The Virginia General Assembly, through House Bill 1995, directed the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to evaluate and make recommendations regarding potential amendments to § 23.1-226 of the Code of Virginia. Specifically, the directive concerns whether certain noncredit instructional programs—such as those designed for Scrum and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification—should be exempt from SCHEV’s certification requirements for postsecondary institutions operating in the Commonwealth.

In response, SCHEV staff conducted a detailed review of (1) existing Virginia laws and regulations, (2) comparable provisions in other states and (3) the potential benefits and risks of creating such an exemption. This memorandum summarizes the findings of that evaluation and presents SCHEV’s recommendations for the General Assembly’s consideration.