Planning an Online Course or Program?

State Authorization and How it Affects Your Online Education

Purdue University is obligated to comply with other states’ laws regarding the delivery of distance education. For purposes of this summary, distance education includes any traditional, online, and hybrid program or course involving instruction given, in whole or in part, outside the state of Indiana. State laws regarding distance education vary state-by-state, and even program-by-program within a state. Consequently, compliance with state authorization requirements is an ongoing process.

Traditional Courses – Regulations also vary state-by-state with respect to traditional courses that take place outside the state of Indiana (internship, externship, clerkship, practicum, rotation, clinical, independent study, study away, mentoring, advising, proctoring and the like) and may not necessarily be the same regulations regarding online distance education.

Residency – Course and program availability varies by state. Admission into a program is granted at the time of initial acceptance into the program and is dependent on program availability in the state where the student is physically located at the time of admission. If a student moves to a different state after admission to the program, continuation within the program will depend on the availability of the program within the new state where the student is physically present. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the institution of a change in physical presence. Whether military personnel stationed outside the state of Indiana, may enroll or continue in a Purdue University distance education program or not, is based on where military personnel are stationed.