Permit - The decision of the Council for Higher Education to grant a permit for opening and operating   an institution of higher education   is the first stage in the process of becoming an academic institution and does not, at this point, bestow on the institution the authority to grant an academic degree. The opening of each new unit (curriculum, course etc.) must have a permit from the Council. The institution which is operating with a permit must notify its students that as long as it is not accredited it is not officially authorized to award a degree.