UCI State Authorization for Online Programs

UC Irvine Authorized States

State authorization is a regulation of the U.S. Department of Education that requires institutions offering distance education courses to be authorized by each state in which the institution enrolls students (if such authorization is required by the state). Each state has a different set of requirements when it comes to allowing out-of-state universities to offer online graduate degree programs to its residents. UCI is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). More information on UCI’s accreditation is available here.

UC Information on State Authorization of Distance Education 

Our current status in each of the states is provided below:

State

Approval

Alabama

In process

Alaska

Exempt per Regulations

Arizona

Exempt per Regulations

Arkansas

In process

California

Institutional Authorization

Colorado

Exempt per Regulations

Connecticut

Institutional Authorization

Delaware

Institutional Authorization

District of Columbia

In process

Florida

Exempt per Regulations

Georgia

In process

Hawaii

Exempt per Regulations

Idaho

Exempt per Regulations

Illinois

Exempt per Regulations

Indiana

Exempt per Regulations

Iowa

Exempt per Regulations

Kansas

Exempt per Regulations

Kentucky

Exempt per Regulations

Louisiana

In process

Maine

Exempt per Regulations

Maryland

Institutional Authorization

Massachusetts

Exempt per Regulations

Michigan

Institutional Authorization

Minnesota

Not currently enrolling students in Master of Pharmacology, all other programs are registered

Mississippi

In process

Missouri

Exempt per Regulations

Montana

Institutional Authorization

Nebraska

Exempt per Regulations

Nevada

Exempt per Regulations

New Hampshire

Exempt per Regulations

New Jersey

In process

New Mexico

Institutional Authorization

New York

Institutional Authorization

North Carolina

Not pursuing authorization at this time

North Dakota

In process

Ohio

Exempt per Regulations

Oklahoma

Exempt per Regulations

Oregon

In process

Pennsylvania

Institutional Authorization

Puerto Rico

More investigation required

Rhode Island

In process

South Carolina

Exempt per Regulations

South Dakota

Exempt per Regulations

Tennessee

Exempt per Regulations

Texas

Exempt per Regulations

Utah

Exempt per Regulations

Vermont

Exempt per Regulations

Virginia

Institutional Authorization

Washington

Exempt per Regulations

West Virginia

Exempt per Regulations

Wisconsin

In process

Wyoming

Institutional Authorization

Explanation of Terms

Exempt per Regulations

According to regulations for state authorization, UCI is exempt and can enroll students residing this state in online programs.

Institutional Authorization

UCI has obtained authorization from this state by submitting all required documentation and obtaining approval. UCI can enroll students residing in this state in online programs.

In process

UCI is in the process of obtaining authorization from this state.  This page will be updated when authorization is obtained.

Not pursuing authorization at this time

UCI is not pursuing authorization in this state and may not enroll students residing this state in online programs.

General Disclosures: 

  • Transfer of credit is at the sole discretion of the receiving institution.  
  • Admission into programs for professions that require licensure and certification does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or certificate. Licensure and certification requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the University of California and licensure and certification requirements can change at any time. The University of California has not determined whether its programs meet other states’ educational or professional requirements for licensure and certification. Students enrolled in a University of California program who are planning to pursue licensure or certification in other states are responsible for determining whether they will meet their state’s requirements for licensure or certification. This disclosure is made pursuant to 34 CFR §668.43(a)(5)(v)(C). 

State-Specific Disclosures: 

  • Arkansas: Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board Certification does not constitute an endorsement of any institution, course, or degree program. Such certification merely indicates that certain minimum standards have been met under the rules and regulations of institutional certification as defined in Arkansas Code §6-61-301. 
  • Minnesota: University of California, Irvine is registered with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to Minnesota Statutes sections 136A.61 to 136A.71. Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions.”

Student Complaint Contact Information by State 

Students who have complaints that have not been resolved through contact with the University may seek advisement from the appropriate office in the student’s state of residence, listed below. 

This list includes contact information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and should not be construed as informative of what agencies regulate the institution or in what states the institution is authorized to operate. States will accept complaints regardless of whether an institution is authorized to operate in that state. The University does not maintain state and territory websites, and information may change without the University’s knowledge. 

ALABAMA 
Alabama Community College System 
Attn: Division of Academic and Student Affairs 
PO Box 302130 
Montgomery, AL 36130-2130 
Phone: 334-293-4500 

ALASKA
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education 
PO Box 110505, 
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0505 
Phone: 907-465-6741 

ARIZONA
Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education  
1740 W. Adams St., Suite 3008 
Phoenix, AZ 85007 
Phone: 602-542-5709 

ARKANSAS
Arkansas Division of Higher Education 
423 Main St., Suite 400 
Little Rock, AR 72201-3818 
Phone: 501-371-2000 

CALIFORNIA 
California Department of Consumer Affairs 
Consumer Information Center 
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112 
Sacramento, CA 95834 
Phone: 833-942-1120 

COLORADO
Colorado Department of Higher Education 
Commission on Higher Education 
1600 Broadway, Suite 2200 
Denver, CO 80202 
Phone: 303-862-3001 

CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Office of Higher Education 
Emily Bjornberg
Senior Consultant
Academic Affairs
450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 707
Hartford, CT 06103
Emily.Bjornberg@ct.gov
www.ohe.ct.gov
860-947-1824 (office)

DELAWARE 
Delaware Department of Education 
The Townsend Building 
401 Federal St., Suite 2 
Dover, DE 19901-3639 
Phone: 302-735-4000 

FLORIDA 
Florida Department of Education 
Commission for Independent Education 
325 W. Gaines St., Suite 1414 
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 
Phone: 850-245-0505 

GEORGIA 
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission 
2082 E. Exchange Pl., Suite 220 
Tucker, GA 30084 
Phone: 770-414-3300 

HAWAII 
Business Registration Division of the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs 
PO Box 40 
Honolulu, HI 96810 
Phone: 808-586-2727 

IDAHO
Idaho State Board of Education 
State Authorization Program Manager 
PO Box 83720 
Boise, ID 83720-0037 
Phone: 208-332-1587 

ILLINOIS
Illinois Board of Higher Education 
1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333 
Springfield, IL 62701-1377 
Phone: 217-782-2551 

INDIANA
Board for Proprietary Education Indiana Commission for Higher Education 
101 W. Ohio St., Suite 300 
Indianapolis, IN 46204 
Phone: 317-464-4400 

IOWA 
Iowa College Student Aid Commission 
475 SW Fifth St., Suite D 
Des Moines, IA 50309 
Phone: 877-272-4456 

KANSAS 
The Kansas Board of Regents 
1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 520 
Topeka, KS 66612-4240 
Phone: 785-430-4240 

KENTUCKY
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education 
100 Airport Rd. 
Frankfort, KY 40601 
Phone: 502-573-1555 

LOUISIANA 
State of Louisiana Board of Regents 
1201 N. Third St., Suite 6-200 
Baton Rouge, LA 70802 
Phone: 225-342-4253 

Louisiana Alternate Contact: 

Office of the Attorney General 
Consumer Protection Section 
P.O. Box 94005 
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9005 
Phone: 225-326-6464 or 800-351-4889 

MAINE 
Maine Department of Education 
23 State House Station 
Augusta, ME 04333-0023 
Phone: 207-624-6600 

MARYLAND 
Maryland Higher Education Commission 
6 N. Liberty St., 10th Floor 
Baltimore, MD 21201 
Phone: 410-767-3301 

Maryland Alternate Contact: 

Maryland Office of the Attorney General 
200 St. Paul Place 
Baltimore, MD 21202 
Phone: 410-576-6300 or 888-743-0023 

MASSACHUSETTS 
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education 
One Ashburton Place, Suite 1401 
Boston, MA 02108-1696 
Phone: 617-994-6950 

MICHIGAN 
Michigan Department of Education 
PO Box 30008 
Lansing, MI 48909 
Phone: 517-373-9235 

MINNESOTA 
Minnesota Office of Higher Education 
1450 Energy Park Dr., Suite 350 
St. Paul, MN 55108 
Phone: 651-259-3975 or 800-657-3866 

MISSISSIPPI 
Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation 
3825 Ridgewood Rd. 
Jackson, MS 39211 
Phone: 601-432-6372 

MISSOURI 
Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development 
301 W. High St. 
Jefferson City, MO 65101 
Phone: 573-751-2361 

MONTANA 
Montana University System 
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education 
560 N. Park Ave. 
PO Box 203201 
Helena, MT 59620-3201 
Phone: 406-449-9124  

NEBRASKA
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education 
ATTN: Complaints 
PO Box 95005 
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005 
Phone: 402-471-2847 

NEVADA 
Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education 
2800 E. St. Louis Avenue 
Las Vegas, NV 89104 
Phone: 702-486-7330 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 
New Hampshire Department of Education 
101 Pleasant Street 
Concord, NH 03301-3494 
Phone: 603-271-3494

NEW JERSEY 
New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education 
ATTN: Complaints 
P.O. Box 542 
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0542 
Phone: 609-292-4310 

NEW MEXICO 
New Mexico Higher Education Department 
2044 Galisteo St., Suite 4 
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100 
Phone: 505-476-8400 

NEW YORK 
New York State Education Department 
Office of College and University Evaluation 
89 Washington Avenue 
EBA Room 960 
Albany, New York 12234 
Phone: 518-486-3633 

NORTH CAROLINA 
North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints 
910 Raleigh Road 
Chapel Hill, NC 27514 
Phone: 919-962-4558 

North Carolina Alternate Contact: 

North Carolina Department of Justice 
Consumer Protection Division 
Attorney General’s Office 
Mail Service Center 9001 
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001 
Phone: 877-566-7226 or 919-716-6000 

NORTH DAKOTA 
North Dakota University System 
Core Technology Services 
2000 44th St. SW, Suite 301 
Fargo, ND 58103 

OHIO
Ohio Department of Higher Education 
25 South Front Street 
Columbus, OH 43215 
Phone: 614-728-3095 

