All SARA institutions must be accredited. Recognizing that accreditation provides an important layer of accountability and quality assurance, only degree-granting institutions accredited by U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agencies are permitted to apply to participate in SARA. It is important to note that not all states require accreditation for degree-granting institutions to operate; those institutions that are not accredited would not be eligible to participate in SARA.
SARA institutions must have U.S. oversight. SARA institutions must be chartered or licensed by, and physically located in, a U.S state or territory. This ensures that genuine evaluation and oversight by a U.S. entity can take place.
SARA institutions must demonstrate healthy finances. Private institutions must prove their financial stability by maintaining a U.S. Department of Education financial responsibility score of 1.5 or higher. (Institutions may be provisionally approved with a score between 1.0 and 1.5).
SARA institutions are accountable for third-party providers. Institutions occasionally partner with third-party providers to help support the creation of distance learning programs. All SARA-participating institutions who utilize third-party providers must take full responsibility for the quality of their work.
SARA institutions must adhere to high standards. To participate in SARA, colleges and universities must abide by the policies in the SARA Policy Manual as well as the Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education established by the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions.
SARA institutions must uphold stringent reporting and accountability requirements. SARA institutions must notify their state if there is ever a negative change to its accreditation so states and NC-SARA can increase scrutiny and monitoring. Additionally, SARA member states are expected, per NC-SARA policy, to investigate a variety of consumer protection issues, including:
- Truthfulness of recruitment and marketing materials;
- Accuracy of job placement data;
- Accuracy of information about tuition, fees and financial aid;
- Complete and accurate admission requirements for courses and programs;
- Accuracy of information about the institution’s accreditation and/or any programmatic or specialized accreditation held by the institution’s programs; and
- Accuracy of information about whether coursework meets any relevant Professional Licensing requirements or the requirements of specialized accrediting agencies.
SARA institutions are required to have transparency around professional licensure. All SARA-participating institutions are required to notify students whether their programs meet educational standards for professional licensure in students’ states.
SARA institutions must find ways to meet obligations to students. If a SARA institution decides to close a distance learning program, the institution must either provide a reasonable alternative or offer financial compensation.
Student complaints are taken seriously. Students are expected to first try to resolve complaints using the processes in place at their institutions. If they cannot be satisfactorily resolved, SARA allows students to file complaints where the educational content originates. Unlike other higher education membership organizations, NC-SARA publishes a list of complaints filed against its participating institutions on its website in an effort to encourage enhanced transparency and accountability.
Compliance is non-negotiable. When participating in SARA, institutions agree to abide by conditions of approval and provisional approval, if necessary, including any necessary limits on its distance learning enrollments, which means if they slip in adherence to policies, they are on notice and may eventually have to leave SARA participation.