State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement - SARA Distance Education

State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement [SARA] 


Introduction

The City College of New York is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) (www.msche.org). The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. All City College programs are approved by the New York State Education Department. The Board of Regents in New York State (NYS) grants professional licensure/certificates to qualified candidates. City College is also an institutional member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-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 he or she anticipates. SARA consumer protection provisions require the institution’s home state, through its SARA State Portal Entity, to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity by the state’s SARA-participating institutions, including the provision of false or misleading information.

Students have two years to submit a SARA-related complaint. SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades, student conduct violations, or student academic integrity violations.  Students in online programs encountering a problem or grievance about the course should always attempt to resolve the problem with the faculty member and/or the Department Chair. Information about the City College process for academic appeals as well as for non-academic complaints may be found here.

If the situation remains unresolved after completing the complaint process established by the College, then a further appeal may be addressed to:

CUNY Office of General Counsel
City University of New York 
Office of the General Counsel
205 East 42nd Street, 11th floor
New York, NY  10017
E: ocg@cuny.edu
646.474.1551

If the complaint was not resolved at the CUNY level, students may file a complaint with the New York State Education Department:

Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
(518) 474-1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov

The following resources provide further guidance on complaint procedures and contacts:

You may also view a listing of complaint reports collected as part of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement.

SARA Requirements: Professional Licensure Disclosure

While SARA does not address professional licensing board approval for programs leading to state licensing, SARA does require that participating institutions provide proper notification to students as to whether courses and programs will meet the professional licensure requirements in states where students are located. This is in alignment with federal regulations.

Professional Licensure 

New York State takes pride in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. CUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements. This is a role CUNY plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, this disclosure will help you check to see what that state requires. NC-SARA membership does not grant reciprocity or exempt City College from state professional licensing/certification requirements.

Per U.S. Federal Regulations (34 CFR §668.14 and 34 CFR §668.43) and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) Policy Manual, City College provides the following disclosures related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification. 

Fully Online Programs offered at City College 

City College offers a fully online degree option for the following programs. Programs leading to licensure or certification are indicated where applicable. 

Fully Online Programs at City College
Program Name Degree License Type Program Meets Educational Components of Licensure or Certification Requirements Determination Has Not Been Made Additional Information Tution and Fees
Educational Theatre MSED Initial Certification New York State All states other than New York Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Educational Theatre MSED N/A - non-Teacher Certification N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees

Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences

 BA N/A N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Popular Music Studies BA N/A N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Psychology BA N/A N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Psychology BS N/A N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Sustainability in the Urban Environment MS N/A N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Teaching Students with Disabilities, Grades 7-12 Generalist Adv. Cert. Initial Certification New York State All states other than New York Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Teaching Students with Disablities, Grades 1-6 Adv. Cert. Initial Certification New York State All states other than New York Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees
Urban Sustainability Adv. Cert. N/A N/A N/A Fully online option available Current Tuition and Fees


Teacher Preparation Programs

This disclosure is strictly limited to the City College determination of whether its online graduate teacher preparation programs, if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure or certification requirements in a state other than New York. City College cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards, and are fact-specific determinations.

This disclosure does not provide any guarantee that any particular state licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application. Furthermore, this disclosure does not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure and occur after this disclosure has been made.

Enrolled students and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact their State’s licensure entity using the links provided to review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by their state(s) of choice.

City College has designed curricula in online graduate teacher preparation programs that if successfully completed is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for an initial teaching certification license in New York State.

After making all reasonable efforts, City College cannot determine whether the curricula for its online graduate teacher preparation programs, if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for programs in states and territories other than New York. You may review additional information about licensure and certification requirements in the following states and regions:

Last Updated: 03/21/2025 10:42