Student Location
In accordance with the U.S. Department of Education’s requirements set forth in Title IV, 34 CFR § 600.9, 34 CFR § 668.43 and the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), VCU is required to identify and record the location for its current students and any prospective students, in order to ensure that the university is authorized to provide educational opportunities in that location and for the purposes of individual direct professional licensure disclosures.
All programs that lead to licensure or certification, regardless of modality (in-person, distance education), must determine the location for a student and provide the student with the related professional licensure disclosures. Any student who will be attending a licensure program face-to-face, on-campus will be considered to be located on-campus by VCU.
Location refers to:
- the physical street address where student is physically living and/or frequently staying while enrolled in courses, programs, field experiences, or other educational activities or;
- the physical address for a site where a prospective student is physically living and/or frequently staying at the time the prospective student applied for admission to VCU.
A student's location address may or may not be the same as their permanent or mailing address. It might be an address for campus housing, such as the address of a student's dorm building or an off-campus apartment. For example, if a student will be physically located in Virginia, then their location would be the Virginia address where they are located. Or if a student is usually located in Virginia, but this semester they are staying with relatives in Wyoming, the student's location would be the Wyoming address where they are located.
If you have questions, please email location@vcu.edu.
Process for Determining Location
Prospective Students
Location will be determined for a prospective student at the time a prospective student goes through the application for admission process and at the time of initial enrollment in an educational program designed or advertised by the university as leading to professional licensure or state certification.
Step 1:
A program must request location for a prospective student at the time of initial enrollment after the student has indicated their intention to enroll into a program that leads to professional licensure or state certification.
Step 2:
The program must ensure that the program admissions application includes an item requiring the student to indicate their location at time of application.
Step 3:
The program must record and document each prospective student's location and additional required data as outlined below, prior to the time of initial enrollment into a program. The data must include the following:
- First name, middle name or initial, and last name of the prospective student
- State where the prospective student is physically located, noted as either an abbreviation or full name of the state or territory or the name of the country if the prospective student is physically located outside of the United States
- Name of the school/college
- Name of the program
- Degree/certificate level
- Indication of acceptance into program
Name and the title of the person who determined the prospective student’s location
The date the prospective student’s location was determined
Step 4:
The data regarding each prospective student’s location must be maintained by the program in a spreadsheet/table format that is compatible with Microsoft Excel software and made readily available upon request from the Compliance Specialist in Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost.
Current Students
Location will be determined for a current student by way of existing course and program registration processes and via an annual mass email location verification initiative. Students are required to notify the university of a change in location. All current students are expected to verify or update their location during the registration period for each semester. The location address will remain in effect unless and until a currently enrolled student officially notifies the university that their location has changed.
Step 1:
At the beginning of each semester, all current students must log into Banner and confirm or change their location.
Step 2:
All current students will receive an email from the Office of the Provost at least once each academic year, prompting them to confirm or update their location. Upon receipt of the email, all current students must log into Banner and confirm or change their location.
Step 3:
The data is stored in Banner.
Step 4:
VCU Technology Services ensures that a query is available to generate a student location report for each semester. This report will be used to determine if any professional licensure disclosures are warranted based on a student’s reported location.
Step 5:
The student location report should then be archived.
FAQ
There is a federal regulation, 34 CFR 600.9(c)(2), which requires that all institutions of higher education (including VCU) make a determination regarding the state in which a student is located. In addition to the federal regulation, determination of student location is required by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, which allows VCU to engage in designated distance education activities in other member states.
Providing your location address allows VCU to comply with federal state authorization requirements related to providing educational services in states other than Virginia. VCU’s failure to comply with these regulations can impact the institution’s eligibility for Title IV funding, including federal financial aid.
If you're getting an error message when updating your location, please try again at a later time. Often the error messages arise when the system is experiencing a brief issue that will be resolved by that time you return to update your location. If the issue persists, email location@vcu.edu for assistance.
At the beginning of each semester, all current students must log into Banner and confirm or change their location. However, all current students will receive an email from the Office of the Provost at least once each academic year, prompting them to confirm or update their location.
You can update your location address anytime by using this online form. You may also update it by following these steps: go to VCU eServices, click the Personal Information tab, click the Personal Information link, and update the address for your location.
University officials who need the information in order to perform their university responsibilities will have access to student location information. Your location address is part of your education record, which the university protects according to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). You can read more about the university's protection of your education records under FERPA at this link: https://rar.vcu.edu/records/family-educational-rights-and-privacy-act/.
Student location information will be used for complying with the U.S. Department of Education’s requirements set forth in Title IV, 34 CFR § 600.9, 34 CFR § 668.43 and the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), which allow for VCU to offer educational opportunities where students are located. In addition, university officials may use this information in order to contact you or provide other important university resources, as needed, such as health and safety support.
Please email location@vcu.edu.