Distance Education At SAU Tech
Southern Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) is committed to delivering online education to students across the United States. To comply with federal and state laws, all colleges and universities must obtain authorization to offer distance or online education to students residing outside their home state.
This page outlines SAU Tech’s compliance with State Authorization regulations and what that means for prospective and current online students.
Distance Education: State Authorization
Southern Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) is a degree-granting institution that is accredited by Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The State Authorized Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) provides the nation with a statewide process to expand the opportunities for educational achievement of people by aligning standards and practices across states and creating processes to effectively address quality in online and distance education programs while reducing costs to states, institutions, and consumers.
SAU Tech became a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) on September 8, 2015. Membership in SARA allows SAU Tech to offer distance education courses in other SARA states without having to obtain approval from each state.
The following states are authorized members of SARA:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The following U.S. Territories are authorized members of SARA: Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Why It Matters for Students
Before enrolling in an online course or program at SAU Tech, students living outside Arkansas should confirm that SAU Tech is authorized or exempt from authorization in their home state.
This impacts:
- Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid
- Transfer of academic credits
- Credential recognition (licensure or certification programs)
- Student complaint resolution options
Important Information
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements
As of September 8, 2015, SAU Tech is a participating member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).
SARA is a voluntary, nationwide initiative that simplifies the process of offering interstate distance education by establishing consistent national standards. Participation in SARA allows SAU Tech to offer distance education to students in all member states without seeking individual state authorizations.
Federal Regulations
Under federal law:
“If an institution is offering post-secondary education through distance or correspondence education to students in a state in which it is not physically located, the institution must meet any state requirements for it to be legally offering distance education in that state.”
Institutions must provide documentation to the U.S. Department of Education if requested.
Disclosures
No State or accrediting agency has initiated adverse actions against SAU Tech.
Professional Licensure
Important information for prospective and currently enrolled students: SARA does not include provisions for state professional licensing requirements. It is highly recommended that you contact your state licensing board before starting an academic program. Academic programs and graduating students must meet standards established by the state's licensing requirements to be eligible for licensure.
Accreditation and State Authorization
SAU Tech is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to award certificates and associate degrees. Contact the Higher Learning Commission at 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, Illinois 60604-1411, or call 800-621-7440 for questions about the accreditation of SAU Tech. The Commission is to be contacted only if evidence appears to support an institution's significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.
State Contact Information
To ensure compliance with the U.S. Department of Education's Integrity Rules, SAU Tech must provide out-of-state distance learning students and out-of-state prospective students with the contact information and complaint filing process for each state's licensing board and any other agency that would be responsible for the complaint.
Out-of-state online studnets should contact only SAU Tech and Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE). All complaints by out-of-state online students will be resolved by SAU Tech and/or ADHE, not by the student's home state. If a complaint is not resolved by SAU Tech, a student can appeal to ADHE using this form https://adhe.edu/students-parents/student-grievance-form. Students classified as "in-state" may not use SARA to complain about distance education courses offered inside the state; only those offered outside the state.
External Complaint Resolution Procedure
All U.S. States require postsecondary educational institutions to be legally authorized to provide postsecondary instruction within their states. Many of these state laws and regulations also apply to online, distance, and correspondence educational instruction offered in that state. As such, SAU Tech and its online/distance education programs must be authorized in certain states prior to offering those courses or programs to students residing in those states. The purpose of this policy is to create an institutional process to comply with any state authorization requirements applicable to SAU Tech online/distnace education programs.
Have Questions About Distance Education?
For more information about SAU Tech’s compliance with state authorization or SARA membership, contact:
Office of Academic Affairs
vwilson@sautech.edu
870-574-4514
