About NC-SARA
The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is a private nonprofit organization [501(c)(3)] that helps expand students’ access to educational opportunities and ensure more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs.
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA)
Agreementsprovides a streamlined, reciprocity-based process for participating postsecondary institutions to gain approval to offer distance education in SARA member states. SARA centralizes the authorization process for each SARA-participating institution in a single state that SARA calls the institution’s “home state.”
NC-SARA Data Reporting
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) is an approved institution under the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). As a requirement of participation, OSUIT submits annual distance education data to NC-SARA. This reporting supports compliance, oversight, and accountability for interstate distance education activity.
The annual report includes:
- Enrollments by State – The number of students enrolled in distance education courses who reside in other SARA member states, districts, or territories.
- Out-of-State Learning Placements (OOLP) – The number of students completing field experiences (e.g., internships, clinical rotations, practicums) that take place in another SARA member state.
Data submission is coordinated through the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research and other campus units. NC-SARA uses this information to monitor interstate activity, inform policy development, and provide national transparency about distance education participation.
Consumer Protections for Students
A college or university that has been approved to participate in SARA may offer distance education programs to students in other SARA member states. Importantly, these institutions have met several requirements that help ensure their quality and student consumer protections, including:
- The institution is a degree-granting institution, appropriately authorized (by Congress, a U.S. state, territory or district, or a federally recognized Indian tribe) to award associate degrees or higher.
- The institution is institutionally accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and whose scope of recognition, as specified by the U.S. Department of Education, includes distance education.
- The institution agrees that, in cases where the institution cannot fully deliver the instruction for which a student has contracted, it will provide a reasonable alternative for delivering the instruction or reasonable financial compensation for the education the student did not receive.
Student Resources
NC-SARA has developed a variety of resources specifically designed for students.
Click the links below to learn more:
- Student Consumer Protections: Learn about the policies that NC-SARA has established for member institutions and states to help strengthen protections for students and assure program quality.
- Student Complaints: If you are a student and you are interested in filing a complaint about your college or university, please view this information to learn more about the process.
- Professional Licensure Information: NC-SARA has a variety of resources regarding professional licensure, including a directory that provides contact information for five programs (counseling, nursing, psychology, social work, and teacher education) that lead to a professional license.
- Institution Directory: Find institutions and State Portal Entity contact information in this directory. Select a state from the drop-down list to view participating SARA institutions in that state.