Reciprocity Agreements

Southern Crescent Technical College is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is a voluntary agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state.

About NC-SARA

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) establishes a state-level reciprocity process that will support the nation in its efforts to increase the educational attainment of its people by making state authorization:

• more efficient, effective, and uniform in regard to necessary and reasonable standards of practice that could span states;
• more effective in dealing with quality and integrity issues that have arisen in some online/ distance education offerings; and
• less costly for states and institutions and, thereby, the students they serve.

Key Points

• SARA is voluntary for states and institutions.
• SARA is administered by the four regional education compacts (Midwestern Higher Education Compact, New England Board of Higher Education, Southern Regional Education Board, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education), they are now accepting applications from states in their regions. Once states are approved, they can begin to enroll eligible institutions.
• Membership is open to degree-granting postsecondary institutions from all sectors (public colleges and universities; independent institutions, both non-profit and for-profit) accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.