Distance Education Eligibility Based on Student Location
All institutions that provide distance education outside of their home state must be approved in each state where their students are located. Institutions may obtain direct approval from each state or may meet approval requirements by participating in a reciprocity agreement.
University of Northern Colorado participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.
SARA is a voluntary, regional initiative that provides postsecondary institutions a streamlined approach for offering distance education to students outside the institution’s home state. UNC’s participation in SARA allows UNC to offer distance education to students in all SARA member states without obtaining individual approval from each state.
Authorization to Provide Distance Education
At this time, UNC can provide distance education to students from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. UNC cannot provide distance education in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
Program-Specific Limitations
Certain distance education activities that occur outside of Colorado may have additional state approval processes or requirements. This most commonly occurs for experiential learning placement activities such as practica, internships, student teaching, and healthcare clinicals. Please review the State Authorization (SARA) page for additional information on UNC’s ability to offer distance education across state lines and a list of activities and states where approval may be required.
Questions?
For any questions concerning UNC’s participation in SARA or eligibility of distance education activities offered by UNC across state lines, please contact Jake Henderson, State Authorization and Accreditation Compliance Specialist, at jake.henderson@unco.edu or 970-351-4678.
