440.52(7)(e)(e) Establish minimum standards for refund of the unused portion of tuition, fees, and other charges if a student does not enter a course or course of instruction or withdraws or is discontinued from the course.

440.52(7)(f)(f) Require schools offering courses and courses of instruction to residents of this state to furnish information concerning their facilities, curricula, instructors, enrollment policies, tuition and other charges and fees, refund policies, and policies concerning negotiability of promissory instruments received in payment of tuition and other charges.

440.52(7)(g)(g) Approve courses of instruction, schools, changes of ownership or control of schools, and teaching locations meeting the requirements and standards established by the department and complying with rules promulgated by the department; publish a list of the schools and courses of instruction approved and a list of the schools that are authorized to use the term “college,” “university,” “state,” or “Wisconsin” in their names; and make those lists of the schools available on the department’s Internet site.

440.52(7)(h)(h) Issue permits to solicitors when all department requirements have been met.

440.52(7)(i)(i) Require schools to furnish a surety bond in an amount as provided by rule of the department.

440.52(8)(a)(a) In general. No solicitor representing any school offering any course or course of instruction shall sell any course or course of instruction or solicit students for a course or course of instruction in this state for a consideration or remuneration, except upon the actual business premises of the school, unless the solicitor first secures a solicitor’s permit from the department. If the solicitor represents more than one school, a separate permit shall be obtained for each school the solicitor represents.

440.52(8)(b)(b) Solicitor’s permit. The application for a solicitor’s permit shall be made on a form furnished by the department and shall be accompanied by a fee and a surety bond acceptable to the department in the sum of $2,000. The department shall, by rule, specify the amount of the fee for a solicitor’s permit. The bond may be continuous and shall be conditioned to provide indemnification to any student suffering loss as the result of any fraud or misrepresentation used in procuring his or her enrollment or as a result of the failure of the school to perform faithfully the agreement the solicitor made with the student, and may be supplied by the solicitor or by the school itself either as a blanket bond covering each of its solicitors in the amount of $2,000 or the surety bond under sub. (7) (i). Upon approval of a permit, the department shall issue an identification card to the solicitor giving his or her name and address, the name and address of the employing school, and certifying that the person whose name appears on the card is authorized to solicit students for the school. A permit shall be valid for one year from the date issued. Liability under this paragraph of the surety on the bond for each solicitor covered by the bond shall not exceed the sum of $2,000 as an aggregate for any and all students for all breaches of the conditions of the bond. The surety of a bond may cancel the bond upon giving 30 days’ notice in writing to the department and shall be relieved of liability under this paragraph upon giving the notice for any breach of condition occurring after the effective date of the cancellation. An application for renewal shall be accompanied by a fee, a surety bond acceptable to the department in the sum of $2,000 if a continuous bond has not been furnished, and such information as the department requests of the applicant. The department shall, by rule, specify the amount of the fee for renewal of a solicitor’s permit.

440.52(8)(c)(c) Refusal or revocation of permit. The department may refuse to issue or renew, or may revoke, any solicitor’s permit upon one or any combination of the following grounds:

440.52(8)(d)(d) Notice of refusal to issue or renew permit. Notice of refusal to issue or renew a permit or of the revocation of a permit shall be sent by registered mail to the last address of the applicant or permit holder shown in the records of the department. Revocation of a permit shall be effective 10 days after the notice of revocation has been mailed to the permit holder.

440.52(8)(e)(e) Request for appearance. Within 20 days of the receipt of notice of the department’s refusal to issue or renew a permit or of the revocation of a permit, the applicant or holder of the permit may request permission to appear before the department in person, with or without counsel, to present reasons why the permit should be issued, renewed, or reinstated. Upon receipt of a request, the department shall grant a hearing to the applicant or holder of the permit within 30 days giving that person at least 10 days’ notice of the date, time, and place.

440.52(8)(f)(f) Recovery by students. The bond in force under par. (b) shall not limit or impair any right of recovery otherwise available under law, nor shall the amount of the bond be relevant in determining the amount of damages or other relief to which any plaintiff may be entitled.

440.52(8)(g)(g) Recovery on contracts. No recovery shall be had by any school or its assignee on any contract for or in connection with a course or course of instruction if the representative who sold or solicited the course was not the holder of a solicitor’s permit under this subsection at the time of the sale or solicitation.

440.52(8)(h)(h) Enforcement. The attorney general or any district attorney may bring an action in circuit court for the enforcement of this subsection.

440.52(8)(i)(i) Penalty. Whoever violates this subsection may be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than 3 months or both.

440.52(10)(a)(a) Authority. All proprietary schools shall be examined and approved by the department before operating in this state. Approval shall be granted to schools meeting the criteria established by the department for a period not to exceed one year. No school may advertise in this state unless approved by the department. All approved schools shall submit quarterly reports, including information on enrollment, number of teachers and their qualifications, course offerings, number of graduates, number of graduates successfully employed, and such other information as the department considers necessary. If a school closure results in losses to students, parents, or sponsors, the department may authorize the full or partial payment of those losses from the appropriation under s. 20.165 (1) (jt).

440.52(10)(b)(b) Application. Application for initial approval of a school or a course of instruction, approval of a teaching location, change of ownership, or control of a school, renewal of approval of a school or reinstatement of approval of a school or course of instruction that has been revoked shall be made on a form furnished by the department and shall be accompanied by a fee set by the department under par. (c) and any other information as the department considers necessary to evaluate the school in carrying out the purpose of this section.

440.52(10)(c)(c) Fees; rule making. The department shall promulgate rules to establish the fees paid to the department under this subsection. In promulgating rules to establish the fees, the department shall do all of the following: