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In December 2015, the Council on Postsecondary Education/ Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner became the portal agency for Rhode Island-SARA, based on the authority given under RIGL §16-59-6 (14, 15). The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, D.C., and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offerings of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. Joining in this agreement makes it easier for RI students to take high-quality online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in other states and also streamlines administration for RI institutions that want to offer distance learning opportunities out of state.
SARA is overseen by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and administered by four regional education compacts, with the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) being the regional entity for Rhode Island.
The following institutions have been approved to participate in RI-SARA:
All Rhode Island institutions of higher education are invited to apply to join RI-SARA. Each institutional application will have substantive agreement provisions (e.g., academic, financial, and procedural) depending on the following provisions and commitments:
If your institution is interested in applying to join RI-SARA, please complete the form below so that we can follow up with you.
If you have questions about eligibility, you can contact Deanna Velletri, Specialist, Proprietary Schools and Special Academic Projects (deanna.velletri@riopc.edu, 401-736-1118).
RI-SARA institutions pay an application fee to RI-SARA and a national fee to NC-SARA. Once an institution is approved, these fees provide reciprocity for the RI institution to operate in every NC-SARA state, rather than having to seek authorization from each individual NC-SARA state. Approved institutions must pay an annual renewal fee to remain authorized as an RI-SARA approved institution. The schedule of fees for NC-SARA can be found on the NC-SARA website.
RI-SARA state fees are due at the time of application, and the fee schedule for institutions is as follows:
Rhode Island In-state Institutions: Initial Application Fees
Rhode Island In-state Institutions: Annual Renewal Fees
The Council on Postsecondary Education has established an authorization process for non-profit institutions who are interested in offering distance learning opportunities to RI residents but whose home state is not part of NC-SARA (non-SARA), which currently includes institutions in California.
The following institutions have been approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education to operate distance learning activities in Rhode Island as non-SARA institutions:
In order to protect consumers, the Council requires non-SARA institutions to make substantive academic, financial, and procedural commitments before they can be authorized:
Out-of-state, Non-Profit, Non-SARA Institutions: Initial Application Fees
Out-of-state, Non-Profit, Non-SARA Institutions: Annual Authorization Fees
If your institution is interested in applying to operate as a non-SARA institution, please complete the form below so that we can follow up with you.
If you have questions about eligibility, you can contact Deanna Velletri, Specialist, Proprietary Schools and Special Academic Projects (deanna.velletri@riopc.edu, 401-736-1118).
In order to become a SARA portal agency, the Council on Postsecondary Education updated its policies regarding distance learning and student complaints. You can check out the relevant policies here: