State Authorization for Online and Distance Education

Office of the Provost

Federal regulations require schools providing distance education to students residing outside of the institution's home state to seek state authorization with the states from which they enroll students or participate in a state authorization reciprocity agreement. Currently Hamline participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). This allows Hamline to enroll students from most states. Currently California* is the only state that has not joined NC-SARA.

View an interactive map of participating SARA Institutions.

*Students residing in California are eligible to enroll in fully-online curricula, but there are different conditions for each state that may restrict eligibility for certain sorts of additional instructional experiences (such as clinical or internships) in a few of our programs. Please contact an admission counselor for specific guidance about your eligibility to enroll as a resident from this state in an online program.

Licensure requirements

For more information regarding professional licensure, please see our Professional Licensure Disclosures page. 

Questions, concerns, complaints?

Hamline University is committed to providing outstanding online education. If you have a question, concern, or complaint about your online education experience at Hamline, we encourage you to speak to your program administrator. Hamline's grievance procedures for students can be found here. If you still have an issue, please contact the provost at provost@hamline.edu.

If the issue cannot be resolved internally, students residing in a NC-SARA state, pursuant to the SARA Complaint Process, may contact the Minnesota Office of Higher Education:
Betsy Talbot
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
Saint Paul, MN 55108
651-259-3965
Betsy.Talbot@state.mn.us

For students residing in California, complaints can be made at:
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95833
phone: 916-431-6959
Filing a Complaint

You may also report any complaints to Hamline University’s accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (inquiry@hlcommission.org).

Contact information