State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)

SARA is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for the approval of interstate postsecondary distance education courses and programs.

On September 13, 2016, the New York State Board of Regents adopted new regulations requiring out-of-state institutions of higher education to seek and obtain New York State Education Department (NYSED) approval to offer distance education to New York State residents, and to permit the Department to enter into the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). New York State joined SARA on December 9, 2016.

New York State institutions participating in SARA are authorized to conduct distance education activity in other SARA member states under the terms and provisions of SARA. Please refer to the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) website for more information about SARA eligibility, coverage, and procedures. A list of states and institutions participating in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is available on the NC-SARA Directory webpage.

NC-SARA Student Complaint Process

Under NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) rules, students have the right to lodge a complaint or grievance if that student’s experience in an online program is not what they anticipate.
BMCC wants to ensure that all student complaints are addressed fairly and resolved promptly. All student complaints must be filed initially with the following BMCC representative:
Thomas Harbison
Acting Director of E-Learning
199 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
tharbison@bmcc.cuny.edu

If a resolution to that complaint is not found, then a further appeal can be addressed to:
Emily Sutherland
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518.474.1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov
Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education

1. Online learning is appropriate to the institution’s mission and purposes.
2. The institution’s plans for developing, sustaining, and, if appropriate, expanding online learning offerings are integrated into its regular planning and evaluation processes.
3. Online learning is incorporated into the institution’s systems of governance and academic oversight.
4. Curricula for the institution’s online learning offerings are coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor to programs offered in traditional instructional formats.
5. The institution evaluates the effectiveness of its online learning offerings, including the extent to which the online learning goals are achieved, and uses the results of its evaluations to enhance the attainment of the goals.
6. Faculty responsible for delivering the online learning curricula and evaluating the students’ success in achieving the online learning goals are appropriately qualified and effectively supported.
7. The Institution provides effective student and academic services to support students enrolled in online learning offerings.
8. The institution provides sufficient resources to support and, if appropriate, expand its online learning offerings.
9. The Institution assures the integrity of its online offerings.