The regulatory hoops colleges and universities must jump through when offering distance and online education in states other than where they’re based can be numerous. Complying with state authorization rules could cost $143,000 per institution, according to a WICHE survey of 230 institutions.
Looming federal efforts to tie state authorization to federal financial aid has further concerned some institutions, like New York’s Excelsior College, which offer online courses in several states.
With SARA, institutions approved by their home states will be able to operate in any other SARA states without being re-authorized. For example, if Nebraska and North Dakota were to join NC-SARA, Indiana University, once approved by the state, could freely operate in Nebraska or North Dakota without any additional effort toward authorization.
“SARA seeks to be part of the solution to issues in distance education and will save states and institutions time and money,” said Marshall Hill, executive director of NC-SARA.
As part of the initiative, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education has created an Indiana Board for Proprietary Education that oversees in-state and out-of-state proprietary, or for-profit, institutions, a prominent force in online and distance learning.
In addition, the commission was granted oversight for out-of-state public and not-for-profit institutions providing courses in Indiana.
“This is really exciting for the Compact and for Indiana as we move this initiative forward for states, institutions, and students that will ultimately benefit from these reciprocity agreements,” Larry Isaak, MHEC president, said.
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