National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)
The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is an organization of member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of post-secondary distance education courses and programs. NC-SARA’s mission is to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by post-secondary institutions based in another state and to ensure more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs.
In partnership with four regional compacts, NC-SARA helps states, institutions, policymakers, and students understand the purpose and benefits of participating in SARA. Today, more than 2,400 institutions in 49 member states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all voluntarily participate in SARA.
Columbia University is an approved member of NC-SARA, through the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), the SARA regional education compact for New York.
Complaints Regarding Distance Education
Complaints against an institution operating under SARA policies must first go through the institution’s own procedures for resolution of grievances. Students should first address complaints to the school within Columbia where they are registered. Policies and procedures for each school are provided below:
- Columbia Video Network (CVN) within the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science Distance Learning Complaints
- Mailman School of Public Health Distance Learning Complaints
- School of Nursing Distance Education Complaints
- School of Professional Studies Distance Education Complaints
- School of Social Work Distance Education Complaints
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Occupational Therapy Distance Learning Complaints
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: Psychoanalysis Distance Learning Complaints
Complaints regarding student grades or student conduct violations are governed entirely by institutional policy and the laws of New York state. If a person bringing a complaint is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional process for handling complaints, the complaint (except for complaints about grades or student conduct violations) may be appealed, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the SARA Portal Entity in the home state of the institution against which the complaint has been lodged.
Andrea Richards
Supervisor, Higher Education Programs
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518-474-1551
[email protected]
Additional information about complaint procedures can be found here:
- NC-SARA complaint procedures: https://www.nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0
- NYSED’s complaint procedures: https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-student-complaint-process