Request to Become a Kentucky SARA Institution

What is SARA?

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for offering postsecondary distance education courses and programs in other member states. SARA is overseen by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA); Kentucky's participation is through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

Eligibility for SARA

Kentucky institutions seeking approval to participate in SARA must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be a public institution created by Kentucky statute or licensed to operate in Kentucky as an in-state institution.
• Be accredited as a degree-granting institution of higher education by an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• If a private institution, possess a documented composite score of at least 1.5 out of 3.0 on the U.S. Department of Education financial stability scale.

Institutions not satisfying all three of the above conditions are not eligible to apply to SARA membership.

How to apply for SARA

Kentucky institutions seeking authorization to participate in SARA apply directly to the Council. To request more information about the application process, please contact SARA@ky.gov.

Fees

The Council has established the following fee structure for participating Kentucky institutions, according to annual FTE enrollment. For fee calculation, colleges and universities must use student enrollment data as reported to IPEDS. Payment is due at the time of application submission to the Council. 

1. Under 2, 500:       $4,500
2. 2,500 - 9,999:       $7,500
3. 10,000 or more:   $10,500

Please note that fees for Kentucky SARA are separate from the national level, or NC-SARA. Applying institutions will receive a link directly from NC-SARA to complete the registration process. Once completed, institutions will receive NC-SARA's invoice for the national fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

• FAQ

SARA Annual Reports

• 2022 SARA Annual Report
• 2021 SARA Annual Report
• 2020 SARA Annual Report

Contact information for questions

Director of State Authorization and Reciprocity
SARA@ky.gov  
502-573-1555
Council on Postsecondary Education
100 Airport Road, 3rd Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601