State Authorizations

The United States Department of Education requires all institutions of higher education to request authorization from every state and territory where their programs are offered in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid. State authorization impacts individuals residing out-of-state only. There are no restrictions for individuals residing in Oregon State

Chapter 34, § 600.9(c) If an institution is offering postsecondary education through distance or correspondence education to students in a State in which it is not physically located or in which it is otherwise subject to State jurisdiction as determined by the State, the institution must meet any State requirements for it to be legally offering postsecondary distance or correspondence education in that State. An institution must be able to document to the Secretary the State’s approval upon request.

Linfield University has been accepted as an institutional participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) initiative. Full information about the benefits of SARA are available at the NC-SARA website.

Current authorized SARA states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Find out more.

We are authorized in: **Utah

Additionally, are exempt in: California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Washington DC.

Regrettably, we are unable to accept applications from: Massachusetts. We are also unable to accept RN to BSN applications from Kentucky

“State” includes not only our 50 states but also American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau). If your state is not listed on this page as a SARA state, a state where we are either authorized or exempt or a state where we are unable to accept applications, we will pursue authorization.

*Academic grievances concerning teaching and learning should be settled as close to the level of student-faculty contact as possible. If students believe they have been treated arbitrarily or capriciously by an instructor in a grade assigned or other ways, they should first talk to the instructor. If the matter remains unresolved, they should speak with the chair of the instructor’s department or, in the case of nursing course, the appropriate course coordinator. After this, if the matter is still unresolved, nursing students should speak with the Dean of Nursing; OCE students should speak with the Director of OCE. Finally, if the matter has not been resolved by the above means, students may discuss the matter with the Vice President for Academic Affairs. All grievances concerning grades must be filed by the end of the next semester after the grade is posted. In the case that a student is studying abroad the next semester, the grievance must be filed by the end of the next semester after the student returns.

Linfield University is subject to investigation of complaints by the Office of Attorney General or the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Complaints should be directed to:

Maryland Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
200 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-528-8662/888/743/0823 (toll-free)

**Complaints should be directed to:
Utah Division of Consumer Protection
160 East 300 South, Second Floor
P.O. Box 146704
Salt Lake City UT 84114-6704

Complaints

Students should attempt to resolve any grievances they may have with their school first. Should attempts to resolve these problems with appropriate school officials fail, or should the student be dissatisfied with the final outcome of the college complaint process, then the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), can respond to a formal complaint. Students may contact the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, 3225 25th St. SE, Salem, OR 97302 or by sending an email to complaints@hecc.oregon.gov. Students may also access our Complaints web page at https://www.oregon.gov/highered/about/Pages/complaints.aspx or visit the complaints page at NC-SARA’s website: https://nc-sara.org/student-complaints.