15 Years of Connection: How the State Authorization Network Built a National Compliance Community

For 15 years, the State Authorization Network has supported higher education institutions navigating the complexities of interstate compliance for distance education. SAN currently serves more than 975 institutions and organizations nationwide. What began as a response to emerging federal regulations in late 2010 has grown into a national community of practice, connecting professionals, shaping institutional approaches, and advancing shared understanding across an evolving regulatory landscape.

This anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on how SAN has built that community through collaboration, resources, and engagement; strengthened connections across key higher education organizations; and expanded its work to support institutions managing increasingly complex state, federal, and professional licensure requirements. 

In 2010, when institutions across the country were expanding online offerings and facing the first iteration of federal regulations for state authorization of distance education, the staff supporting this work discovered that crossing state lines meant navigating a patchwork of different requirements, rules, and expectations with very little shared guidance. Often, the responsibility fell to a single staff member tasked with making sense of it all. 

New regulatory requirements and a changing higher education landscape quickly revealed a need for education, connection, and collaboration. Institutions didn’t just need to comply—they needed to learn from one another—to have a state authorization “buddy.” This confluence spurred WCET to develop SAN, of which it continues to be a part of its network today. {...}