State Authorization & Professional Licensure
Find a list of states where CIIS can and cannot enroll online students, as well as policies and procedures for professional licensure.
State Authorization
The U.S. Department of Education oversees compliance with regulations governing the ability of institutions to offer online programs to students located outside of California. Individual states also oversee the programming CIIS offers, and some states require authorization for having online students and/or clinical placements in the state. CIIS is not required to seek authorization in all states and U.S. territories, but is required to be authorized in some.
Student Declaration of Current Physical Location
To comply with federal Title IV regulations governing distance learning, CIIS is required to verify students’ locations prior to engaging in financial transactions. Also, to comply with state authorization regulations governing distance learning and clinical placements, CIIS is required to verify students’ locations prior to each semester of registration. Students are required to confirm their location three times a calendar year (every 120 days) via Colleague Self-Service to a) confirm their official address of record, and b) indicate the state in which they will be physically located while taking their online coursework in the upcoming semester. A student is required to report to the Registrar’s Office any change in their physical location during the semester; the change needs to be reported in advance of moving.
If a student’s current location is outside the state of California and the student is enrolled in a CIIS online program or taking an online class offered in a CIIS residential program, the student should also check the information below to verify CIIS’ authorization to offer distance education to students physically located outside the state of California.
- Academic degree program students or prospective students applying to CIIS' academic degree programs may reach out to the Admissions Office with any questions.
- If you are applying to the Sex Therapy Certificate program and have questions about state authorizations, please contact Kyle DeMedio at kdemedio@ciis.edu.
List of State Authorization, Exemptions, and Restrictions
Some states require institutions to be authorized or exempt in order to enroll online students located in the state. Not all states have this requirement. Below is the list of states from which CIIS may or may not enroll online students.
CAN ENROLL ONLINE STUDENTS:
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia*
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia**
- Wyoming
*Authorized for the following online programs only:
- Anthropology and Social Change (M.A. Only)
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology
- Bachelor of Art in Interdisciplinary Studies
- East-West Psychology (M.A. Only)
- Ecology, Spirituality, & Religion (Ph.D. Only)
- Human Sexuality
- Integral and Transpersonal Psychology
- Integral and Transpersonal Psychology with a concentration in Somatic Psychology
- Integrative Health Studies
- Philosophy, Cosmology, & Consciousness (Ph.D. Only)
- Transformative Leadership
- Transformative Studies
- Women's Spirituality
**Certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. 8VAC40-31(A)(i)
CANNOT ENROLL ONLINE/DISTANCE STUDENTS:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- District of Columbia (DC)
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- North Carolina (effective January 1, 2023 - applies to all applicants from the Spring 2023 admissions cycle and onwards)
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- Wisconsin
Professional Licensure
CIIS offers five Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology concentration programs and one Doctor of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program that can lead to licensure:
- Drama Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Expressive Arts Therapy
- Community Mental Health
- Integral Counseling Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
In the United States, MFT, PCC, and the Psychologist licenses are regulated by each individual board and state. Other states and countries may have different licensing requirements than those for California. Since we are a California university, we have aligned all of our programs to California's requirements.
The CIIS Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program (with concentrations) is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) for graduates to be eligible for the MFT or PCC California professional licenses.
The CIIS Doctor of Psychology program (Psy.D.) is approved by the California Board of Psychology for graduates to be eligible for a California Psychologist license.
Even though our programs are aligned to California’s requirements, federal regulations require CIIS to disclose to any prospective or current student whether a program meets the professional licensure academic requirements in states outside California. CIIS has made determinations on whether our programs meet professional licensure requirements in all 50 states. This information is updated regularly and is provided to all prospective students during the application process.
While CIIS also provides out-of-state licensing advising, all prospective and current students should consult the licensing boards of the appropriate state or country for licensing information outside of California for the most up-to-date and accurate information.
M.A. in Counseling Psychology Programs with Restrictions
For these two residential programs, CIIS will only admit students located in California, Nevada, or Oregon:
- Master of Counseling Psychology - Community Mental Health
- Master of Counseling Psychology - Integral Counseling Psychology Weekend
For this low residency online hybrid program, CIIS will only admit students located in California:
- Master of Counseling Psychology - Expressive Arts Therapy
State-Specific Disclosures
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CIIS is not subject to oversight by the Texas Workforce Commission or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for certain distance education programs.
A student who is a resident of Texas and who wishes to make a complaint about the institution to the THECB should follow the process outlined here.
CIIS is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and approved by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) to offer all programs in the state of California, therefore under Texas Section 132.001(1)(B), CIIS is excluded from regulation by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
A student who wishes to make a complaint to the regional accreditor WSCUC should follow the process outlined here.
A student who wishes to make a complaint about the institution to the state of California should follow the process outlined here.
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For Washington State residents seeking information and resources about student loan repayment or seeking to submit a complaint relating to your student loans or student loan servicer, please visit www.wsac.wa.gov/loan-advocacy or contact the Student Loan Advocate at loanadvocate@wsac.wa.gov.
Contact Us
Please contact our Admissions Team with any questions about state authorizations and professional licensure.