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. Currently, the only two degrees RPI offers that lead to licensure are in the School of Architecture. They are the B.Arch and M.Arch programs which are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

Per U.S. Federal Regulations (34 CFR §668.14 and §668.43), and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), RPI provides the following disclosure regarding whether its Architecture programs meet state educational requirements for professional licensure.

Architects must be licensed to practice. Every U.S. jurisdiction (50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) requires licensure.

Every jurisdiction has three core requirements:

  1. Education—Earn an architecture degree from a NAAB-accredited program. A NAAB-accredited professional degree is accepted by all 55 jurisdictions and required by 37. Since RPI’s B.Arch. and M.Arch. programs are NAAB-accredited degree programs, RPI has reasonably determined that its educational programs meet the education requirement necessary for licensure in each state.
  2. Experience. Licensure requires documentation of real-world experience through the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®).
  3. Examination. Knowledge and skills are assessed by the six-division Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®).

This disclosure is strictly limited to RPI’s determination of the education requirement referenced above. This determination does not guarantee eligibility for licensure, as states require additional elements beyond educational preparation, such as experience and examination mentioned above. Furthermore, states may require other conditions, such as background checks, residency requirements, and other application requirements.

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) (https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-student-complaint-process) 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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