the church, religious denomination, or religious organization
that owns the Institution, but which, in reality, are degrees or diplomas in
secular areas of study.
