Distance Education State Authorization

State Authorization

Gaston College has been approved by North Carolina (SARA-NC) to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) which allows students to enroll in online distance education classes from most of the United States and several territories.  The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of post-secondary distance education courses and programs. The primary objectives of SARA are to make it easier for institutions in North Carolina to provide online and distance education options to students in other states and to provide basic protections for those students.