Are you a resident of a state other than Georgia? If so, you will not be charged out-of-state tuition if you take entirely online courses exclusively. However, all non-residents and international students (whether taking online courses or not) must check in with UWG (email deregs-list@westga.edu), in order to ensure that UWG is allowed to enroll residents of your state or country. Non-residents should also read all of the details below.

 

Student Responsibility to Know

University of West Georgia may not have made a determination that its curriculum meets educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states outside of Georgia.

 

Background

University of West Georgia offers several programs leading to professional licensure within the state of Georgia and is committed to providing accurate information to all students to aid in career planning. States vary in which professions they require to be licensed and how licensure is obtained. Some states require an individual to graduate from an accredited or approved program. Other states may require an individual to complete additional coursework, fieldwork or training, and/or successful completion of a state licensing exam.

University of West Georgia is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) which allows us to provide online and on-ground programs (both online and in the form of supervised field experiences) and coursework to residents of states other than Georgia. NC-SARA membership, however, does not grant reciprocity or exempt student from state professional licensing requirements. As a result, licensing requirements in Georgia may not be recognized as sufficient to obtain a license in any other state.

While University of West Georgia makes every effort to ensure information about educational requirements for licensure in Georgia is current, it is important to note that licensure regulations are frequently revised. State licensure boards may require applicants to complete professional examinations, background checks, years of professional experience, jurisprudence exams, etc.; these requirements may not be provided by a student’s educational program.

University of West Georgia provides the following information for current and prospective students who are interested or enrolled in University programs that may lead to professional licensure. To reiterate, each U.S. state and territory defines its own requirements for licensing and certification in professional fields, and the University is working to confirm whether its programs meet the educational requirement for licensure in states and territories outside Georgia. Additional information will be added to this resource as it becomes available.

Visit the UWG State Authorization and Professional Licensure Site

 

Supplemental Information by State or Other Source

 

Related to Emergency Measures

Emergency measures by some state licensing boards for some professions and state executive orders address emergency approval for conversion to online courses, program modifications, cancelations of proficiency/licensure testing, and experiential learning opportunities to assist students to move forward in their academic programs during the pandemic. Students may be offered the opportunity to participate in virtual or simulated experiential learning or may be able to obtain a temporary or provisional license in several states. The institutions providing the programs may need to seek approvals by the state boards to provide alternative instruction. It is important for the institution to review the state licensing board requirements. Some national associations of state boards have provided compiled state board emergency responses. (Source: WCET, April 30, 2020)

 

Student Consumer Information, Institutional Authorization, and Consumer Complaints

Regulations associated with federal student financial aid program include the following requirements. “The institution must make available for review to any enrolled or prospective student upon request, a copy of the documents describing the institution’s accreditation and its State, Federal, or tribal approval or licensing. The institution must also provide its students or prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accreditor and with its State approval or licensing entity and any other relevant State official or agency that would appropriately handle a student’s complaint.” The information on the UWG Student Consumer Information page fulfills this obligation. 

If you have questions about an area of professional licensure not covered on this site or require additional clarification about the information published, please email Janet Gubbins at UWG Online via deregs-list@westga.edu.