About State Authorization
In order to offer educational opportunities outside of Colorado – including via online education and through courses like internships, clinical placements, or student teaching - Colorado Mesa University and CMU Tech must comply with applicable state and federal regulations relating to state authorization.
CMU and CMU Tech participate in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), a national initiative overseen by the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) that supports student access to online education and other courses and programs offered at a distance. NC-SARA also provides an additional oversight for student consumer protection. By requiring member states to follow a uniform process for approving and reviewing participating institutions and requiring participating institutions to comply with agreed upon policies relating to distance education and out-of-state learning opportunities, NC-SARA is able to assist in ensuring student access to educational opportunities are equitable and students remain well-served by their institutions.
Students are encouraged to review and understand how universities participating in SARA benefits them: SARA for Students.
Some professions (e.g. teachers, accountants, geologists, nurses, etc.) require that you obtain licensure or certification beyond your degree in order to hold a position in that field. Professional Licensure regulations and requirements vary from field to field, and from state to state. Each state and U.S. territory has an authority, be it public or private, that is responsible for overseeing the licensure requirements of the various professions in that state.
For students considering in enrolling in a program that leads to professional licensure or certification, Colorado Mesa University strongly recommends you to contact the appropriate campus department or program you wish to enroll to determine the educational requirements and whether or not the education provided at CMU/CMU Tech will allow you to obtain licensure or certification in a particular state. Review the list of our professional licensure and certification programs and the states/territories where you may be eligible for licensure or certification.
CMU strives to provide the highest quality educational opportunities available. However, if a conflict does arise, our efforts are meant to resolve your grievances, complaints, and concerns in an expeditious, fair, and amicable manner. Students wishing to file a formal complaint must first seek resolution using CMU's Student Complaint Policy.
If an issue cannot be resolved by CMU's internal processes, students may choose to file a complaint with the university's SARA Portal Entity at the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
Students located outside of Colorado may also file a complaint with the State Portal Entity of the state where they are located at the time they are enrolled: view the complaint contact for each state.
Use the following link to review the SARA complaint policy and process.
CMU is continuously working to evaluate and maintain compliance with state authorization regulations. As such, we are taking the following actions:
- Tracking prospective and current students' programs, internships, practica, and state of residence
Prospective online students residing in some states may be ineligible to apply for our programs if we are not authorized to operate in their state. Students participating in internships and practica in another state may also face restrictions. To determine if you can conduct internships or field experiences in your state, contact Distance Education at [email protected]. - Monitoring marketing and recruiting efforts for our distance programs
Many states require additional authorization paperwork or fees for distance programs that market directly to students in their state. Be sure to check with Distance Education at [email protected] before directly marketing a distance program to out-of-state students. - Monitoring employee hires
In some states where we are not authorized to operate, the state does not allow CMU to have any employees that live in their tate to teach, proctor, or tutor on behalf of the University.