Research
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 1/1/23)

Download PDF >
Share via link
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 Policy offered is only for purposes of SARA.  No other student complaint policy found on the website.
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/octs.htm  Scroll down the page.
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

http://www.kcpe.ky.gov/forms/FormtoFileaComplaint.pdf
Louisiana

Louisiana Board of Regents

Proprietary Schools

https://www.laregents.edu/student-complaint-process/
https://www.regents.la.gov/assets/docs/2014/07/StudentComplaintProcedure.pdf
Maine Maine Department of Education, Office of Higher Education Services Only SARA complaint process could be found on higher education agency 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/proprietary-schools - Scroll to bottom of the webpage.
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://www.okcareertech.org/about/state-agency/policies/policies-and-disclaimers/comments-or-complaints-policy

http://obpvs.ok.gov/students#studentforms
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 instittutions.
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 https://dcp.utah.gov/complaints.html?f=c
Vermont Vermont State Board of Education https://education.vermont.gov/documents/postsecondary-program-complaint-resolution
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
http://www.wvhepc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Student-Complaint-Process-revised.pdf
Wisconsin

Wisconsin Educational Approval Board

 https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Programs/EducationalApproval/EAPFileAComplaint.aspx
Wyoming Wyoming Department of Education https://edu.wyoming.gov/beyond-the-classroom/school-programs/private-school-licensing/