Institutions are eligible to apply for participation in SARA if they:
- Are located in a SARA member state;
- Are 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;
- Are 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;
- As a non-public institution, meet the institutional financial responsibility requirements for SARA participation.
Detailed information about institutional eligibility is found in the SARA Manual, Section 3.1.