Effective Date: July 1, 2024
Issuing Authority: Provost
Policy Contact: Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness, 478-301-2450
Purpose
In accordance with U.S. Department of Education regulations and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) guidelines, Mercer University is required to have a University-wide process for collecting and reporting student location data for the purpose of providing disclosures to students in programs that lead to professional licensure and for accurately reporting the location of online learning students and those engaged in experiential learning outside of Georgia.
Scope
This policy applies to each student enrolled in a program that leads to professional licensure, a program that includes experiential learning placements, an online program, or exclusively online courses.
Exclusions
None
Definitions
As used in this policy, the following terms have the meaning specified below:
Current Location: The physical location where a student lives while enrolled in classes for a term.
Distance Education Program: A program where students and the instructor are present at the same location for less than fifty percent of instructional time. This includes hybrid and online programs.
Experiential Learning Placement: An internship, externship, clinical rotation, field-based experience, or other similar experience that confers credit and takes place off-campus.
Face-to-Face Program: A program offered on one of the university campuses or sites where the instructor and student are present at the same location for more than fifty percent of instruction.
Hybrid Program: A program offered on one of the university campuses or sites where students and instructor are present at the same location for less than fifty percent of instructional time.
Licensure (or Certification): An official process administered by a state- or territory-level authority and required by law for an individual to practice a regulated profession in that state or territory.
Online Program: A program offered synchronously or asynchronously where the instructor and student are not present at the same location for any instruction. Enrollments in these programs are reported to NC-SARA every June.
Professional Licensure Disclosure: A disclosure by Mercer University to enrolled and prospective students concerning whether a licensure program meets educational requirements for licensure or certification in the various states and US territories.
Program: An academic program at Mercer University, some of which prepare a student to practice in a field that requires licensure or certification to practice in a particular state or US territory or include an experiential learning placement.
Policy Statement
Mercer University is required to determine the location of prospective and current students at different time points. Student location data must be reported to responsible parties to ensure that the Professional Licensure Disclosures are appropriately distributed and that reports to NC-SARA on distance learners and experiential learning placements are accurate.
- Prospective Students of Professional Licensure Programs
- For prospective students who seek to enroll in a face-to-face program that leads to professional licensure, the student location is the same as the program location.
- For prospective students who seek to enroll in distance education programs that lead to licensure, the state or territory supplied on an application for admission is used to determine the student’s location.
- Enrollment Management is responsible for tracking the student location through Slate CRM.
- Students Enrolled in a Program that Leads to Professional Licensure
- Students are required to indicate their current location when they sign the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and complete the Student Location Confirmation. These data are stored as “Current Location” in the system of record and are available through the University Report server (Location Change Report).
- When a student enrolled in a program that leads to professional licensure indicates a current location in a state where Mercer does not meet the educational requirements for licensure, a notification is triggered in Anthology with the appropriate disclosure. The student will continue to receive notifications until acknowledging receipt of the notification.
- The registrar with responsibility for the academic program receives notification when a student changes their current location and maintains a record.
- Students with an Experiential Learning Placement
The current locations of students enrolled in an experiential learning course are gathered by each college or school Experiential Learning Placement Coordinator who verifies the placement. These data are supplied to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness every spring to fulfill reporting requirements of NC-SARA.
- Students Enrolled in Distance Education Programs or Exclusively in Online Courses
The location of students enrolled in distance education programs or exclusively in online courses are collected when students sign the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and complete the Student Location Confirmation. These data are stored as “Current Location” in the Student Master.
- Student Relocation
Mercer considers a student’s location formally changed, if, during the time of enrollment in a program, the student notifies the registrar of a change in location that involves a change of state or territory. A change to a mailing or billing address may not correspond to a change of the student’s current location. A change to the student’s current location must be confirmed by the Student Location Confirmation.
Additional Resources
- Professional Licensure Disclosure Policy: https://provost.mercer.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2024/07/Professional-Licensure-Disclosure-Policy.pdf
- Associated Regulations
History
Approved by the Provost on October 7, 2020
Revised February 2023
Revised July 1, 2024