What NC-SARA does

NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) is a U.S. non-profit, membership-based organization that administers the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the framework under which participating postsecondary institutions may offer online courses and programs across state lines without obtaining individual state-by-state authorization. The organization was founded around 2015 and is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, operating exclusively within the United States with an 11-50 employee footprint. Its primary constituents are U.S. colleges and universities, along with the state agencies that participate in the reciprocity regime.

The core product offering is the SARA framework itself — an institutional authorization and reciprocity coordination service — supplemented by an annual data-reporting franchise that tracks out-of-state distance education enrollment and learning placements. NC-SARA's 10th annual report, released September 2025, covers 2024 enrollment data and shows a 9.7% rise in out-of-state learning placements, with healthcare programs driving most of the growth. The report series functions as both a regulatory transparency instrument and an industry benchmarking dataset for U.S. distance education. No proprietary software platform, API, or app product is disclosed; the service is fundamentally procedural and policy-based rather than technology-delivered.

The business model is consistent with a non-profit membership consortium: institutional dues, state participation fees, and possibly grants underwrite operations, with no equity financing, public listing, or commercial revenue model disclosed in available data. No customers, segments, pricing, partnerships, or distribution channels are itemized in the provided sources. Leadership disclosed is Marianne Boeke in an interim President/CEO/Vice President role, indicating a transitional management posture rather than expansion-driven executive hiring.

Name

NC-SARA

Legal name

National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements

Website

https://nc-sara.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NC-SARA is a U.S. non-profit that administers the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), enabling postsecondary institutions to offer distance-education programs across state lines, and publishes annual data reports on out-of-state online enrollment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Regulatory Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

State Legislature/Regional Assembly Administration (BPAIABAB)

Keywords

• Distance education authorization
• State reciprocity agreements
• Postsecondary online learning
• Interstate education regulation
• Higher education compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Core offering

NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) is a non-profit membership organization that administers the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), enabling postsecondary institutions to offer distance education across U.S. state lines without needing individual state-level authorization. It coordinates among member states and institutions, publishes annual data reports, and serves as a centralized regulatory framework for interstate online higher education.

Product overview

NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) is a membership organization that coordinates state-level authorization for postsecondary distance education across the United States. The organization publishes annual data reports on distance education enrollment trends and manages the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which allows institutions to offer online courses and programs across state lines without seeking separate state-by-state authorization. The primary offering is the annual distance education data report, which tracks out-of-state online enrollment and learning placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) Membership Membership program allowing postsecondary institutions and states to participate in a reciprocity framework that authorizes distance education across member U.S. states without separate state-by-state approval.
• Annual SARA Data Report Annual published data report tracking distance education enrollment, institutional participation, and state-level statistics across the SARA membership network. Aimed at member institutions, state agencies, and education policy stakeholders.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• SREB (Southern Regional Education Board): A southern U.S. regional compact that coordinates higher-education policy, programs, and data across member states. SREB is comparable to NC-SARA as a peer interstate coordination entity operating in the same higher-education policy and reciprocity space, albeit regionally rather than nationally.
• NEBHE (New England Board of Higher Education): A regional compact serving New England states that advances interstate higher-education collaboration, including tuition programs and policy alignment. NEBHE parallels NC-SARA's role as an interstate coordination body focused on improving student mobility and program delivery across state lines.
• AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers): A membership association for higher-education registrars and admissions officers that sets standards and publishes guidance on cross-state enrollment, credential evaluation, and records policy. AACRAO is comparable to NC-SARA because both serve as member-driven bodies producing authoritative guidance that institutions rely on for interstate student-mobility decisions.
• WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education): A regional higher-education compact coordinating interstate programs and policy across western U.S. states. WICHE is highly comparable to NC-SARA because both function as interstate coordination bodies for higher-education policy, reciprocity, and student mobility — WICHE at a regional level and NC-SARA nationally for distance-education authorization.
• MHEC (Midwestern Higher Education Compact): A regional compact serving midwestern U.S. states that facilitates interstate cooperation on higher-education cost savings, policy, and student access. MHEC is a close peer to NC-SARA in mission and structure — both coordinate cross-state higher-education initiatives and publish data on interstate activity.

Broad incumbents

• ACE (American Council on Education): A major higher-education association representing U.S. colleges and universities on federal policy, credit recommendation, and institutional leadership. ACE is comparable to NC-SARA as a national coordinating voice in U.S. higher-education policy, including influence over distance-education and credentialing frameworks that intersect with SARA.
• CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation): A national association that coordinates U.S. higher-education accreditation and recognizes accrediting organizations. CHEA is broadly comparable to NC-SARA as a national coordination body operating in the higher-education regulatory ecosystem, though CHEA's focus is accreditation rather than state authorization reciprocity.
• NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers): A membership association serving higher-education business and finance leaders with research, advocacy, and policy guidance. NACUBO is broadly comparable to NC-SARA as a national membership body supporting institutional operations in U.S. higher education, though its focus is on the business/financial side rather than authorization.
• ED.gov (U.S. Department of Education): The federal executive department that oversees federal student aid, accreditation recognition, and national higher-education policy. ED.gov is comparable to NC-SARA because its federal rulemaking directly affects the regulatory environment in which NC-SARA's reciprocity framework operates, making it both a stakeholder and a potential disintermediator.

Emerging players

• WES (World Education Services): A non-profit that evaluates foreign credentials and supports recognition of international academic qualifications in the U.S. and Canada. WES is an adjacent peer to NC-SARA in the credential-recognition and cross-border authorization space, though its focus is international rather than interstate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncsara_news
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nc-sara

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NC-SARA