NC-SARA
The CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).
NC-SARA is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for the approval of interstate postsecondary distance education courses and programs. CUNY SPS's online programs are approved by the New York State Education Department.
CUNY SPS is in compliance with NC-SARA requirements:
Professional Licensure Disclosure
U.S. Department of Education regulation, 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v) requires institutions to provide proper notification to students as to whether courses and programs will meet the professional licensure requirements in states where students are located.
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements establish comparable national standards for institutions offering distance education towards professional licensure outside of their own state. Membership in NC-SARA allows CUNY SPS to offer distance learning programs to residents of states other than New York.
CUNY SPS is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. All academic programs offered by CUNY SPS are approved by the New York State Education Department. The Board of Regents in New York State (NYS) grants professional licensure/certificates to qualified candidates.
CUNY SPS academic programs have been designed to meet accreditation and licensure/certification requirements as well as prepare students to apply for licensure/certification exams in the State of New York. Licensing/certification requirements in New York may not be recognized as sufficient to obtain licensure/certification in any other state.
These disclosures are strictly limited to CUNY SPS’s determination of whether its programs, if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the licensure or certification requirements. The School cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards, and are fact-specific determinations.
Programs Leading to Licensure/Certification
At this time (Spring 2026), CUNY SPS does not offer any online programs which lead to professional licensure. As approved online programs begin admitting online students, professional licensure information will be listed here and on the program website.
Student Complaint Process
Under NC-SARA consumer protection rules, students have the right to lodge a complaint related to consumer protections and/or NC-SARA policy via the NC-SARA complaint process. Refer to Section 4 of the SARA Policy Manual version 24.2 for details on what consumer complaints and protections are covered by the process. Please note that NC-SARA complaints do not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, complaints of this nature must be lodged through the SPS internal complaint process.
Decisions resulting from the CUNY SPS complaint process may be appealed to The City University of New York (CUNY). A complaint against a college in the CUNY system can be made via the Office of Student Advocacy and Referral:
City University of New York
Office of Student Advocacy and Referral
205 East 42nd St.
New York, NY 10017
Email: studentaffairs@cuny.edu
In the event that a person bringing a complaint is dissatisfied with the outcome at the CUNY SPS or CUNY level, they may pursue a complaint (except for complaints about grades or student conduct violations) with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) via the NYSED SARA Student Complaint Process. The deadline for filing a complaint with NYSED is two years.
Complaints may also be brought to the CUNY SPS accrediting body, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.