INTERIM - Student Location Policy

POLICY STATEMENT

In order to comply with state authorization and federal financial aid regulations, the University of Alaska Fairbanks must determine where students are located while participating in educational activities offered by UAF. This policy details the student responsibility to provide accurate location information and UAF’s procedures for determining student location upon initial and continuing enrollment.

BACKGROUND & JUSTIFICATION

Federal Department of Education (ED) Title IV Regulation 34 CFR 600.9(c)(2)(iii), provides that an institution must make a determination regarding the State in which a student is located at the time of the student’s initial enrollment in an educational program and, if applicable, upon formal receipt of information from the student, in accordance with the institution’s procedures, that the student’s location has changed to another State.

Additionally, ED Title IV Regulation (34 CFR 668.43) and State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) policy (v. 22.1 § 5.2) require institutions to determine if programs meet educational requirements for licensure in each state and U.S. territory, and communicate that understanding via public disclosures and direct disclosures sent directly to students at their time of initial enrollment into a professional licensure program before a financial commitment is made. In addition, starting July 1, 2024 institutions will have to certify that licensure-related programs meet educational requirements in all states/territories where the institution is located and where prospective students are located at the time of initial enrollment (34 CFR § 668.14(b)). This change applies to new program entrants, those initially enrolling in a licensure program, on or after July 1, 2024.

DEFINITIONS

Date of initial enrollment: the student’s date of initial enrollment is the date they matriculate in a UAF course for the first semester they were admitted to the UAF program

Enrolled student:  a student is considered enrolled when they are registered for a UAF course and remains registered after the add/drop period has passed.

Federal Financial Aid: a program to offer grants, loans, work-student and other types of funding to help students pay for college authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and administered by the Department of Education and listed in 34 CFR 668.1(c)..

Prospective students: a student who has indicated interest in UAF and/or may have applied for a UAF program but have not yet matriculated

State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA): a voluntary agreement between two or more states that establishes national standards for postsecondary distance education activities offered across state lines. Member states recognize institutions that are authorized in other member states.

Student location: location is the state where a student resides based on the mailing address they have given in the application or UAOnline

REFERENCES RELIED UPON

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-600/subpart-A/section-600.9

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-668/subpart-D/section-668.43

National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements [https://nc-sara.org/]

RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Center for Teaching and Learning completes the reporting and renewal of UAF’s participation in SARA with data support from PAIR.
• The student is responsible for maintaining updated location information throughout their participation in educational activities offered by UAF.
• For students enrolled in Professional Licensure programs, UAF is responsible for sending updated direct disclosures within 14 days of a student notifying UAF of a change in location.

NON-COMPLIANCE

These regulations are included in UAF’s Program Participation Agreement for Title IV Federal Financial Aid Funds (Pell Grant, Direct Student loans, FSEOG and Federal Work Study). If UAF is not compliant, sanctions range from fines to the loss of UAF’s ability to offer Federal Financial Aid.

Non-compliance is a violation of SARA policy which could lead to UAF losing the ability to offer educational activities across state lines. These activities include (but are not limited to) faculty working out of state, students taking online classes outside of Alaska, having testing proctors located outside of Alaska, and out-of-state internships.

Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of an award can lead to disciplinary action by the university. Any disciplinary action taken by the university will follow the employment rules governing the individual’s employment category. Students are governed by the Student Code of Conduct as described in the Board of Regents’ Policy, Part IX – Student Affairs, Chapter 09.02 - Student Rights and Responsibilities.

EXCEPTIONS

There are no exceptions to this policy.

PROCEDURES

• The student’s time of initial enrollment in the program will be the first semester they register in UAF courses after admission to a UAF program.
• For students enrolled at UAF, location is the state where a student resides, as reported to the university, and is based on the mailing address listed in UAOnline.
  • For students whose mailing address does not include a U.S. state or territory (e.g., students living outside the United States and who are not enrolled in an online-only program), their location will be considered the state of Alaska.
  • For prospective students, location is the state of a prospective student's mailing address provided by the student in the application at the time the student applied for admission to a UAF program.
• Student location designations will remain in effect unless and until a student officially changes their mailing address in UAOnline (Personal Information -> Manage Your Email, Address, and Phone Information). Once a student updates their mailing address, the date of entry will be used as the effective date of a student’s revised location for the purposes of this policy. If a student does not notify UAF of a change of address and their mailing address has been end-dated in the student record system because mail was returned as undeliverable, their location will be considered the state of Alaska.
• It is the student's responsibility to update their information in UAOnline under Personal Information. Students can select Manage Your Email, Address and Phone Information to check or update their information. UAOnline reminds students to update their information upon log in every six months

INTERIM POLICY APPROVED BY:

Daniel M. White, Chancellor
University of Alaska Fairbanks