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BPPE expects institutional accounts in Connect early 2026 as licensing team stabilizes
Summary
BPPE staff said the bureau's Connect IT system is stabilizing after a July launch; institutional representative accounts and online application/fee functions are expected in early 2026 while analysts work on data conversion and cashiering issues.
Manila Vongmeni, deputy bureau chief for licensing and administration, told the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education advisory committee that the bureau's new Connect IT system is moving from rollout to user onboarding. She said staffing changes slowed some work but that developers and the Office of Information Security (OIS) are addressing data-conversion and functionality issues.
"We anticipate creating accounts for our approved and registered institutional representatives in early 2026, which will allow institutions to submit... reports online, pay fees online, review their profile details, and over time, be able to submit all types of applications through Connect instead of paper," Vongmeni said.
Nicole Dragoo, the bureau's newly appointed licensing chief (effective Oct. 31), joined the call and described a priority on quality reviews as the licensing team resumes normal staffing. Vongmeni said several analysts were temporarily reassigned to the Connect stabilization effort to fix specific problems, including missing cashiering transactions and school-code generation errors, and that most identified data-alignment issues have been resolved.
The bureau reported that the Connect rollout contributed to a temporary uptick in average approval times because four of 12 analysts were redirected. Vongmeni emphasized the tradeoff: "Our top priority remains doing thorough high-quality reviews that ensure institutional integrity."
Committee members asked about application-time-range metrics and year-over-year comparisons; staff agreed to consider adding extra comparative frames to future reports.
The bureau plans incremental releases of Connect functionality rather than a single 'big bang' switchover and asked institutions to watch for onboarding communications once representative accounts are created.
