This fee reversal applies only when a student is enrolled in State-supported, credit-bearing courses and the campus has determined that the student will not be able to access or use the services. See below for policy definitions.
“Physical Location” = Per NC-SARA Policy Manual 26.1:
Section I. Definitions
16. “Distance education” means: instruction offered by any means where the student and faculty member are in separate physical locations. It includes, but is not limited to, online, interactive video, and correspondence courses or programs.
Section IV. Coverage and Limitations of SARA
5.12. Student mobility
a. Location of student
- Educational activity under SARA policies is deemed to occur where the student is physically located at the time the student is in contact with the educational provider or a contractor acting on behalf of the provider.
- The student’s legal state of residence is not a factor in determining physical location for purposes of SARA.
- The fact that the student moved involuntarily (for example owing to service in the military or incarceration) is irrelevant to a determination of location for purposes of subsection “1” above
b. Independent study by students
- Independent off-campus study, e.g., independent fieldwork for a thesis or dissertation, by individual students not engaged in a supervised field experience or in direct contact with the student’s institution does not constitute a physical presence of a postsecondary institution in a SARA member state.
“Objective Measure” for distance students = Per Board of Regents Policy 940.3 – Mandatory Fees:
Exemption from Certain Mandatory Fees for Distance and Incarcerated Students
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Campuses shall make students exempt from certain mandatory fees under this section if they are unable to use the services funded by the mandatory fees due to special circumstances, including, but not limited to, incarceration or residence at a distance from campus that makes it unlikely the student can regularly access on-campus services (including if the student is participating in a full-term off-site clinical or student teaching experience). Each campus will set an objective measure for which distance education students are eligible for fee exemption under this section.
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For students described in 1 above, campuses shall only waive the following mandatory fees:
a. Athletic Fees;
b. Health Services Fees;
c. Recreation Fees; and
d. Student Government / Activity Fees.
3. Campuses, at their discretion, may offer students for whom fees are waived the opportunity to pay any or all the above fees listed on a positive check-off basis.
4. This fee waiver applies only when a student is taking State-supported, credit-bearing courses and the campus has determined the student will generally not be able to consume the service(s) funded by the waived fees.