District of Columbia postsecondary institution bonds.
$500 flat.
The District conditions a postsecondary school’s license on a surety bond that protects students if the school closes or fails to refund tuition. This page is the $50,000 institution bond filed with the Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC) — ours is $500 flat, set by our carrier’s rate book for this bond.
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How much does a District of Columbia postsecondary institution bond cost?
$500 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to filed.
Your school's license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
School details, ownership, and an effective date. A quick soft credit check may apply — never a hard inquiry.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with the Commission
Pay online and receive the executed $50,000 bond ready to file with your HELC license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Commission insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The District licenses postsecondary educational institutions through the Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC), and the enabling act lets the Mayor condition a license on a surety bond. The bond is a student-protection guarantee — it stands behind tuition and refunds if a school breaches its contract with students, declares bankruptcy, or otherwise ends its program without adequate refunds.
It's a three-party arrangement: the school (the principal), the surety carrier, and the District together with students (the protected parties). If a licensed institution closes or fails to refund tuition, harmed students can recover against the institution bond.
The institution bond and the agent bond are separate. This $50,000 bond covers the institution itself; each enrollment agent or sales representative files a separate $3,000 bond. The statute caps the institution amount and lets the Commission waive the surety requirement for a financially sound nonprofit licensed for five consecutive years — confirm your required amount with HELC.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $50,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Commission. Pay online and receive the executed $50,000 bond ready to file with your HELC license application or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Commission insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $500 at the $50,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a quick soft credit check that may apply. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Commission is waiting on one document.
$500 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.