34 CFR 606.4: What are low educational and general expenditures?

(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, for the purpose of § 606.2(a)(2), an applicant institution's average educational and general expenditures per full-time equivalent undergraduate student in the base year must be less than the average educational and general expenditures per full-time equivalent undergraduate student in that year of comparable institutions that offer similar instruction.

(2) For the purpose of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the Secretary determines the average educational and general expenditure per full-time equivalent undergraduate student for institutions with graduate students that do not differentiate between graduate and undergraduate educational and general expenditures by discounting the graduate enrollment using a factor of 2.5 times the number of graduate students.

(b) Each year, the Secretary notifies prospective applicants through a notice in the Federal Register of the average educational and general expenditures per full-time equivalent undergraduate student at comparable institutions that offer similar instruction.

(c) The Secretary may waive the requirement contained in paragraph (a) of this section, if the Secretary determines, based upon persuasive evidence provided by the institution, that—

(1) The institution's failure to satisfy the criteria in paragraph (a) of this section was due to factors which, if used in determining compliance with those criteria, distorted that determination; and

(2) The institution's designation as an eligible institution under this part is otherwise consistent with the purposes of this part.

(d) For the purpose of paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the Secretary considers that the following factors may distort an institution's educational and general expenditures per full-time equivalent undergraduate student—

(1) Low student enrollment;

(2) Location of the institution in an unusually high cost-of-living area;

(3) High energy costs;

(4) An increase in State funding that was part of a desegregation plan for higher education; or

(5) Operation of high cost professional schools such as medical or dental schools.