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10.24.2022

Getting Started

Student Complaints

Student Complaint Information by State and Agency

This list may be use for reference to provide Contact Information for filing complaints as required by 34 CFR 668.43 (b).

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.

This contact list should be used for reference only.
Institutions are responsible for the accuracy they provide in their notifications.
SAN can offer no guarantee that the agency listed can enforce state laws upon the institution to act on the complaint.
SAN cannot verify the security of the website links offered in this resource.
This chart used information provided by the state agency and originally from the no longer live SHEEO surveys. In some cases, email correspondence and state agency website reviews were incorporated.
Complaints regarding courses and programs subject to SARA Policy should be directed to the state portal entity in the home state of the institution.

SAN will review this list on a periodic basis. If you want to let us know of any issues you have using these links, please let us know here.(Last reviewed 1/1/24)

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States & Territories

Agency Name

Link to and/or Information about the State Complaint Process as required by 34 CFR 600.9(a) & (b) - An institution described under §§ 600.4, 600.5, and 600.6 is legally authorized by a State if the State has a process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution including enforcing applicable State laws.....

Alabama

Alabama Commission on Higher Education - Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning

ACCS Private School Licensing Division

For Alabama’s public institutions, contacts are posted to the ACHE website https://ache.edu.

Student Complaint Process found here: https://www.ache.edu/wp-content/State%20Auth/federal-reg.pdf

https://www.accs.edu/about-accs/private-school-licensure/complaints/ - *note: Complaints for out-of-state institutions are referred to the ACCS Private School Licensure.

Alaska

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education

https://acpe.alaska.gov/ConsumerProtection

American Samoa

not found

Arizona

Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education

https://ppse.az.gov/student-complaint-procedure

Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Higher Education

Student Grievance form: https://adhe.edu/students-parents/student-grievance-form

California

Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education

for institutions regulated by BPPE: http://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml

for out of state institutions not subject to BPPE: https://www.dca.ca.gov/consumers/complaints/oos_students.shtml

Colorado

Colorado Department of Higher Education

AND Private Occupational Schools

https://cdhe.colorado.gov/students/how-do-i/filing-a-student-complaint

Connecticut

The Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education

http://www.ctohe.org/StudentComplaints.shtml

Delaware

Delaware Department of Education

Student complaint inquiry form: https://education.delaware.gov/families/college-career-life/college-scholarship-financial-aid/dheo-forms/student-complaint-inquiry-form/

District of Columbia

Education Licensure Commission

FAQ for Students indicates that complaints my be submitted to the HELC by "clicking here", but there is no hyperlink . A public complaint webpage was found here: https://helc.osse.dc.gov/topic/helcadmin/community-stakeholders/public-complaints

Federated State of Micronesia

not found

Florida

Commission for Independent Education-Department of Education

CONCERNS & COMPLAINT PROCESS

Georgia

Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission

https://gnpec.georgia.gov/student-complaints

Guam

not found

Hawaii

Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program

For some reason, website links are routing to the homepage https://cca.hawaii.gov/. See the drop down for "About", Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program (HPEAP). From that page look at drop down under forms to see Student Forms. The Student Complaint Process is found there.

Idaho

Idaho State Board of Education

https://boardofed.idaho.gov/higher-education-private/private-colleges-degree-granting/student-complaint-procedures/

Illinois

Illinois Board of Higher Education

https://complaints.ibhe.org/

Indiana

Indiana Department of Workforce Development

Indiana Commission of Higher Education

https://www.in.gov/dwd/career-training-adult-ed/octs/#tab-665625-Consumer_Information

https://www.in.gov/che/2744.htm

Iowa

Iowa College Student Aid Commission

https://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/StudentComplaintForm

Kansas

Kansas Board of Regents

https://www.kansasregents.org/academic_affairs/private_out_of_state/complaint_process

Kentucky

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education

http://cpe.ky.gov/campuses/consumer_complaint.html

Commission Website provides this direction: File a Complaint

Louisiana

Louisiana Board of Regents

Proprietary Schools

No Complaint Process found on agency website for institutions authorized by Louisiana (Only SARA Process within Institutional Process pdf for purposes of participation in reciprocity for interstate distance education)

Maine

Maine Department of Education

Only SARA complaint process and forms could be found on the Maine Department of Education website.

Maryland

Maryland Higher Education Commission

https://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/Pages/acadaff/acadaffairsdepartments.aspx - Scroll down to complaint process and form pdfs.

