Professional Licensure and State Authorization Process Guide

Policy Number: UW-1032 University

Responsible Office: Academic Planning and Institutional Research

DETERMINATION OF STUDENT LOCATION Rationale/Purpose of the Policy

This policy is needed in response to a federal requirement that for all academic programs, universities determine the location of the students enrolled in the program and the subsequent requirement to notify students if licensure requirements in the states where they reside are being met by the curriculum.

Policy

I. Overview A. The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement between member states to offer distance-education programs to students in other SARA member states. B. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education revised the federal regulations initially established in 2016 for institutions that offer distance education. C. Adherence to the federal regulations, effective July 1, 2020, is a condition of Title IV eligibility (i.e., the ability to offer federal student aid). D. One important change to the 2020 regulations is the requirement for institutions to determine and track where their students are located (i.e., where they lay their heads) as opposed to their state of residency. II. Tracking Student Location A. Requires institutions to determine in which states students are located. B. Is used in part for the purpose of issuing state-specific disclosures about educational preparation for certification/licensure in the state where the student is located. C. Institutions must determine each student’s location (i.e., state): 1. At the time of the student’s initial enrollment in an educational program. 2. Upon formal receipt from the student of information about a change in the student’s location. D. The rule allows each institution to establish its own procedure for determining the state of location, but institutions must: 1. Have documented process/procedures on how the location is determined. 2. Have a documented change-of-address process for all students. EXAMPLE POLICY

University of Wisconsin–Madison — University Policy