As of December 2015, the University of Missouri-Saint Louis is a participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education, aimed at making the effort to obtain state authorizations more efficient for institutions and to make it easier for students to enroll in online programs outside of the states in which they reside
For more information about the SARA initiative and progress of state and institutional membership, please visit the NC-SARA website.
All potential students who live outside Missouri are responsible for reviewing our state authorizations to see if this program is offered in your state. If you move while in a program, you are responsible for reviewing state authorizations and alerting the program of your change in residence. A change in residency while in a program may impact your continuation within the program.
State Authorization Information
In order to comply with U.S. Department of Education regulations, all programs at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification that is required for employment in an occupation, or is advertised as meeting such requirements, must provide information regarding whether completion of that program would be sufficient to meet the licensure requirements for employment in an occupation for which the program prepares students, in the state in which the student is located. (See University of Missouri System Licensure Programs Policy.) In addition, the U.S. Department of Education regulations state that Distance Education students may only enroll in Licensure Programs where it has been determined by the University that license requirements are met in the state where the student is located or where the student attests they will seek employment.
Alicia Hutchings - UMSL NC-SARA Coordinator, hutchingsa@umsl.edu or 573-499-6180
Brandie Elliott-Woodall - UMSystem State Authorization Coordinator, elliottba@umsystem.edu or 573-882-0904
UMSL’s process for student complaints are found in Student Complaints/Grievances, which can be viewed in further detail by clicking on the button below.
University of Missouri-St. Louis students enrolled in online and distance courses, as well as on-campus courses, should attempt to resolve complaints by following the procedures outlined on the Student Complaint/Grievance Procedures page on the UMSL website. If an issue cannot be resolved internally, you may file a complaint with the Missouri Department of Higher Education. If you wish to file a complaint about the University with its accreditor regarding issues of institutional quality, you may do so by following the instructions on the Higher Learning Commission website.
If you live outside of Missouri, you can file a complaint in the state where you reside by using state contact information, or file a complaint not pertaining to student conduct or student grades by using SARA institutions if your institution is in SARA. As new states, territories and protectorates join SARA, we will provide updates.
If you live in California, which is not currently in SARA*, you can file a complaint by using the state's contact information. (only for institutions regulated by BPPE, the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education).
If a student living in a state that is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional process for handling complaints, the complaint (except for complaints about grades or student conduct violations) may be appealed, within two years of the incident, to the Missouri SARA Portal Entity: the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development. Please review the NC-SARA Complaint Process.
*SARA is the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement; States and institutions may join SARA.
