State Authorization
State of Michigan Authorization
Baker College has long been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an institution of higher education and has been granted the legal authority to operate as a not-for-profit educational corporation by the State of Michigan, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The College is empowered to grant certificates and associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. It is also approved for veterans’ benefits.
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
P.O. Box 30220
Lansing, MI 48909-7720
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement
As an institution that participates in federal financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Baker College is required to comply with recently published regulations regarding distance education. On December 19, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education published regulations, with an effective date of July 1, 2018, clarifying the state authorization requirements an institution must follow and added sections on required institutional disclosures for distance education and correspondence courses. The regulations require institutions of higher education to obtain approval from the states in which they provide postsecondary education programs. The regulations allow authorization to come directly from a state or through a “state authorization reciprocity agreement”.
Baker College participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), which is an agreement among states that establishes national standards for the interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. Through SARA, Baker College may provide distance education to residents of any other SARA member state without seeking authorization from each SARA member state.
All states other than California participate in NC-SARA. As an accredited private institution, Baker College is exempt from approval by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education.
Location & State of Residency Determination
Institutions must determine in which state a student is located while enrolled in a distance education or correspondence course, and make such determinations consistently and apply them to all students. Per Baker College policy, the student’s location is determined based on the state listed as their home address on the admissions application. Once established, students may change their location & state of residency by updating their home address on file.
Professional Licensure and Certification
Federal regulations require Baker College to publicly disclose, for each educational program designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (or advertised as meeting those requirements), information about whether program completion would meet those requirements in a state. These public disclosure requirements apply to all programs, regardless of their modality (i.e., on-ground, online, and hybrid programs).
All current and prospective students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements, including, without limitation, information regarding any non-educational requirements (such as work experience, background clearance, or examination by outside entities, such as bar examinations).
The information in the table below should not be construed as guaranteeing that any particular professional licensure/certification authority will approve a student’s application; nor should the information in the table be read to imply that other requirements for professional licensure/certification do not exist or that other requirements for professional licensure/certification have been determined to have been met by Baker College’s program/course, or that any necessary approvals for clinical or other experiential learning placements are secured by virtue of a student’s enrollment at Baker College.
State professional licensure/certification requirements are subject to change at any time.
| School/Program | Approved for Licensure in Michigan | Approved for Licensure in other States | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| College of Health Sciences Surgical Technology Associate Degree | Yes | Yes, all states | students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements |
| College of Health Sciences Veterinary Technology Associate Degree | Yes | Yes, all states | students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements |
| College of Health Sciences Occupational Therapy Masters Degree | Yes | Yes, all states | students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements |
| College of Health Sciences Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate Degree | Yes | Yes, all states | students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements |
| College of Health Sciences Physical Therapy Assistant Associate Degree | Yes | Yes, all states | students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements |
| School of Nursing Nursing Pre-RN Licensure | Yes | Yes, all states | students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements |
Note: Baker College offers additional programs which do not require licensure for employment within the state of Michigan; however, licensure may be required for employment in other states. Students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements.
Note: Students enrolled in a program requiring licensure for employment whose state residency (as determined based on the above policy) is outside the state of Michigan will be contacted regarding the licensure requirements.
Student Complaint Information
Baker College encourages students and prospective students initially to address complaints relating to Baker College institutional policies and consumer protection issues with personnel in the office, department or college that caused the alleged grievance. Additionally, formal complaints may be submitted using our Complaint Form.
Complaints concerning broad institutional academic practices, such as those that raise issues regarding College’s ability to meet accreditation standards, may be forwarded to the:
Higher Learning Commission
230 S. LaSalle St.
Chicago, Illinois 60604-1411
(800) 621-7440 / (312) 263-0456
https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/complaints.html
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity is the agency designated to review complaints against institutions of higher education providing distance education. Complaints concerning Baker College’s distance education activities regulated by Michigan’s Higher Education Authorization and Distance Education Reciprocal Exchange Act (2015 PA 45) may be directed to the:
State of Michigan
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
Employment & Training, Post-Secondary Schools
P.O. Box 30726
Lansing, MI 48907
https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/wd/pss
