State Authorization NC-SARA

Wichita State departments determine whether courses or programs meet the educational requirements for Professional Licensure in the State where the applicant or student is located. Wichita State will provide that information in writing to the applicant or student. If, after making all reasonable efforts, unsuccessfully, Wichita State may notify the applicant or student in writing that the Institution cannot confirm whether the course or program meets educational requirements for Professional Licensure in the student’s or applicant’s State, provide the student or applicant with current contact information for any applicable licensing boards, and advise the student to determine whether the program meets requirements for Licensure in the State where the student is located.

NC-SARA By State State-by-State Disclosure

State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a voluntary agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes one set of national standards and regulations for offering postsecondary distance education courses and programs. SARA is administered by four regional educational compacts and overseen by NC-SARA.

Wichita State University (WSU) is a SARA participating member institution and is authorized pursuant to SARA to enroll students in online courses, including continuing education (CE), and field experiences (up to ten students per site per program) in the SARA states and territories listed below. However, please note that certain programs leading to professional licensure may be subject to additional state professional licensing requirements, which are not covered by SARA. For more information about these requirements, please see the NC-SARA website.

For more information about SARA, please visit http://www.nc-sara.org

NC-SARA Member States, District & Territories
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Non-Participating SARA states are: California.

*WSU is able to enroll students in online courses from California with limitations. See the state-by-state summary here.

Professional Licensure

SARA has no effect on state professional licensing requirements. Students that reside outside the state of Kansas who are considering a professional program should contact the appropriate board in their state of residency prior to beginning a course of study.

WSU cannot confirm whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in the student’s state of residence.

Professional Licensure Boards - by State

Residency

Course and program availability varies by state. Admission into a program is granted at the time of initial acceptance into the program and is dependent on program availability in the state where the student is physically located at the time of admission.

If a student moves to a different state after admission to the program, continuation within the program will depend on the availability of the program within the new state where the student is physically present. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the institution of a change in physical presence.

Whether military personnel stationed outside the state of Kansas may enroll or continue in a WSU distance education program or not is based on where military personnel are stationed.

Complaint Resolution

Wichita State University is committed to student learning and development and a campus culture of respect and responsibility. We greatly value your student experience and urge all students (on-campus and online) to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct. Please refer to this website for student expectations and student rights. https://www.wichita.edu/studentconduct

For out-of-state students who reside in SARA States, the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) has jurisdiction over Kansas SARA-approved institutions including Wichita State University in relation to non-instructional complaints.

For information on how to determine the appropriate complaint or grievance procedure for initiating a complaint against Wichita State University, please see the Distance Education/Complaint Information Page.

If grievances are not satisfactorily resolved after an internal attempt by the University, students who do not reside in a SARA state may file a complaint with an agency in the student’s state of residence.

International Students

USCIS regulations allow students residing in the United States with an F-1 visa status to count one distance learning class towards their class requirement minimum. Distance learning courses are courses that do “...not require the student’s physical attendance for classes, examinations or other purposes integral to completion of the class...” Because of these regulations, students residing in the U.S. with an F-1 visa are not eligible for online programs. If you have questions regarding this definition, please contact the Office of International Education 316-978-3232 or international@wichita.edu


Online Nursing Program Applicants

WSU is not authorized to admit residents of the following states:

RN to BSN: MA, RI, TN, WA

MSN to DNP: LA, MA, OR, RI, TN, WA


Online TAP Program Applicants

Statement on 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v). Wichita State University’s teacher education programs are accredited at the national, regional, and state level. Upon completion of all courses and program assessments, graduates of these programs will be eligible to apply for the Kansas initial teaching license for their program of study after they successfully complete the Kansas teacher licensure exams required by the State of Kansas for application for a teacher license or endorsement.  Wichita State has made no determination if this program will lead to licensure in any state other than Kansas in which a graduate may seek licensure. Because every state has different requirements that may change frequently, we recommend checking with the state education department for the state in question to determine current requirements. The nonprofit organization Education Commission of the States has compiled Teacher License Reciprocity State Profiles that provide additional information about the teacher license reciprocity agreements for each state in a searchable format. Kansas Teacher Reciprocity Agreements provides a list of member states of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement who have signed reciprocity agreements with Kansas.


Master of Health Administration

CO NC-SARA State Disclosure

While WSU participates in the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), WSU has limited authorization to offer internship, field experience, clinical placement, or practica in the state of Colorado due to the Colorado Workers’ Compensation Act (the “Act.”) The Act requires students to be covered by workers’ compensation insurance when completing an unpaid internship, field experience, clinical placement, or practica within the state of Colorado. The Act requires the institution sponsoring the student (WSU) to either: (1) insure the student through the institution’s workers’ compensation policy; or (2) work with the host site to negotiate a reasonable level of compensation to the host site for the host site’s expense of providing workers’ compensation insurance for the student. WSU is not permitted, under Kansas law, to add students to WSU’s institutional workers’ compensation policy. And while some Colorado host sites are willing to work with WSU and/or individual students to ensure coverage through the Colorado host site or through a private carrier, this is not guaranteed. The Act does not allow students to purchase their own insurance for workers’ compensation.

Students enrolled in either online or on-campus programs cannot be placed in on-ground internships, field experiences, clinical placements, or practica in the State of Colorado without the appropriate workers’ compensation in place. For questions please contact Dr. Amber Anderson or Dr. Brett Bruner.