NC-SARA and Online Nurse Practitioner Programs: What to Know

Standardizing education to ensure a minimum level of quality has been a challenge as the number of institutions offering higher education increases. Over the past decade, institutions have been in the news for scamming students with programs that provide little value and saddle them with costly loans. Thankfully, several public and nonprofit organizations are established to help regulate higher education. 

The Department of Education regulates higher education institutions for numerous reasons. First, it provides some level of assurance to students that their program is legitimate. It also ensures that the program adheres to a standard of education to be eligible for federal student loan dollars.  

Below the Department of Education is each state’s board of higher education. These boards regulate private and public universities and colleges that do business within their state. Requirements for institutions vary from state to state based on the legislation and laws of that state. 

There are numerous accrediting organizations at the regional and national level that also endeavor to standardize education. Accrediting bodies are overseen by the Department of Education and the Commission for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). 

However, none of these addressed standardizing distance-based education provided across state lines, which is why the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) was created. “Schools that are accredited, and have state approval from a SARA state create the opportunity for their nursing programs to be available where a student resides, as long as it is also a SARA state,”  says Jeannie Pauline Yockey-Fine, general counsel and vice president for policy, regulatory affairs, and administration at NC-SARA.

Keep reading to learn about the history of NC-SARA, why it is essential, and the special considerations nurse practitioners should take in choosing a graduate program.

NC-SARA History

With the rise of online education, students began attending school in states where they do not live. Institutions in other states were providing education in states in which they were not permitted to operate. To provide distance education, an institution would have to reach out to a students state’s education board and obtain permission to provide education in that state. They would have to ensure they met the state requirements and submit annual reports. It was a costly and time consuming process.  

To tackle this problem, regional organizations worked to standardize online education standards within their member states. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Midwestern Higher Education Compact, New England Board of Higher Education, and Southern Regional Education Board all endeavored to find a solution. In 2013, thanks to a grant from the Lumina Foundation, NC-SARA was founded. Currently, 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are SARA members. “NC-SARA is really about ensuring student access because state authorization outside of SARA is so complicated; almost every state does it differently,” says Yockey-Fine. 

These standardized reciprocity agreements benefit students and institutions alike. Students have access to a wider variety of educational programs and institutions can offer their programs all over the country. Currently, California is the only state not participating in SARA. Critics in the state cite concerns that SARA does not have enough consumer protections in place for it to be a program the state should adopt. 

Once states have joined SARA, institutions apply to their relevant regional education compact. To be eligible, institutions must hold accreditation by an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education and whose accreditation includes distance education.

While the hard work of onboarding states has been completed for the most part, the dedicated staff at NC-SARA are constantly working on improvements. “There are over 2,400 institutions in SARA, so there is lots of work. We have a new policy modification process that started in January of this year, where people can put in ideas for policy change. It is then vetted through all four regional compacts and ultimately, once all four have voted on them, the NC-SARA board votes on them,” shares Yockey-Fine. “After this last board meeting, we will now have five new policies, some of which are very consumer protection oriented, such as language that makes it very clear if you are a SARA institution, you can’t use binding arbitration agreements.”

Considerations for Online NP Students

Students pursuing degrees with state governing boards, such as education, nursing, and psychology, must ensure that the program they are pursuing meets their state’s board licensing requirements. These requirements can vary from other educational standards, including SARA status. 

“Programs for careers that require a license step outside of SARA jurisdiction. If you are looking at a SARA institution, you don’t have to worry about studying in Tennessee and if the program happens to be in Georgia. But that’s where SARA ends,” explains Yockey-Fine. “Whether or not a program meets requirements for state licensure is up to the Board of Nursing in that state.”

Simply put, a state’s SARA status does not mean the program will meet a student’s state of residence board of nursing requirements. 

Aspiring nurse practitioners who wish to enroll in an online degree program will need to check with the program to ensure it meets their state’s requirements. This is often referred to as “state authorization.” Many institutions have gone through the lengthy and expensive process of registering with other state’s nursing boards so that distance education students may complete their program as a step towards licensure. 

When applying for an online nurse practitioner program in another state, students should ensure that the program they are considering meets local state nursing board requirements. Most schools detail their state authorization on their website. See below for examples.