State Authorizations

The U.S. Department of Education requires higher education institutions to obtain authorization for distance education instruction or programs provided in states other than their own. The University of Maryland, Baltimore's current authorization status for each state is listed in the chart below. If the University does not currently provide distance education in your state, or if your program of interest is excluded, please check back as authorization status information is updated periodically.   

Students enrolled in online programs must contact the University at state-authorizations@umaryland.edu or 410-706-1850 to discuss any change in their state of residence before relocation. Please be advised that continued enrollment cannot be guaranteed.

What is SARA?

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is an agreement among member states, districts, and 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. SARA is overseen by a national council and administered by four regional education compacts. For further information, please visit the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements website at https://nc-sara.org/about-nc-sara.

This list was last updated on Oct. 12, 2017.

Student Complaints

University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) students should first attempt to resolve complaints with the appropriate UMB offices. Students who have exhausted internal complaint procedures and remain unsatisfied may contact the appropriate agency in the state in which they currently reside.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) maintains a list of contact information for the relevant state agencies for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. States, through the appropriate agencies, will accept complaints from students who are residents whether or not an institution authorized or required to be authorized in that state.

This list is not a list of the agencies regulating UMB. Nor is it a list of the states in which UMB is authorized or a list of the states where UMB is required to be authorized.

Please see SHEEO's website at the link below.

https://sheeo.org/membership-member/maryland/