State Authorization

State Authorization for Distance Education

The University of Michigan-Flint is a SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) participating member institution and is authorized under SARA to enroll students in online courses and field experiences all SARA states. California is the only state that has not joined SARA as of 2019.

This page is provides critical information regarding the University of Michigan-Flint permissions to operate outside the state of Michigan and the rights and protections afforded to students based on their location, including students who participate in online learning from other states, territories, and countries. However, SARA membership does not have control over professional licensure boards. If you are seeking a degree in a field that requires professional licensure, clinicals, or internships, please review the Professional Licensure section below and/or contact the appropriate University department for verification.

**Note: Students who reside in or may relocate to any state other than Michigan should contact the School of Nursing directly before applying to verify program eligibility in their state.

If you are looking for information regarding State Authorization for other university campuses, use the links below.

University of Michigan - Main Campus (Ann Arbor)

University of Michigan - Dearborn

Notice of Nondiscrimination

The University of Michigan-Flint is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. The University’s full nondiscrimination policy as well as contact information for submitting inquiries and complaints concerning discrimination can be obtained here.

Accreditation

U-M Flint is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Complaints concerning broad institutional academic practices, such as those that raise issues regarding ability to meet accreditation standards, may be filed with the Higher Learning Commission.

Student Location

It is important you inform your program coordinator of your current residence (physical location) during the course of your studies at University of Michigan-Flint and of any relocations while enrolled in a program. New regulations require that the University of Michigan-Flint track all online students as well as all traditional and online programs that have internships or clinicals that may take place out-of-state.

International Students

Students pursuing online degrees should note that some countries may not formally recognize foreign online degrees, which can have implications for students who later seek to enroll in other educational programs, or for those who seek employment with their home country’s government or other employers requiring specific credentials. Additionally, some countries may or may not require foreign higher education institutions to comply with distance education regulations. The University of Michigan-Flint does not represent or guarantee that its online degree programs are recognized in or meet requirements to comply with distance education regulations in the student’s country of residence, if it is outside the United States. It is therefore the student’s responsibility to understand current circumstances or special requirements surrounding whether this online degree will be recognized in the student’s country of residence, how the collection of student data may be used in said country, and whether the student will be subject to additional withholding taxes in addition to the price of tuition.

Blocked Countries

To comply with U.S. export control regulations, U-M-Flint does not currently offer online programs to individuals located in the following areas:

Iran
Sudan
Crimea
Cuba
Syria
North Korea

Services offered by third parties may be unavailable to students participating from additional areas. Please review any notices published by the program you are interested in to learn more.

Data Privacy and Protection

Personal information—whether volunteered, collected through automated processes (e.g., cookies operating on U-M-Flint websites), or retrieved from third-parties—will be processed in the United States. For students participating in U-M Flint distance education programs from a European Union (EU) member state, please note that while the United States has not received a finding of “adequacy” under Article 45 of the EU’s Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), U-M-Flint has invested considerable resources into data privacy initiatives and has established significant safeguards for personal data transfers. Additional information regarding U-M Flint’s data collection, processing, and sharing practices, as well as a description of the rights afforded to EU distance-education students, is available here. Individual programs may provide supplemental disclosures when their practices differ.

Professional Licensure

Information regarding professional licensure is provided below. If you have any additional questions regarding professional licensure or State Authorization, please email our State Authorization Team.

If your program leads to a professional license or certification, authorization may or may not be required from the state professional licensing board prior to beginning a clinical or field experience in another state. Check with your program's internship or clinical coordinator with questions about state professional licensing board requirements prior to beginning an internship or field experience in another state.

**Students who reside in Tennessee, Washington, New York, Oregon, or Connecticut should contact Nursing directly before applying to verify clinical eligibility in their state.

Some of the most common licensing boards are listed below.

If the licensing board you are looking for is not above, try CareerOneStop, a survey tool for locating regulatory bodies associated with licensed professions in each state.

Complaints for Distance Education Students

The University of Michigan-Flint encourages students and prospective students to address complaints relating to the institution’s policies and consumer protection issues with personnel in the office, department, school, or college where the complaint originated. If further assistance is needed, use the links below.

Undergraduate Student Contacts:
Complaints regarding matters of dispute between undergraduate students and instructors should follow the UM-Flint Student Academic Grievance Procedure of the individual college or school.

Graduate Student Contacts:
Graduate students should consult the Office of the Dean of Graduate Programs.

Military:
Active military service members, veterans, and family members of military service members or veterans may be eligible to submit a complaint for review to the Department of Defense (DoD).

Additional Information:
Please note that student complaints relating to student grades or student misconduct will not be heard by any of the following agencies. Such complaints may be reviewed through the established U-M Flint procedures detailed in the previous section. Allegations of fraud or other criminal misconduct against U-M Flint can always be heard by the attorney general or other designated entities in a student’s home state.

Michigan Residents and SARA-Eligible, Out-of-State Complaints:
Both Michigan residents and students located in a state or territory that has joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), as indicated in the state list provided under "Authorizations and Complaint Processes by State"(marked with an asterisk*), may submit a complaint to Michigan’s Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau (CSCL), which operates within Michigan’s SARA portal entity, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Additional information regarding complaint eligibility can be found in the CSCL complaint form linked above and starting on page 27 of the 2019 SARA Manual.

Unresolved Issues:
If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction after exhausting U-M-Flint’s internal review processes, your complaint may be eligible for external review by one or more agencies. Links for each state are provided in the next section labeled, "Authorizations and Complaint Processes by State".

Additional Information for Out-of-State Students:
If you do not live in Michigan or in another SARA state, or if the nature of the complaint does not fall within the scope of SARA, you may instead contact the relevant agency in your home state for additional support. This contact information is provided for you in the next section.

Authorizations and Complaint Processes by State

Please choose your state from the list below to be directed to additional state authorization and complaint process information.

*This state/district/territory has joined SARA, please contact our State Authorization Team to find out how to locate the correct agency to contact for complaints.

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