(a) The council shall make rules for the accreditation of community and technical colleges in this state and shall determine the minimum standards for conferring degrees. The commission shall make rules for the accreditation of colleges in this state except the governing boards of the exempted schools shall make rules for their respective institutions, and each shall determine the minimum standards for conferring degrees. The governing boards of the exempted schools shall promulgate rules pursuant to the provisions of section six, article one of this chapter for the accreditation of their respective institutions.
(b) An institution of higher education may not confer a degree on any basis of work or merit below the minimum standards prescribed by the council or commission.
(c) With the approval of the commission and subject to subsections (e), (f) and (g) of this section, governing boards of institutions which currently offer substantial undergraduate course offerings and a master’s degree in a discipline are authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees in that discipline.
(d) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a charter or other instrument containing the right to confer degrees of higher education status may not be granted by the State of West Virginia to an institution, association or organization within the state, nor may a degree be awarded, until the condition of conferring the degree first has been approved in writing by the council or commission, as appropriate, or by the institution’s governing board in the case of the exempted schools.
(e) To retain the authority to confer degrees pursuant to this section, each institution shall provide annually to the commission or council, as requested, all information the commission or council considers necessary to assess the performance of the institution and to determine whether the institution continues to meet the minimum standards for conferring degrees. This information includes, but is not limited to, the following data:
(1) All information current and future federal or state laws and regulations require the institution to report to the public, to students, to employees or to federal or state agencies;