Student Consumer Information

The U.S. Higher Education Act require universities participating in federally funded financial aid programs to make certain information about the institution available to current and prospective students and other interested parties. This page aggregates links to a wide range of such information available online from a variety of sources on campus.

See also: College Navigator (National Center for Education Statistics)

Institutions are required to provide certain general disclosures for educational programs that prepare students for professional licensure. The required information relates to whether the educational program meets the requirements for professional licensure in all other states.

The B. Arch and M. Arch programs in Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is accredited by National Architectural Accrediting Board. RPI has determined that these programs meet the licensure requirements of New York State - Architecture Licensed Professions. The New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, Architecture, has established guidelines for the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

While the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) establishes national licensure and registration requirements, and their web resources, especially the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), are extremely useful, it is important to keep in mind that individual states may have more specialized guidelines that supersede NCARB's guidelines.  Professional licensure and certification requirements may vary fromstate to state and RPI can only provide assurance that its programs meet NYS requirements.  Students should contact the appropriate licensing agency for his or her home state to obtain the most up to date information.

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a national initiative to provide more access to online courses while maintaining compliance standards with state regulatory agencies. SARA allows institutions to provide online courses outside of their own state borders by seeking and maintaining state approvals via a streamlined process. To learn more about SARA, visit: nc-sara.org.  New York State is a member of SARA, and Rensselaer has been approved for participation by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).

None of Rensselaer's distance learning programs lead to licensure or certification.

Students residing in states other than New York while enrolled in a course offered by Rensselaer are encouraged to contact their academic department to resolve the matter informally, or they may follow the Report a Concern complaint process prior to filing a complaint with their state agency or agencies.  If a complaint related to distance education (not issues related to grades or examinations) is not resolved satisfactorily within the Institute, then students may also file a complaint with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) (http://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/filing-complaint-about-college-or-university) which oversees higher education in New York State.  A student may appeal the institution's decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.

Contact Information:

New York State Education Department
Office of College and University Evaluation
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
Ph:  518-474-1551
Email: IHEAuthorize@nysed.gov

More information about the student complaint process can be found on the NC-SARA website at https://www.nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0. Please note that SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades or student conduct violations.

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518-276-6487

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