UGA Online Staff State Authorization

About UGA Online

UGA Online is the University of Georgia’s online program and course development and marketing unit. Our mission is to:

  • Partner with academic units to identify, develop, launch, and market high-quality graduate programs that align with UGA's academic strengths, meet workforce needs, and fit in areas of market demand.
  • Support online student recruitment and retention efforts with student communications and services, as well as data-driven advertising.
  • Partner with academic departments and faculty to create online summer undergraduate courses that help undergraduates graduate in four years or less.
  • Generally, promote quality and innovation in online learning university-wide.

We have four teams to accomplish this mission: Instructional Design, Marketing, the Media Cooperative shared with the Center for Teaching and Learning, and Student Services and State Authorization.

State Authorization

States require that institutions be authorized to deliver university-level distance and online education to their residents.

The University of Georgia has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).

NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education, aimed at making the effort to obtain state authorizations more efficient for institutions and increasing student access to distance education courses and programs. Institutions participating in NC-SARA are able to offer educational opportunities in all 49 NC-SARA member states, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

The University of Georgia does not offer distance and online education to residents in American Samoa, Guam, nor the Northern Mariana Islands.

The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education does not regulate out-of-state public institutions. Therefore, no action is required, and the University of Georgia is in compliance with California regulations.

For more information about the SARA initiative and progress of state and institutional membership, please visit www.nc-sara.org/sara-states-institutions.

For information about professional licensure and certification, please visit Licensure and Disclosures for Professional Practice.