UT SARA Information

The following documents are required for Utah institutions to complete a SARA institution renewal application.

1. Evidence Utah is institution’s home state (non-public institutions only)

a. Copy of Certificate of Existence from Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Codes  which demonstrates institution is authorized to operate in Utah (corporations.utah.gov)

b. If incorporated in another state, a copy of the articles of incorporation

NOTE: Public institutions – reference Utah Code 53B Chapter 1 State System of Higher Education which establishes the public system of higher education governed by the Utah Board of Higher Education.  Section 102 lists Utah’s public institutions. See Utah Code  53B-1-101.5.

Utah Code 53B-2-101 establishes the public institutions’ rights as political and corporate entities.

2. Evidence Institution is accredited

a. Current letter from institution’s primary accreditor. Primary accreditor must be recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education; see more information here.

b. Letter must show status (if status other than “good standing,” provide most recent correspondence with accreditor regarding status

c. Letter or other correspondence must show date current accreditation period ends

3. Disclosure of Corporate Parent/Owner (if applicable)

a. Institution’s corporate parent/owner

b. Contact information of individuals and/or entities with ownership interest – controlling or otherwise

c. Names, OPEID, and primary accreditor of other postsecondary institutions owned by corporate parent/owner

d. USDOE composite score of institution’s corporate parent/owner

4. Disclosure of investigations, audits, lawsuits (if applicable)

Citation and brief description of any current investigations, audits, or lawsuits – in Utah or in any US state or territory –  against the applicant institution or any institution owned by a corporate parent/owner involving fraudulent consumer practices, serious misconduct involving a student or students, accreditation, financial solvency, or other matters that may impact the institution’s ability to provide educational services

5. Institution’s Student Complaint Policy

URL for the institution’s complaint policy for students enrolled in distance (online) education courses or programs

6. Institution’s Student Complaint Procedure

URL for student complaint procedure (online form) applicable to students enrolled in distance (online) education courses or programs. Page should include an explanation of which students are eligible to file a SARA Complaint and provides a link to the UT SARA Complaint form.

7. Disaster Recovery Plan

a. Copy of the institution’s disaster recovery policy or process for preserving student records, including transcripts, in the event of natural disaster or institutional closure

b. Copy of institution’s accrediting body’s standards for preserving records for institutional closure

8. Evidence of Financial Stability (non-public institutions only)

a. Screen capture of institution’s most recently published USDOE Federal Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FFRCS); or

b. Formal letter from USDOE FSA with more recent calculated composite score; and

c. Disclosure and brief explanation of any HCM status

9. Financial Stability Documentation (non-public Institutions only with FFRCS Scores Between 1.0-1.49)

a. Brief explanation on why the institution’s score is below 1.5 and the requirements imposed on the institution by USDOE for continued participation in Title IV

b. Statement from the most recent fiscal year audited financial statement confirming that the institution is financially stable and has adequate revenue to meet its financial obligations, including payment of unearned tuition

c. Institution’s financial responsibility score for the five most recently available years. If an official financial responsibility score has not been received from the U.S. Department of Education but is ascertainable from the institution’s financial records, the institution should calculate the score independently

d. Corrective action plan and timeline

NOTE:  Institutions with FFCRS of 1.0 to 1.49 will be required to provide a bond. See R431 section 5 for surety bond schedule.

10. Student Consumer Information Notices

a. Copy of the institution’s tuition refund policy for students enrolled in distance (online) education courses or programs

b. Copy of tuition policy notice sent to students or one URL where students can find policy

c. URL or copy of notice to students that presents accurate, complete, current information about:

i. Admissions requirements

ii. Cost of attendance

iii. Financial aid

iv. Certificate and degree programs offered

v. Refund policy

vi. Student Complaint policy

11. C-RAC Guidelines

Attest institution will abide by Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education and by provisions in the SARA Manual

12. Data Sharing

Attest institution will abide by the NC-SARA Data Sharing Agreement, and to provide, annually, student enrollment data by state and meet NC-SARA deadlines.

13. Academic Offerings

List of the courses and/or programs the institution intends to offer pursuant to participation in UT SARA via distance (online) education to students located in states outside Utah

14. Courses or Programs Leading to Professional Licensure or certification (if applicable)

a. List of academic course or programs that lead to professional licensure or certification

b. URL for General Disclosures for prospective and enrolled students – webpage that lists programs,  the determination for all states and US territories whether the program meets the educational requirements for licensure (see Programs leading to Professional Licensure section in the NC-SARA Policy Manual for details)

c. Copy of language for one Direct Disclosure to prospective students and brief explanation of how notification is conveyed – email or other electronic communication

d. Copy of current language of one Direct Disclosure (see Prospective Student Notification Checklist below) to enrolled students and brief explanation of how notification is conveyed.

e. Brief narrative, including timelines, of institutions process to confirm programs meet license or certification requirements in other states, and process to monitor student location and location changes, and subsequent notifications

15. Name, title, and contact information for the following personnel:

a. Institutional Signatory Officer for UT SARA, either the CEO or CAO

b. Principal SARA Contact

c. Secondary SARA Contact

d. Institution Billing Contact

e. Institution Ombusman/Student complaints contact

July 2021

This checklist applies to all programs, per CFR668-43, “designed to meet educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification that is required for employment in an occupation, or is advertised as meeting such requirements.”

Timing – Prospective students receive notification prior to making a financial commitment to the program.

Notification Format – Disclosures are made directly to the student in writing through email or other electronic communication.

Notification Details – Notification includes the specific program the student has identified, the student’s location, and the institution’s determination for that location (meets academic portion of licensure requirements, does not meet, undetermined). 

Policy/Process – The institution can demonstration, upon request, that all prospective students declaring their intent to pursue a program leading to licensure or certification receive a notice. NOTE: The institution does not need to demonstrate student acknowledgement.

APPLICABLE POLICY
excerpt from CFR668-43

(a)(5)(v) If an educational program is designed to meet educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification that is required for employment in an occupation, or is advertised as meeting such requirements, information regarding whether completion of that program would be sufficient to meet licensure requirements in a State for that occupation, including – 

(A) A list of all States for which the institution has determined that its curriculum meets the State educational requirements for licensure or certification;

(B) A list of all States for which the institution has determined that its curriculum does not meet the State educational requirements for licensure or certification; and

(C) A list of all States for which the institution has not made a determination that its curriculum meets the State educational requirements for licensure or certification;

(c)(1) If the institution has made a determination … that the program’s curriculum does not meet the State educational requirements for licensure or certification in the State in which a prospective student is located, or if the institution has not made a determination regarding whether the program’s curriculum meets the State educational requirements for licensure or certification, the institution must provide notice to that effect to the student prior to the student’s enrollment in the program.

(2) If the institution makes a determination … that a program’s curriculum does not meet the State educational requirements for licensure or certification in a State in which a student who is currently enrolled in such program is located, the institution must provide notice to that effect to the student within 14 calendar days of making such determination.

(3)(i) Disclosures under paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section must be made directly to the student in writing, which may include through email or other electronic communication.

(ii)(A) For purposes of this paragraph (c), an institution must make a determination regarding the State in which a student is located in accordance with the institution’s policies or procedures, which must be applied consistently to all students.

(B) The institution must, upon request, provide the Secretary with written documentation of its determination of a student’s location under paragraph (c)(3)(ii)(A) of this section, including the basis for such determination.

(C) An institution must make a determination regarding the State in which a student is located at the time of the student’s initial enrollment in an educational program and, if applicable, upon formal receipt of information from the student, in accordance with the institution’s procedures under paragraph (c)(3)(ii)(A) of this section, that the student’s location has changed to another State.