Massachusetts

Office of Private Occupational School Education

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/government/oca-agencies/dpl-lp/schools/students/information-for-students.html

https://www.mass.edu/forstufam/complaints/complaints.asp

Michigan

Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity

Post-Secondary Schools Complaints Filing a Complaint

Minnesota

Minnesota Office of Higher Education

http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1078

Mississippi

Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation

Commission on Proprietary School and College Registration

http://www.mississippi.edu/mcca/student_complaint_process.asp

https://www.mccb.edu/cpscr-complaints

Missouri

Missouri Department of Higher Education

https://dhe.mo.gov/documents/POLICYONCOMPLAINTRESOLUTION-reviseddraft.pdf

Montana

Montana University System, Montana Board of Regents

http://www.mus.edu/MUS-statement-of-complaint-process.asp

Nebraska

Nebraska Department of Education, Private Postsecondary Career Schools

Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education

https://www.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/PPCS_Complaint-form.pdf

https://ccpe.nebraska.gov/student-complaints-against-postsecondary-institutions

Nevada

Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education

http://cpe.nv.gov/Students/Students_Home/ Note the Student Complaint under forms on right hand side.

New Hampshire

Department of Education, Division of Higher Education, Higher Education Commission

https://my.doe.nh.gov/ESSWEB/HigherEducation/Complaint.aspx

New Jersey

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Center for Occupational Employment Information

Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

https://www.nj.gov/labor/labormarketinformation/assets/PDFs/coei/SAU/Conflict%20Resolution%20Questionnaire.pdf Look under Information for Students for the Student Conflict Resolution Form (Complaints)

http://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/OSHEComplaintInstructions.shtml

New Mexico

New Mexico Higher Education Department

http://www.hed.state.nm.us/students/hed-student-complaint-form.aspx

New York

Office of College and University Evaluation

Adult Career and Continuing Ed. Services

http://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/filing-complaint-about-college-or-university

http://www.acces.nysed.gov/bpss/student-rights

North Carolina

The University of North Carolina System

The North Carolina Community College System (Office of Proprietary School Services)

https://www.northcarolina.edu/post-secondary-education-complaints/

https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/students/student-services/file-a-complaint/

North Dakota

North Dakota State Board for Career and Technical Education

North Dakota University System

https://www.cte.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/PrivatePS/NDSBCTE_Student_Complaint_Procedure.pdf

https://ndus.edu/state-authorization-sara/ This complaint process appears to be applicable for institutions not participating in reciprocity through SARA as well as SARA participating institutions.

Northern Mariana Islands

not found

Ohio

The Ohio Department of Higher Education

Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools

https://highered.ohio.gov/students/current-college-students/student-complaints/student-complaints

https://scr.ohio.gov/information-for-students/file-a-complaint

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Oklahoma Board of Career and Technology Education

The Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools

https://www.okhighered.org/resources/student-complaint-form/

https://oklahoma.gov/careertech/policies/comments-or-complaints.html

https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/obpvs/documents/schools/obpvs-complaint-form.pdf

Oregon

Higher Education Coordinating Commission

https://www.oregon.gov/highered/about/Pages/complaints.aspx

Pennsylvania

Department of Education

https://www.education.pa.gov/Postsecondary-Adult/CollegeCareer/Pages/Students-Complaints.aspx

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Council on Education

http://www.ce.pr.gov/

http://www.agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/DocumentosCEPR/Documents/SARA/SARA_Complaint_Process.pdf

It appears that this process can be used more broadly than to just address SARA participating institutions.

Republic of Palau

not found

Republic of the Marshall Islands

not found

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Office of Post Secondary Commissioner

https://riopc.edu/policies/student-complaint-procedures/

South Carolina

South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

https://che.sc.gov/sites/che/files/Documents/Institutions%20and%20Educators/Complaint_Procedures_and_Form.pdf

South Dakota

Secretary of State (South Dakota Attorney General)

https://consumer.sd.gov/complaintform.aspx - this is a broad complaint form not just to address postsecondary institutions.

Tennessee

Tennessee Higher Education Commission

https://www.tn.gov/thec/for-students-and-families/transcript-requests-and-institution-complaints.html

Texas

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

https://www.highered.texas.gov/student-complaints/

U.S. Virgin Islands

not found

Utah

Utah Division of Consumer Protection

Website unclear about student complaint process outside of SARA. Utah Commerce Division of Consumer Protection

Vermont

Vermont Agency of Education

https://education.vermont.gov/documents/postsecondary-program-complaint-resolution VT Agency of Education points to three avenues for complaints: the institution, the VT Attorney General's office, or the institution's accrediting agency.

Virginia

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

https://www.schev.edu/students/resources/student-complaints

Washington

Washington Student Achievement Council

Washington Workforce Training and Educ. Coord. Board

https://wsac.wa.gov/student-complaints

https://www.wtb.wa.gov/private-career-schools/student-resources/

West Virginia

WV Higher Educ. Policy Commission

WV Council for Community & Technical College Education

http://www.wvhepc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Student-Complaint-Process-revised.pdf