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State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA).
York County Community College is approved by the state of Maine to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, (SARA) is a voluntary agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for offering of college level distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by colleges based in another state.
Students can use this list of programs offered by Maine’s community colleges that lead to certification or licensure to navigate those requirements.
Benefits for students:
- SARA expands access for students to educational offerings.
- Should lead to better resolution of complaints from students in SARA states.
- Reduces a rapidly growing institutional cost that is in one way or another passed along to students.
- Should enhance overall quality of distance education
As part of the SARA agreement, Maine’s community colleges provide an online learning grievance process.
The first step for any student living outside the state of Maine is to file their complaint at the Maine community college where the class was offered. You can get the YCCC SARA complaint form from the academic dean at the college, or request one via email to tcornell@vbj4.com
YCCC will review and investigate the complaint according to its policies and procedures. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome at the college, the student may then file a complaint with the State of Maine, using the state portal entity and the state’s SARA complaint form. This form should be used by any current student or former student enrolled in an online degree program who seeks to file a complaint against a degree-granting institution approved to operate under the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).
Learn more about SARA at: www.nc-sara.org