In 2024-2025, MHEC member states realized more than $112 million in savings through the Midwestern-State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (M-SARA). This agreement provides a regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. States voluntarily join SARA, agreeing to follow uniform processes for approving their eligible institutions’ participation in SARA. They also agree to deal with other states’ SARA institutions in a common way when those institutions carry out activities in SARA states other than their own.
“M-SARA not only saves institutions millions of dollars annually, but it also provides tremendous time savings,” says Sara Appel, MHEC’s director of M-SARA. “M-SARA also offers students consistent protections and expands student access to high-quality programs."
In the midwestern region, 295 public colleges and universities, 321 private nonprofit institutions, 8 tribal colleges, and 31 private for profit entities have joined SARA.
Appel explains that before M-SARA was established, each institution had to seek separate approval for every individual distance education program. “It was expensive and time consuming,” she says. “Now, with SARA, institutions generally pay an annual participation fee that is often tiered rather than seeking authorization program by program.”
The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) estimates that without reciprocity agreements, institutions would face authorization costs that are, on average, 61 times higher—costs that would likely be passed on to students or limit program availability. Reciprocity agreements allow institutions to focus resources on educational quality rather than navigating 50+ different regulatory systems, ultimately expanding educational opportunities for distance learners nationwide.
Importantly, M-SARA also protects students regardless of where they live or where their institution is located through requirements for institutional participation and standardized complaint resolution processes. NC-SARA and SARA member states are advancing work to strengthen protections related to institutional closures.
Appel notes that the SARA approach includes a state-led policy modification process, which allows thoughtful and collaborative adaptation of SARA policy as the postsecondary landscape evolves. In addition, NC-SARA collects and reports data about the interstate delivery of distance education. The organization recently released its tenth annual report. View the report and interactive dashboards here.
Two notes related to M-SARA:
- MHEC congratulates Commissioner Dennis Olson (MN) who was recently elected to the NC-SARA board of directors.
- Read a recent Inside Higher Ed article on the surge in distance enrollment.
