State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA)
Cleveland State University has been approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) initiative. Participation in SARA provides the University with reciprocity to offer online/distance learning programs to residents of other SARA states (49 states, with the exception of California). Additional information regarding SARA can be found on the NC-SARA website.
Status by State
Cleveland State University is permitted to operate in all 50 states. The terms of SARA permits CSU to operate in 49 states with the exception of California. Currently, California is the only state not to join SARA. However, California has granted state institutions exempt status.
Student Complaint Resolution
For information relating to the grievance policy, please refer to Cleveland State University's Student Grievance Procedure.
If a student from a SARA state (all states except California) is not satisfied with the resolution of their student grievance, they may appeal the resolution to the Ohio Department of Higher Education. This appeal is not available for grade disputes or student code of conduct violations, criminal miscontduct, violations of federal law, or complaints filed more than two years after the incident.
The state of California is now accepting complaints from residents regarding public and non-profit institutions through the state's Department of Consumer Affairs.
For students residing in California
California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, California 95834
Telephone: (833) 942-1120
Email: dca@dca.ca.gov
Students may also:
Professional Licensure
Students may enroll in academic programs to earn a degree that prepares them for a specific field such as nursing, education, or social work. States and other government entities have established standards of practice for these and other types of occupations and regulations they have chosen to regulate and they provide legal permission to practice these professions only to individuals who meet the standards through professional licensure.
Academic degrees and programs offered by Cleveland State University that lead to specific professional licensure or certification, whether delivered online or face-to-face, satisfy the academic requirements for those credentials set forth by the State of Ohio. Requirements for professional licensure or certification vary from one profession to another and from state to state. Cleveland State University has not made a determination whether its educational program curricula meet the state educational requirements for licensure or certification for any other state.
For students who wish to practice in a state other than Ohio, the program director/advisor will provide information on whether a CSU program meets the requirements in that state after application to a program that leads to professional licensure.
