Admission of applicants located outside the state of North Carolina to an online degree or certificate program or individual online course offered by UNC Pembroke is dependent upon UNC Pembroke's ability to secure authorization from the applicant's state of location, if such authorization is required.

UNC Pembroke has been approved by the state of North Carolina to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. Institutions that are members of NC-SARA are authorized to provide online education to students from all NC-SARA member states. Forty-eight states (all except California and Massachusetts) currently participate in NC-SARA. NC-SARA operates under the authority of four regional education compacts: the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, the New England Board of Higher Education, the Southern Regional Board and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. North Carolina is one of 16 states in the Southern Regional Board compact.

Please visit NC-SARA for more information regarding state and institutional membership.