SARA is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education.
In 2010 the U.S. Department of Education released rule 34 C.F.R. § 600.9 requiring institutions offering distance education across state lines to seek authorization to offer programs in states where students reside. Northwest Nazarene University joined NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) in 2015, permitting NNU to offer distance education in other SARA states in accordance with State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements Policies and Standards. A list of states participating in NC-SARA may be found at http://nc-sara.org/. To further comply with 34 C.F.R. § 600.9, Northwest Nazarene established a State Authorization Commission to advise administrators on state authorization requirements, coordinate efforts to seek authorization in non-SARA states, and develop information found here: www.nnu.edu/about-nnu/accreditation-regulations/regulations/state-regulatory-authority.
SARA membership does not ensure NNU is authorized to offer distance education programs leading to professional licensure in a particular state. Northwest Nazarene University continues to work on authorization of such programs in each state. If you are interested in, or enrolled in a distance education program leading to professional licensure (currently Nursing or Education), please contact the academic department for information regarding NNU state authorization. You may also contact the licensing agency in the state in which you intend to receive licensure to determine if Northwest Nazarene University’s programs fulfill that state’s requirements.