About UAT

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) pursues to offer online classes (distance education) in every state while abiding to regulatory and governing standards. UAT works through the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) process to confirm that when authorization or licensure is necessary, proper approvals are secured.

The state of Arizona is a member of SARA, and UAT is an approved SARA institution. This means UAT has reciprocity approval for distance education with other SARA approved states. This membership makes it possible for students to take online courses in other states. Students can rest assured their college meets SARA requirements for distance education.

Distance Education students may submit non-instructional complaints to the Arizona SARA Council after the institution's internal and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education's Grievance Processes have been completed. Complaints regarding student grades or student conduct violations may not be appealed to the AZ SARA Council. Complaints must be submitted within two years of the incident. Please refer to the Student Catalog under 'General Grievances' for full details on how to submit complaints. The Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education’s grievance process can be found here: https://ppse.az.gov/resources/student-complaint. The AZ SARA complaint process can be found here: https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints.

SARA is overseen by the National Council (NC-SARA) and administered by four regional education compacts. Arizona’s regional compact is the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE).

For more information about the NC-SARA or approved Arizona institutions, please visit http://www.nc-sara.org/.

The State of California established the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) to relieve or mitigate economic loss suffered by a student in an educational program at a qualifying institution, who is or was a California resident while enrolled, or was enrolled in a residency program, if the student enrolled in the institution, prepaid tuition, and suffered an economic loss. Unless relieved of the obligation to do so, you must pay the state-imposed assessment for the STRF, or it must be paid on your behalf, if you are a student in an educational program, who is a California resident, or are enrolled in a residency program, and prepay all or part of your tuition.

You are not eligible for protection from the STRF and you are not required to pay the STRF assessment, if you are not a California resident, or are not enrolled in a residency program.

It is important that you keep copies of your enrollment agreement, financial aid documents, receipts, or any other information that documents the amount paid to the school. Questions regarding the STRF may be directed to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95833, (916) 431-6959 or (888) 370- 7589.

To be eligible for STRF, you must be a California resident or are enrolled in a residency program, prepaid tuition, paid or deemed to have paid the STRF assessment, and suffered an economic loss as a result of any of the following:

1. The institution, a location of the institution, or an educational program offered by the institution was closed or discontinued, and you did not choose to participate in a teach-out plan approved by the Bureau or did not complete a chosen teach-out plan approved by the Bureau.
2. You were enrolled at an institution or a location of the institution within the 120 day period before the closure of the institution or location of the institution, or were enrolled in an educational program within the 120 day period before the program was discontinued.
3. You were enrolled at an institution or a location of the institution more than 120 days before the closure of the institution or location of the institution, in an educational program offered by the institution as to which the Bureau determined there was a significant decline in the quality or value of the program more than 120 days before closure.
4. The institution has been ordered to pay a refund by the Bureau but has failed to do so.
5. The institution has failed to pay or reimburse loan proceeds under a federal student loan program as required by law, or has failed to pay or reimburse proceeds received by the institution in excess of tuition and other costs.
6. You have been awarded restitution, a refund, or other monetary award by an arbitrator or court, based on a violation of this chapter by an institution or representative of an institution, but have been unable to collect the award from the institution.
7. You sought legal counsel that resulted in the cancellation of one or more of your student loans and have an invoice for services rendered and evidence of the cancellation of the student loan or loans.

To qualify for STRF reimbursement, the application must be received within four (4) years from the date of the action or event that made the student eligible for recovery from STRF.

A student whose loan is revived by a loan holder or debt collector after a period of noncollection may, at any time, file a written application for recovery from STRF for the debt that would have otherwise been eligible for recovery. If it has been more than four (4) years since the action or event that made the student eligible, the student must have filed a written application for recovery within the original four (4) year period, unless the period has been extended by another act of law.

However, no claim can be paid to any student without a social security number or a taxpayer identification number.

The Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education's complaint process can be found here: https://ppse.az.gov/resources/student-complaint.