Connecticut SARA Application

Regional State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Online Database Main Menu Exit Connecticut Office of Higher Education Christon Kurker-Stewart If you need to leave to finish gathering your information, you may return here at any time. Application and Evaluation Form for State Membership in SARA Authoring Accreditation & Quality Financial Sustainability Consumer Protection Portal Agency Finish 1. Is Connecticut a member of one of the four interstate higher education regional compacts that administer SARA, or has it concluded an affiliation agreement with such a compact covering SARA activity? 2. Does the state entity responsible for joining SARA have the legal authority under state law to enter an interstate agreement on behalf of the State of Connecticut, and has provided a copy of the statutory or other legal authority documenting this? Please submit legislative language or statute that grants authority by either: dragging your document to this box, or if you have trouble, right-clicking on this box and selecting Insert into Container If you prefer to type or paste your legislative language or statute information, please do so below. House Bill. 5070 Public Act. 16-120 AN ACT CONCERNING PARTICIPATION IN THE STANDARD AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT REGARDING DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2016) (a) t later than January 1, 2017, the Office of Higher Education 3. Is Connecticut able to receive applications for participation in the reciprocity agreement and to review and authorize institutions on an annual basis? States must establish a process to admit institutions into the reciprocity agreement that will require a review of the institution's accreditation status, consumer protection disclosures and financial viability. This review must be conducted on an annual basis. The state of Connecticut should also be prepared to provide an appeals process for institutions that are not approved for participation in the agreement. Go to Section 2: Accreditation & Quality -->

Regional State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Online Database Main Menu Exit Connecticut Office of Higher Education Christon Kurker-Stewart If you need to leave to finish gathering your information, you may return here at any time. Application and Evaluation Form for State Membership in SARA Authoring Accreditation & Quality Financial Sustainability Consumer Protection Portal Agency Finish 1. Has Connecticut developed a clearly articulated and comprehensive state process for consumer protection in regard to SARA activities, both with respect to initial institutional approval and on-going oversight, including the resolution of consumer complaints in all sectors? Please submit a copy of the complaint investigation and resolution process to be used to handle all complaints resulting from institutional operations (public and nonprofit) under SARA, by either: dragging your document to this box, or if you have trouble, right-clicking on this box and selecting Insert into Container SARA Complaint.doc If you prefer to type or paste your complaint investigation and resolution process, please do so below. 2. Has Connecticut designated a portal agency as defined in SARA policies and standards to coordinate SARA matters for the state and provide a principal point of contact for resolution of student complaints? Please enter the official name of this portal agency here: Office of Higher Education te: The designated entity need not itself be responsible for all oversight activities of SARA providers inside Connecticut, but will be the SARA portal for Connecticut. 3. Does Connecticut agree that it will work cooperatively with other SARA states, regional compacts and NC-SARA to enable success of the initiative? Will it follow up on requests for information or investigation from other SARA member states or any SARA regional or national office, and provide such data or reports as are required? 4. Does Connecticut agree that, if it has requirements, standards, fees, or procedures for the approval and authorization of non-domestic institutions of higher education providing distance education in Connecticut, it will not apply those standards,

fees, or procedures to any non-domestic institution that participates in SARA; instead, Connecticut will apply those specifically prescribed in or allowed by the SARA Policies and Standards? 5. Does Connecticut agree to serve as the default forum for any SARA-related complaint filed against an institution approved by the state to participate in reciprocity? The state s SARA portal agency is responsible for coordinating any such efforts and is empowered to investigate and resolve complaints that originate outside of the state. All other state agencies and governing boards of SARA participant institutions shall assist as necessary in such investigations and report as needed to the portal agency. State remedies, if any, including refunds or other corrective action, must be available to resolve complaints involving residents of other states. 6. Does Connecticut agree to document the following and share information with NC-SARA? All formal complaints received: Complaint notifications provided to institutions and accrediting agencies: Actions taken that are commensurate with the severity of violations: The resolution of complaints: 7. Does Connecticut agree to promptly report complaints and concerns to the institutions about where the complaint is lodged, the home state SARA portal entity responsible for any such institution and, if appropriate, the relevant accrediting bodies? 8. Has Connecticut established clear and well-documented policies and practices for addressing catastrophic events, as follows: Connecticut may request assistance from the institution s accreditor as the accreditor applies its standards under 602.24(c) of federal requirements for catastrophic events. In the event of the unanticipated closure of an institution, Connecticut has processes to assure that students receive the services for which they have paid, or reasonable financial compensation for those not received. These assurances may include tuition assurance funds, surety bonds, teach-out provisions or other practices deemed sufficient to protect consumers. Connecticut requires institutions to have adequate disaster recovery plans, including protection of student records, or that the state provides such a plan. Connecticut agrees to apply its policies and practices for catastrophic events consistently and equally within each sector (public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit) to residents of any state. Please submit policies, a description of practices, or statute that demonstrates ability to effectively deal with catastrophic events by either:

