UNCW state authorization: SARA, California and the nursing disclosures
UNCW has taken part in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement since February 8, 2017, and offers distance programs in California under state exemptions. For nursing, it publishes one state-by-state licensure disclosure, covering the on-campus BSN and ABSN. The DNP, MSN and RN-BSN have none, and UNCW lists no states it excludes. Here is what that means for each program.
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UNCW and SARA
UNCW's State Authorization page puts it plainly: "As of February 8, 2017, UNC Wilmington has been approved to participate in State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements." North Carolina joined SARA through the Southern Regional Education Board. Under the agreement, a student living in another member state can take UNCW's distance courses, and that state's higher-education agency recognizes them.
SARA settles the university's authority to teach you where you live. It does not settle licensing or where clinical work may happen. UNCW's own list of activities that need attention across state lines includes clinical placements, internships, practicums and professional licensure, and state nursing boards keep separate rules on each. UNCW's page gives no renewal date for its SARA participation, and the NC-SARA directory is the place that lists member institutions.
California: outside SARA, served by exemption
California is the one state that has not joined SARA. UNCW's page says it "offers distance programs in the non-SARA state of California pursuant to state exemptions," so authorization alone does not keep a California resident out of UNCW's online courses.
Licensure is another question. UNCW's disclosure marks the on-campus BSN and ABSN as "Does Not Meet*" for California, and the asterisk refers to additional educational requirements that UNCW explains only through the program contact named in the disclosure. For NP programs, California's Board of Registered Nursing requires prior approval before an out-of-state NP program places students there, and no North Carolina school appears on its list. UNCW's own rule keeps NP clinicals in North Carolina regardless. The California guide covers that state's board and compact status.
The one nursing licensure disclosure
Federal rules ask colleges to tell students whether a program that leads to a license meets each state's educational requirements. UNCW publishes these in a single "State Licensure Disclosures" document linked from the State Authorization page. Its School of Nursing lesson holds one entry, combining the prelicensure BSN and the Accelerated BSN.
- Meets: the other 49 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Does not meet: California, marked with an asterisk for additional educational requirements.
- No license offered: the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.
The School of Nursing lesson was last edited in May 2026, and the document's introduction asks readers to keep checking back because programs are still making determinations. An on-campus BSN or ABSN student who plans to be licensed in California should raise it with the program contact the disclosure names.
What UNCW publishes for the DNP, MSN and RN-BSN
No state-by-state disclosure exists for the DNP concentrations, the MSN Nurse Educator, the Nurse Educator certificate or the RN-BSN. For the educator programs and the RN-BSN that is expected, since none of them leads to a first nursing license. The gap that matters is the NP concentrations, which prepare graduates for national certification and then for state approval to practice.
In place of a disclosure, each NP concentration page carries a general line: UNCW's programs leading to licensure or certification satisfy North Carolina's requirements and prepare students for the applicable exams, and requirements in other states may differ. The School of Nursing section of the State Authorization page adds that nursing has unique requirements in every state and that anyone considering nursing outside North Carolina should check them before enrolling. That section names a School of Nursing contact and a DNP contact for these questions.
Put simply, UNCW builds its NP programs to North Carolina's standard. Whether they satisfy another state's NP rules is for you to confirm with that state's board.
Program by program
| Program | Licensure disclosure | Where clinical or practicum work happens | If you live outside North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN Prelicensure and ABSN (on campus) | Meets everywhere except California (Does Not Meet*) | School-assigned sites near Wilmington | You study in Wilmington; the disclosure shows the license outlook by state |
| DNP FNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP (BSN-DNP) | None published | North Carolina only | Online courses from home, clinicals at NC sites under an NC or compact license |
| PMHNP Post-Doctoral Certificate | None published | North Carolina only | Same as the NP concentrations |
| DNP Post APRN and Nurse Executive Leadership | None published | DNP project in the state where you are licensed | The project can be near home |
| MSN Nurse Educator and certificate | None published; no first license | Where your preceptor is licensed | The practicum can be near home; check your board's rules |
| RN-BSN (online) | None published; no first license | Your workplace or outside work, no set hours | UNCW Online says it is open to nurses in most states |
The location rule for NP hours has its own guide, the North Carolina clinical rule, and the license side is explained in NC or compact RN license.
No list of excluded states
Many online schools post the states whose residents they cannot admit. UNCW has no such list on its State Authorization page, in the disclosure or on the UNCW Online program pages. The online RN-BSN and MSN Nurse Educator pages show separate out-of-state tuition, and the RN-BSN FAQ calls the program open to nurses in most U.S. states, both signs that nonresidents enroll.
An empty list is not a green light everywhere. Some state boards require an out-of-state program to be approved or listed before a student does any practicum in that state, and UNCW was not found on several of those lists. That matters for the online programs whose practicums can happen outside North Carolina, as laid out on online programs outside North Carolina. UNCW's page also cautions that changes in state law can affect licensure eligibility and asks students to discuss it with their program before enrolling.
How we fit in, wherever you live
For NP students outside North Carolina, the authorization question has a short answer: your clinical hours happen in North Carolina, so your preceptor does too. That is exactly where our search is strongest. We look statewide for preceptors and sites that fit your UNCW practicum course, including areas close to the South Carolina and Virginia lines, and we prepare the complete packet UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, early.
For nurse educator students, we look for a qualified educator preceptor where you are licensed and check that state's board rules before you commit to a site. UNCW's coordinator and program faculty approve every site and preceptor; we make sure what reaches them is complete and fits UNCW's rules. Start with the form below.
Questions UNCW students ask
Is UNCW a SARA school?
Yes. UNCW says it has been approved to participate in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement since February 8, 2017, with North Carolina taking part through the Southern Regional Education Board. SARA covers distance education across member states; nursing boards still set their own rules for licensure and for clinical placements in their state.
Can California residents enroll in UNCW's online nursing programs?
UNCW says it offers distance programs in California, the only non-SARA state, under state exemptions. For licensure, its disclosure lists the on-campus BSN and ABSN as not meeting California's requirements. The online programs carry no California-specific disclosure, so check with the California Board of Registered Nursing before you enroll.
Does UNCW publish a licensure disclosure for its DNP nurse practitioner programs?
Not as a state-by-state list. The NP concentration pages say UNCW's licensure programs satisfy North Carolina's requirements and that other states' requirements may differ, and the State Authorization page tells anyone considering nursing outside North Carolina to check state requirements first. The DNP contact named on that page handles these questions.
Which states are excluded from UNCW's online nursing programs?
UNCW has not published a list of excluded states. Its online pages show out-of-state tuition, and the RN-BSN FAQ says the program is open to nurses in most U.S. states. Some state boards, such as Washington and Wisconsin, require out-of-state programs to be approved before a practicum there, so check your own board as well.
Does moving out of North Carolina affect my UNCW nursing program?
UNCW has no published relocation policy. NP students keep the North Carolina-only clinical rule wherever they live, along with the NC or compact license requirement. Educator and RN-BSN students tie their license and practicum to where they live or where the practicum is, so a move can change which board's rules apply. Tell your program before you move.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against UNCW's catalog, handbooks and School of Nursing pages. Your course, your cohort's handbook and UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
UNCW asks you to find your own North Carolina preceptor. Let us run that search.
Tell us your UNCW program, your practicum course and where in North Carolina you can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the CV, license and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, well before the deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care, pediatrics and women's health for
NSGL 650toNSGL 653, adult and older-adult care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - Preceptor CV with dates and site, license number and agency details ready for your submission
- In Wilmington, the Cape Fear region or wherever in North Carolina your clinicals can happen
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