Accreditation and Authorization

Accreditation

The University of Texas Permian Basin is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of The University of Texas Permian Basin.

State Authorization

State authorization makes it possible for students outside of Texas to participate in UT Permian Basin online courses. In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education State Authorization Regulations in Section 600.9 of the Oct. 29, 2010, final program integrity rule, The University of Texas System on behalf of The University of Texas Permian Basin has made a "good faith effort" in pursuing state authorization from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For UT Permian Basin to offer online courses in a state other than Texas, UT Permian Basin must comply with that state's requirements. These requirements differ from state to state. UT Permian Basin is authorized to offer online courses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

UT Permian Basin has been approved by the State of Texas to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. Institutions that join NC-SARA are held to the national standard in each member state rather than the individual state’s regulations, thus making authorization of distance education more streamlined. The set of quality standards, originally developed by the Western Cooperative of Educational Telecommunications, is available on the THECB web site.