Frequently Asked Questions

State authorization is the process by which states regulate educational activities of out-of-state institutions to ensure they meet state-specific standards for delivering education, especially online programs.

State authorization ensures that the education you receive meets the quality and consumer protection standards set by your state. It also affects your eligibility to enroll in online programs and, in some cases, your eligibility for professional licensure

SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) are agreements among member states that establish comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education. NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) is a nonprofit, third-party organization that helps coordinate these agreements. The academic and financial standards in SARA are designed to protect and benefit students. As a participating institution, SUU can offer our online programs to students in other NC-SARA member states without seeking separate authorization from each state.

SARA does not cover professional licensure board approvals, international compliance, tax implications for employees, workers compensation insurance, or Secretary of State, Treasury, or Revenue registration. States maintain their ability to enforce their own general-purpose state laws and regulations in SARA member states outside of the state authorization of distance education.

As of July 2023, there are 52 members in NC-SARA: 49 states (all except California), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

You can check our interactive Licensure Map. If your state is listed as "meets licensure requirements," you may be eligible to enroll in that specific online program for that state. (Please ensure you are reading the "More Info" section, as any specific restrictions will be listed there. There may be some states in a "meets licensure requirements" category but we still cannot admit students from that state.) If your state is listed as "does not meet," please contact our State Authorization Compliance Officer for further guidance.

If your state is not authorized, you may not be able to enroll that online program. However, please contact our State Authorization Compliance Officer to discuss alternative options, such as a signed attestation, or future authorization plans.

Some of our online programs may have specific residency requirements, such as in-person clinical placements or internships. Please review the individual program details or contact the program coordinator for more information.

If you have a complaint related to distance education or state authorization, please following the instructions on our Complaints page.

If you move to a different state during your program, please notify our State Authorization Office immediately. We will review the authorization status in your new state and advise you on any necessary steps to ensure you can continue your education without interruption.

State authorization primarily impacts online and distance education programs. However, certain on-campus programs that require out-of-state clinical placements, internships, or field experiences may also be subject to state authorization requirements.

Our programs' state authorization status is reviewed and updated annually to reflect any changes in state regulations or university compliance. We strive to keep our information current and will update our website as soon as possible.

For programs leading to professional licensure, you can find links to state-specific licensure boards in our Licensure Map. Please select your state and program to view the relevant information and contact details.

See Policy 6.4 Student Location.

No, these requirements apply to programs at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education.

Unfortunately, no. Program accreditation has little to do with licensure or certification requirements, other than states may require that students graduate from an accredited program in order to qualify for the license. Accreditors and other professional organizations can be a good place to start when gather state licensing board information, however.

Yes. A program might not be required to be licensed in Utah, or even for specific employers*, but could be licensed/regulated in other states and so needs to be evaluated. (*A state government may require that an employee be licensed in their occupation, but a private employer may not, but this does not change what we have to determine.)

If the programs meet the educational requirements of the licensure or certification, then they will need to be evaluated. Exams that are administered by third parties are not considered to be "educational requirements."

If the program prepares students to sit for a licensure exam rather than qualifying to receive a license upon program completion, determinations are still necessary. We must still check state by state. A program preparing a student to sit for an exam upon graduation is usually treated the same as a program leading directly to licensure.

Generally speaking, yes, you do. Individual states may still have additional requirements that students must meet in order to license in that particular state. If those additional requirements are curricular, then the program will NOT MEET that state's requirements.

That's fantastic! However, it doesn't mean that the program academically qualifies the student for that licensure or certification in all 59 locations. The program still needs to be evaluated to see if it meets the "educational requirements" of each state's licensing board.

Starting July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education will now allow licensure determinations to take into account any licensure compacts, state reciprocity, or other forms of endorsement.