dragging your document to this box, or if you have trouble, right-clicking on this box and selecting Insert into Container If you prefer to type or paste your legislative language or statute, please do so below. https://eregulations.ct.gov/eregsportal/browse/rcsa/%7b0c332272-ea22-4ae1-b0bd-e706d716267b%7d (as applicable, depending on specific situation) If you have trouble uploading documents, please send them in an email message to dfollweiler [at] nebhe [dot] org Go to Section 5: Portal Agency -->

I, the undersigned representative of the State of Connecticut, having the authority to commit the state to the SARA interstate agreement, agree that the state will abide by SARA requirements as stated above; have provided proof of those requirements needing documentation; and hereby apply for the state s admission to the SARA interstate agreement. Signature (submit in box below) Name of signatory officer Title of signatory officer Keith rton A Date signed 09/21/2016 Please submit a signature file by either: dragging your document to this box, or if you have trouble, right-clicking on this box and selecting Insert into Container If you have trouble uploading documents, please send them in an email message to dfollweiler [at] nebhe [dot] org Complete your Registration -->

House Bill. 5070 Public Act. 16-120 AN ACT CONCERNING PARTICIPATION IN THE STANDARD AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT REGARDING DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2016) (a) t later than January 1, 2017, the Office of Higher Education shall enter into a multistate or regional reciprocity agreement for purposes of enabling the state and Connecticut institutions of higher education to participate in a nation-wide state authorization reciprocity agreement (1) establishing uniform standards for distance learning programs across states, and (2) eliminating the need for a state participating in the state authorization reciprocity agreement to assess the quality of a distance learning program offered by an out-of-state institution of higher education through the participating state's authorization, licensing and accreditation process. twithstanding the provisions of part III of chapter 185 of the general statutes and upon the Office of Higher Education entering into the multistate or regional reciprocity agreement, an out-of-state institution of higher education that participates in the state authorization reciprocity agreement may operate a distance learning program in the state in accordance with the uniform standards. (b) Any Connecticut institution of higher education that seeks to participate in the nation-wide state authorization reciprocity agreement under subsection (a) of this section shall submit an application with the Office of Higher Education on a form prescribed by the office. The office shall approve or reject the institution's application in accordance with the terms of such agreement. Authorization by the office to participate in such agreement shall be valid for a period of one year and may be renewed by the office for additional one-year periods. The office shall establish a schedule of application and renewal fees for all Connecticut institutions of higher education that participate in such agreement. The fee schedule shall be graduated based on the number of full-time equivalent students at each Connecticut institution of higher education. (c) thing in subsection (a) of this section shall be construed to affect the authority of the Attorney General to enforce the provisions of chapter 735a of the general statutes or Title X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, P. L. 111-203, as amended from time to time. Approved June 6, 2016

