State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement
At UMES, we are committed to continually improving our online courses. UMES participates in “The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement.” Some of the benefits for students of our institutional participation in SARA include greater access
to online programs, better quality of distance education, and reduced institutional costs (which keeps everyone’s costs lower),
Currently, 47 states and the District of Columbia participate in SARA (Florida, Massachusetts, and California do not participate). “The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is a voluntary agreement among its member states and U.S. territories
that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based
in another state” (NC-SARA.org). For more information, you can visit NC-SARA.org.