Faculty and Staff
State Authorization Basics
- State Authorization applies to any University activity that occurs outside of Utah, and can include things departments already do on a regular basis, such as recruiting, advertising or marketing, or including a field experience in their program of study. Even requiring students to take a proctored exam while outside of Utah can require the University to seek authorization in some states.
- State Authorization regulations apply to all out-of-state University activity, regardless of whether a program is available online.
- State Authorization has changed in recent years with widespread adoption of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). As of 2023 49 states (all but California), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have all joined SARA. California does not regulate public universities in other states and so while California is not a SARA member the University of Utah may enroll students in California.
- Regulations regarding out-of-state activities can vary from state to state, and from program to program. As a SARA-participating institution many typical actions are now covered under SARA, with a few exceptions that fall under conditional rules, known as "physical presence triggers."
- As with most state authorization issues, these triggers are dependent on the type of program, duration of activity, state of residence for the student, and other factors that must be evaluated individually to determine whether authorization will be required. Please contact the State Authorization Coordinator when making any state authorization determination.
- The resources below are intended to provide departments and faculty with basic information regarding The University of Utah's authorization status (including approved, exempted, or triggering activities and programs) in other states and should be used as a guideline. Please contact the State Authorization Coordinator with any specific questions. Regulations and requirements can change quickly--the state authorization coordinator can provide you with the most current information.
Field Trips
The University of Utah’s participation in SARA covers class field trips that do not involve multi-night residency across state lines among member states. One-night excursions to another state do not require additional authorization from that state. Multi-night field trips may require the University of Utah to obtain additional authorization from the state being visited. If you are planning a multi-night field trip please send an email to stateauthorization@utah.edu to determine if additional authorization is required.
University of Utah Specific Resources
Please visit the pages below to learn more about State Authorization considerations for faculty and staff.
Other Resources
Contact State Authorization
stateauthorization@utah.edu
(801) 587-1918