STRF: California’s Student Tuition Recovery Fund, Explained
The assessment rate is $0.00 right now — and schools still get cited over STRF. Here is what the fund is, what is still due every quarter, and the disclosure language your enrollment agreement and catalog must carry.
Updated July 2026 · Facts verified against bppe.ca.gov
What is the STRF?
The Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) is a California fund, administered by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, that can reimburse eligible students who lose tuition when a qualifying institution closes or fails to perform. It is funded by assessments collected from students at BPPE-regulated schools.
If your school is BPPE-approved, STRF touches you in three ways: the assessment rate you apply to institutional charges, the quarterly report you file about it, and the disclosure language you print in your enrollment agreement and catalog. STRF sits alongside the rest of your obligations in the BPPE compliance framework.
The current assessment rate: $0.00
The STRF assessment rate has been $0.00 per $1,000 of institutional charges since April 1, 2024. While the rate is zero, schools do not collect an STRF assessment from students — and must not charge one.
The quarterly filing schedule
The STRF Assessment Reporting Form is due four times a year, on the last day of the month following each quarter — even at a $0.00 rate:
| Deadline | Covers | What you file |
|---|---|---|
| April 30 | Q1 — January to March | STRF Assessment Reporting Form |
| July 31 | Q2 — April to June | STRF Assessment Reporting Form |
| October 31 | Q3 — July to September | STRF Assessment Reporting Form |
| January 31 | Q4 — October to December | STRF Assessment Reporting Form |
These quarterly dates recur every year — see the full BPPE compliance calendar for how they fit around the December 1 Annual Report.
The required disclosures
Regardless of the rate, the STRF disclosure language prescribed by the BPPE regulations must appear in two places:
- The enrollment agreement every student signs
- The school catalog
Auditors read these documents first. Outdated or missing STRF language is one of the easiest findings for an inspector to write up — and one of the easiest to prevent.
How Udooku handles STRF
- Quarterly report, generated — the STRF report is built from your enrollment and charges data on the Compliance plan, ready each quarter.
- Signed agreements, stored — enrollment agreements are e-signed and kept in the Digital Vault, attached to each student record.
- Deadlines, visible — the compliance overview keeps the four quarterly dates in front of you all year.
STRF questions, answered
What is the STRF?
The Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) is a California fund, administered by the BPPE, that can reimburse eligible students who lose tuition when a qualifying institution closes or fails to perform. It is funded by assessments collected from students at BPPE-regulated schools.
What is the current STRF assessment rate?
The STRF assessment rate is $0.00 per $1,000 of institutional charges, effective April 1, 2024. While the rate is zero, schools do not collect an STRF assessment from students.
Do I still have to file STRF reports if the rate is $0?
Yes. The quarterly STRF Assessment Reporting Form is still required — due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31 — and the STRF disclosure must still appear in your enrollment agreement and catalog.
Where does the STRF disclosure have to appear?
In the enrollment agreement and in the school catalog, using the disclosure language prescribed by the BPPE regulations.