STATE OF CONNECTICUT Office of Higher Education INFORMATION ON FILING STUDENT COMPLAINTS - SARA The Office of Higher Education is responsible for responding to formal complaints by out-of-state students against colleges and universities located in Connecticut that are participating in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). If you believe that a college or university located in Connecticut and participating in SARA has not fulfilled its promises, you may file a complaint with the Office of Higher Education. We will investigate complaints concerning matters within our prescribed authority and, if justified, take appropriate action. Generally, issues falling under our jurisdiction involve academic quality and licensing; issues regarding student life (such as student discipline, grading and housing) fall solely within the purview of institutions. The Office of Higher Education will act only on complaints that were unable to be resolved through the institution s internal dispute resolution process. Our agency cannot and does not provide legal advice. Filing a Complaint with the Office of Higher Education Before contacting the Office of Higher Education, you must first exhaust the school s internal grievance or complaint procedures. These policies are usually published in the institution s catalog, student handbook and/or posted on the institution s website. Once you have pursued your concerns using the institution s dispute resolution procedures, and have not reached a mutually agreeable resolution, you may proceed with filing a formal complaint with the Office of Higher Education. How Complaints are Handled Upon receipt, we will review your complaint to see if it falls within our authority under SARA. If it does not, we will so notify you, and may refer it to another agency. If it does fall within our jurisdiction, we will notify both you and the school/college, and share a copy of your complaint with the institution with a request for a written response within twenty (20) days regarding the situation and whether appropriate institutional policies, and state statutes and regulations, where applicable, have been followed. Depending on the institution s response, we may request more information from the institution or from you. Complaints must be filed within two (2) years of the event or incident which gave rise to the complaint, or within two (2) years of when the complainant reasonably should have known of such event or incident. Complaints t Covered The Office of Higher Education can only act to assure that colleges and universities comply with state statutes as applied under SARA. Complaints regarding other issues should be directed to the entity which specializes in those issues. For example: For complaints involving employer-employee matters, contact the: Connecticut Department of Labor, (860) 263-6000, www.ctdol.state.ct.us/ For complaints concerning discrimination complaints, contact the: Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, (860) 541-3400, www.ct.gov/chro/site/default.asp For complaints regarding disabilities violations, contact the: Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, (860) 297-4300, (800) 842-7303, www.ct.gov/opapd/site/default.asp te: Connecticut students enrolled in out-of-state institutions participating in SARA must first exhaust the complaint process at their institution. If a resolution cannot be reached, the student should contact the SARA Portal Agency in the state where the institution is located to pursue a complaint. 39 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 www.ctohe.org An Equal Opportunity Employer

STATE OF CONNECTICUT Office of Higher Education STUDENT COMPLAINT FORM STUDENT INFORMATION Name Address Telephone ( ) Email SCHOOL INFORMATION Institution Name Address DATES OF ATTENDANCE Date you enrolled Last Date of Attendance Degree Program Are you still enrolled at this institution? ( Graduated Terminated Withdrew) COMPLAINT RESOLUTION Have you followed the institution s grievance procedures to resolve your complaint? If yes, attach documentation or explain below how you have exhausted each step of the institution s grievance process. Include copies of the institution s complaint resolution procedure, and copies of any responses you have received from the institution, with dates and names of school officials who you have contacted. If no, what was the reason for not doing so? te that the Office of Higher Education will only address complaints after you have exhausted the process at the institutional level. Have you filed this complaint with another organization? If yes, name of organization Have you retained an attorney? If yes, name of attorney 39 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 www.ctohe.org An Equal Opportunity Employer

COMPLAINT DESCRIPTION Please describe your complaint in detail. Attach additional pages/documents as needed. Explain the specific resolution you are seeking. The information you provide will be used in efforts to resolve your complaint and will be shared with the institution. By submitting this complaint, you are giving the Office of Higher Education permission to contact school officials to discuss a possible resolution to your complaint, and authority to review and secure any or all of your student records in order to appropriately review this complaint. This complaint submission is a public record and will remain on file for use in reporting statistical data or other purposes. It must be on file in order to address your complaint. This Office cannot process incomplete or unsigned complaints. As complaints require an original signature, complaint forms cannot be emailed or faxed. FERPA Release: Your signature on this form gives permission to the school listed to photocopy and release specifically requested material documents or the complete and entire contents of your student financial, academic, personal and all other records held by the educational institution upon request by the Executive Director of the Office of Higher Education (or designee). These records may include but not be limited to: all financial records, all academic/transcript records, all student account records and instructor/classroom records. I acknowledge by my signature that I understand although I am not required to release my records to these individual (s), I am giving my consent to release the information. I understand that this release remains in effect until I revoke such consent in writing and the written revocation is delivered to the educational institution and processed. I understand that any such revocation shall not affect disclosure previously made by the institution prior to the receipt and processing of any such revocation. I agree to hold the above educational institution harmless from any and all liability for the release of my records to any entities as specified above or any release of information as requested by accrediting authorities or government agencies. This information in this complaint is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. Signature: Date: Send this completed form to: SARA Coordinator, Office of Higher Education, 39 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105

https://eregulations.ct.gov/eregsportal/browse/rcsa/%7b0c332272-ea22-4ae1-b0bd-e706d716267b%7d (as applicable, depending on specific situation)