Indiana career school institutional bonds.
From $100. $25,000 statutory.
Indiana’s proprietary career and technical schools must file an institutional surety bond with the Department of Workforce Development’s Office for Career and Technical Schools (OCTS). The statutory amount is $25,000 under IC 22-4.1-21 — the premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, and no credit check up to $25,000.
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How much does an Indiana career school institutional bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard institutional bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with OCTS. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your school’s details, the bond amount ($25,000 statutory), and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $25,000. Above $25,000, a soft pull may add a short review.
File with OCTS
Submit the executed bond with your accreditation application or renewal to the Office for Career and Technical Schools. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the institutional bond actually guarantees
Indiana regulates non-degree, proprietary career and technical schools through the Department of Workforce Development’s Office for Career and Technical Schools (OCTS) under IC 22-4.1-21. Accreditation is conditioned on an institutional surety bond, payable to the State of Indiana.
The bond is a student-protection guarantee: it stands behind the tuition and fees students pay, so that if a school closes or fails to deliver the education it sold, students can be made whole. The statute sets the bond at $25,000 for the institutions it covers.
It is not insurance for the school — if the surety pays a claim, the school repays the surety. The bond is one piece of the OCTS financial-stability requirements (alongside the student assurance fund). We issue the amount your accreditation requires; pricing starts from $100 and no credit check up to $25,000.
You need this bond if you are
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 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.
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 OCTS. Submit the executed bond with your accreditation application or renewal to the Office for Career and Technical Schools. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with your required bond amount ($25,000 statutory) — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with OCTS.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Indiana bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Institutional bond, issued today.
Pricing from $100. Enter your amount ($25,000 statutory) and file with OCTS the same day.