NC-SARA was created when higher education stakeholders and nonprofit partners, including Lumina Foundation and the Council of State Governments, developed the initial concept for state authorization reciprocity agreements between 2009 and 2011 to make it simpler for states to acknowledge other states’ work and decisions with regard to institutional authorization. Following this initial work, the four regional higher education compacts (Midwestern Higher Education Compact, New England Board of Higher Education, Southern Regional Education Board, and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) were engaged to assist in organizing the effort for states to join as members.
In December of 2013, the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements was established to help support national implementation of the reciprocity agreements. States began joining SARA in 2014, and the SARA Policy Manual became the official policy document in 2019.
NC-SARA) now is a private nonprofit organization [501(c)(3)] that focuses on expanding students’ access to educational opportunities and ensuring more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs. More than 2,200 institutions in 49 member states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands voluntarily participate in SARA. Only California is not a member.
NC-SARA efforts are designed to:
NC-SARA. (n.d.). Homepage. https://nc-sara.org/
NC-SARA. (n.d.). Our Work. https://nc-sara.org/our-work/
WCET. (2025, January 14). NC-SARA, SARA, and SAN: The Power of Collaboration. https://wcet.wiche.edu/frontiers/2025/01/14/nc-sara-sara-and-san/