The COVID National Emergency declaration allowing institutions to offer remote instruction and waiving approval from WSCUC was rescinded on April 10, 2023. The waiver period ends 180 days following the declaration being rescinded (October 7, 2023). Institutions that plan to continue offering programs permanently utilizing distance education beyond the waiver period must seek the appropriate approvals to do so. Please see page 11 of the Substantive Change Manual for information regarding the requirements for Substantive Change Approval for Distance Education Programs and “Institutional Approval for Distance Education”.

This means that if you started a program in fall 2023 using distance education, you want to continue using distance education, and you currently have neither institutional nor substantive change proposal approval (for institutional and program levels, respectively):

1. If distance education is used for less than 50% of any program (this includes any use of distance education, even for just 1% of the curriculum), you must have institutional approval; and/or
2. If distant education is used for 50% or more of any program, you must have substantive change approval through the proposal process.

Updated May 30, 2023