The State Authorization Network

The leader for guidance and support for navigating state and federal regulatory compliance for out-of-state activities of postsecondary institutions.

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News & Updates (December)

November 15, 2023 - No Federal Government Shutdown - Continuing resolution passed to keep Federal government running into the new year. U.S. Department of Education funding to continue through February 2, 2024.

2023-2024 Federal Rulemaking Update:

Winter 2024 Program Integrity and Institutional Quality Rulemaking will take place virtually January - March 2024.
Issues to include: Accreditation, State Authorization/Reciprocity, and Definition of Distance Education
Call for Nominations - nominations must be submitted by December 13, 2023.

2021-2022 Federal Rulemaking Update:

October 31, 2023 Final Rules Released: Financial Responsibility, Administrative Capability, Certification Procedures, Ability to Benefit (ATB) (official announcement) U.S. Department of Education Press Release and the Fact Sheet on the final rule. These new regulations will become effective July 1, 2024.
- New Federal Regulations, Part 1: Addressing Programs Leading to a License or Certification, WCET Frontiers, October 31, 2023
- New Federal Regulations, Part 2: Addressing Compliance with State Closure Laws and the Impact on Interstate Reciprocity Agreements, WCET Frontiers, October 31, 2023
- US Department of ED contact to address certification procedures issue: Vanessa Gomez. Telephone: (202) 987-0378. Email: Vanessa.Gomez@ed.gov.
October 10, 2023 Final Regulations for Financial Value Transparency & Gainful Employment. These new regulations will become effective July 1, 2024.

New Member Only Webinar Archived - “Waze” to Find the Detours and Fast Lanes to Understand New U.S Department of Education Guidance and Regulations; view recording, slide deck, transcript, answers to Q&A is an FAQ for the new regulations.

SAN Report! 2023 Profile of a State Authorization Professional: An Analysis of a Growing Field in Higher Education; by the SAN Special Interest Team for Institutional Engagement; November 2023.

SAN Report! The Evolution of Compliance for State Authorization of Distance Education By Sharyl Thompson; sharyl@highereducationconsultingllc.com; Higher Education Regulatory (HER) Consulting; October 2023.

Training: Online Course, Advanced Topics Workshop

Registration for the SAN Member Integration Course! (8-week Online Fundamentals Course) COHORT #1 is SOLD OUT! Look for registration for Cohort #2 to open in February. (Cohort #2; April-June; Cohort #3; July-Sept)Cost: $100.00 ; Dates for Cohort #1: January 16, 2024-March 12, 2024; The cohort will be limited to 50 participants.
SAN Advanced Topics Workshop (in-person) March 7-8, 2024; Anaheim, California -Update and Impact of Federal Announcements Affecting Institutional Compliance; In-person workshop with no virtual option. The workshop will be limited to 50 participants.

Open Forum - 2nd Tuesday of each month. December 12, 2023; Time: 10AM Alaska, 11AM Pacific, Noon Mountain, 1PM Central, 2PM Eastern; Link: https://wiche.zoom.us/j/95387418403?pwd=NHVidkpBOWI4L3NlV1ZHSGw3QWpvdz09; December Topic: NEW SAN Report! The Evolution of Compliance for State Authorization of Distance Education; December Expert: Sharyl Thompson; sharyl@highereducationconsultingllc.com; Higher Education Regulatory (HER) Consulting. Open Forum is an opportunity for a 30 min Q & A with the expert(s) and is not typically recorded. (the Zoom URL for the Open Forum is not the same as the Monthly Coordinator Call)

Quick Links

U.S. Department of Education Rulemaking 2021-2022 Information Here! Watch this SAN webpage for updates, resources, explanation of the rulemaking process. (Our primary issue: Certification Procedures addressing programs leading to a professional license and reciprocity)

U.S. Department of Education Rulemaking 2023-2024 Information Here! Watch this SAN webpage for updates and resources. Fall 2023 rulemaking is on Loan Forgiveness. Winter 2024 Program Integrity and Institutional Quality Rulemaking includes Accreditation, State Authorization, and Definition of Distance Education.

Access to Key Areas of the SAN website:

Are you new or relatively new to the issue of out-of-state activity compliance? Start Here with State Authorization 101 which leads to How it Works and Why Comply. Then move to Getting Started.
Topic Areas: Nine key subject areas can be accessed through the 9 tiles as you scroll down on this page or from the Resources tab drop down at the top of the webpage.
Website login information is provided to SAN members by the SAN Coordinators for your SAN Membership. Login is required for member only resources noted as requiring SAN Member login.

Communication Platform for SAN member email updates and SAN discussions - use wcetMIX. FAQ's & tutorials:https://wcetmix.wiche.edu/faq. Also please review "5 FYI's to make the most of WCET & SAN's community discussion platform".

NC-SARA Website

WCET Frontiers - articles on many higher education issues related to educational technology

WCET Jobs Posts Webpage & Sample State Auth. Related Job Descriptions HERE.

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