OKLAHOMA 
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 
655 Research Pkwy, Suite 200 
Oklahoma City, OK 73104-3603 
Phone: 405-225-9100 or 405-225-9142 

OREGON
Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission 
3225 25th Street SE 
Salem, Oregon 97302 
Phone: 503-947-2448

PENNSYLVANIA 
Pennsylvania Department of Education 
Office of Chief Counsel 
333 Market Street, 9th Floor 
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 
Phone: 717-783-6788 

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Departamento de Estado 
Consejo de Educacion Superior de Puerto Rico/ 
Puerto Rico Council on Higher Ed. 
PO BOX 9023271 
San Juan, PR 00902-3271 
Phone: 787-722-2121 

RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Education Commission 
560 Jefferson Blvd. 
Warwick, RI 02886-1304 
Phone: 401-736-1100 

SOUTH CAROLINA 
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education 
1122 Lady Street Suite 300 
Columbia, SC 29201 
Phone: 803-737-3918 

SOUTH DAKOTA 
South Dakota Board of Regents 
306 East Capitol Ave Suite 200 
Pierre, SD 57501 
Phone: 605-773-3455 

TENNESSEE 
Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation 
Parkway Towers, Suite 1900 
404 James Robertson Pkwy 
Nashville, TN 37243-0830 
Phone: 615-741-5293 or 615-253-8857 

TEXAS 
Texas Workforce Commission 
Career Schools and Colleges-Rm 226-T 
101 East 15th Street 
Austin, TX 78778-0001 
Phone: 512-936-3100 

Texas Alternate Contact #1: 

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 
Office of General Counsel 
P.O. Box 12788 
Austin, TX 78711-2788 
Phone: 512-427-6101 

Texas Alternate Contact #2: 

Texas Office of the Attorney General 
Consumer Protection Division 
P.O. Box 12548 
Austin, TX 78711-2548 

UTAH 
Utah System of Higher Education State Board of Regents 
60 South 400 West 
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1284 
Phone: 801-321-7200 or 1-800-418-8757 

VERMONT 
Vermont Agency of Education 
219 North Main St., Suite 402 
Barre, VT 05641 
Phone: 802-479-1030 

Vermont Alternate Contact: 

Vermont Attorney General’s Office 
109 State Street 
Montpelier, VT 05609-1001 
Phone: 802-828-3171 

VIRGINIA 
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 
James Monroe Building 
101 N. 14th St., 10th Floor 
Richmond, VA 23219 
Phone: 804-225-2600 

WASHINGTON 
Washington Student Achievement Council 
917 Lakeridge Way SW 
Olympia, WA 98502 
Phone: 360-753-7625 

WASHINGTON D.C. 
Office of the State Superintendent of Education 
Higher Education Licensure Commission 
1050 First St. NE 
Washington, DC 20002 
Phone: 202-724-7860 

WEST VIRGINIA 
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission 
1018 Kanawha Boulevard East, Suite 700 
Charleston, WV 25301 
Phone: 304-558-2101 

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services 
Educational Approval Program 
P.O. Box 8366 
Madison, WI 53708-8366 
Phone: 608-266-1996 

WYOMING 
Wyoming Department of Education 
122 W. 25th St., Suite E200 
Cheyenne, WY 82002 
Phone: 307-777-7675

AMERICAN SAMOA 
American Samoa Office of Protection & Advocacy 
Attn: Dr. Peter Tinitali 
Executive Office Building 
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 
Phone: 684-699-2441 

GUAM
Guam Office of Attorney General 
287 W O’Brien Dr. 
Hagatna, Guam 96910 
Phone: 671-475-3324 

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 
State Higher Education Agency, Northern Marianas College 
POB 501250 
Saipan MP 96950-1250 

Northern Mariana Islands Alternate Contact: 

Northern Mariana Islands Office of the Attorney General 
Juan A Sablan Memorial Bldg. 
Capital Hill 
Caller Box 10007, Saipan, MP 96950 
Phone: 670-234-5498 

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands 
Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs 
Golden Rock Shopping Center, 
3000 Estate Golden Rock, Suite 9, St. Croix, VI 00820 
Phone: 340-713-2754 

Refund Policy for Oregon Students: 

Per OAR 583-030-0035(18)(c), UCI shall provide a tuition refund to Oregon students withdrawing from online graduate professional instruction on the following schedule: 

There shall be a 50% prorated refund up to the middle week of a term. For a ten-week quarter, there will be a 50% refund up to the end of the 5th week. 

Refund Policy for Maryland Students: 

Per §11–202.2.(d)(1) and (2) of the Annotated Code of Maryland and COMAR13B.05.01.10, UCI shall provide a tuition refund to Maryland students withdrawing from online graduate professional instruction on the following schedule: 

Proportion of Total Course, Program, or Term Completed as of Date of Withdrawal 

Tuition Refund  

Less than 10%  

90% refund  

10% up to but not including 20%  

80% refund  

20% up to but not including 30%  

60% refund  

30% up to but not including 40%  

40% refund  

40% up to and including 60%  

20% refund  

More than 60%  

No refund