In Defense of Reciprocity – A Joint Letter to the Department of Education & Call to Action

On May 1, leading higher education organizations jointly submitted a letter to the Department of Education (the Department) detailing concerns about recently raised proposals regarding state authorization reciprocity agreements. Earlier this year, the Department’s negotiated rulemaking sessions included several recommendations to alter the operations of such state-to-state agreements.

The Department was clear that the proposals would cover any interstate agreement for authorization of institutions offering distance education.

However, it was apparent that many of the ideas presented targeted the current State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), which encompasses all states except California.

If adopted, the impact of the proposals on SARA, states, institutions, and students will be significant.[...]