Complaints

The University of Mississippi seeks to resolve concerns and complaints in a fair and prompt manner. Current or prospective University of Mississippi students who have a complaint may submit their concerns to the appropriate department. Before pursuing external options, students should exhaust internal avenues of complaint resolution.

The Student Complaint web page provides guidance as to such appeals and complaint procedures. UM students with a concern directly related to online learning may contact the Office of eLearning at online@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1267, or may report the matter of concern to the Office of the Dean of Students for guidance through resolving concerns within the campus community.

In the unlikely event that a complaint cannot be resolved through the University of Mississippi’s Student Complaints process, students may file a complaint with the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation using the MCCA Student Complaint Form (PDF) within two years of the incident. If the complaint is outside of MCCA’s jurisdiction, it may be directed to another agency that is authorized to address the concerns, if appropriate. Note: This process is not applicable for matters related to student grades or discipline/conduct matters.

Students may also send concerns to the University of Mississippi’s regional accrediting agency, SACSCOC in the unlikely event a complaint is not resolved after all university avenues have been exhausted. Complete the Commission’s Complaint Form (PDF) and send two print copies to:

President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 3033-4097.

Students may also contact the appropriate agency in their state of residency. Please click on your state below for information. The University of Mississippi strives to keep this list current but it is possible that a state’s complaint process or contact information may change without UM’s awareness. If the information given for your state is inaccurate, or if you are having difficulty contacting an agency in your state, please contact UM’s Office of State Authorization at stateauth@olemiss.edu or 662-915-5142.

State Agencies

State	Department or Office Responsible for Complaints	Student Resource
Alabama
	Alabama Commission on Higher Education - Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning	For Alabama’s public institutions, contacts are posted to the ACHE website. National Council on State Autjorization and Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) [.pdf]
	ACCS Private School Licensing Division	Student Complaint Process [.pdf] Complaints for out-of-state institutions are referred to the ACCS Private School Licensure.
Alaska	Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education	Consumer Protection and Student Complaints
American Samoa	American Samoa Office of Protection & Advocacy	ASG Departments Attn: Dr. Peter Tinitali Executive Office Building Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Phone: 684-699-2441
Arizona	Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education	Student Complaint Procedure
Arkansas	Arkansas Department of Higher Education	Student Grievance Form
California	Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education	California Department of Consumer Affairs
Colorado	Colorado Department of Higher Education	File a Student Complaint
Connecticut	The Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education	Office of Higher Education Student Complaints
Delaware	Delaware Department of Education	Delaware Student Complaints Policy
District of Columbia	Education Licensure Commission	HELC Public Complaints
Florida	Commission for Independent Education-Department of Education	Florida College System Concerns & Complaint Process
Georgia	Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission	Georgia Student Complaints
Guam	Guam Department of Education	Complaint Forms
	Guam Higher Education Agency University of Guam	University of Guam Guam Complaint Procedure: Contact (671) 735-2994.
Hawaii	Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program	Student Complaint Form
Idaho	Idaho State Board of Education	Student Complaint Procedures
Illinois	Illinois Board of Higher Education	Institutional Complaint System
Indiana	Indiana Department of Workforce Development	Student Complaint Process (Scroll down the page.)
	Indiana Commission of Higher Education	Student Complaints
Iowa	Iowa College Student Aid Commission	Student Complaints
Kansas	Kansas Board of Regents	Private Postsecondary Complain Process
Kentucky	Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education	How to File a Consumer Complaint
	Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education	Form to File a Complaint [.pdf]
Louisiana	Louisiana Board of Regents	Student Complaint Process
	Proprietary Schools	Student Complaint Procedure [.pdf]
Maine	Maine Department of Education, Office of Higher Education Services	Complaint Form [.pdf]
Maryland	Maryland Higher Education Commission	Student Complaint Process
Massachusetts	Office of Private Occupational School Education	Information For Students
	Massachusetts Department of Higher Education	Complaints
Michigan	Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity	Postsecondary Schools (Scroll to bottom of page for Student Complaint Form and Instructions.)
Minnesota	Minnesota Office of Higher Education	Complaints About Private Colleges and Career Schools
Mississippi	Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation	MCCA Student Complaint Process
	Commission on Proprietary School and College Registration	CPSCR Complaints
Missouri	Missouri Department of Higher Education	CBHE Policy on Complaint Resolution [.pdf]
Montana	Montana University System, Montana Board of Regents	Notification of Montana Postsecondary Educational Institution Complaint Process
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Education, Private Postsecondary Career Schools	NDE Investigations Office: Instructions on Preparing a Complaint [.pdf]
	Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education	Student Complaints Against Postsecondary Institutions
Nevada	Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education	Student Information (Complaint form is located in menu to the right.)
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Division of Educator Support and Higher Education	Complaint Policy
New Jersey	New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Center for Occupational Employment Information	Labor Market Information (Scroll to tab menu for Information for students › Conflict Resolution Form.)
	Office of the Secretary of Higher Education	OSHE Complaint Form Instructions
New Mexico	New Mexico Higher Education Department	Student Complaints
New York	Office of College and University Evaluation	Filing a Complaint About a College or University
	Adult Career and Continuing Ed. Services	Student Rights
North Carolina	The University of North Carolina System	Post-Secondary Education Complaints
	The North Carolina Community College System (Office of Proprietary School Services)	Proprietary Schools (Scroll to bottom of the webpage.)
North Dakota	North Dakota State Board for Career and Technical Education	Private Career School Complaint Procedure [.pdf]
	North Dakota University System	State Authorization & SARA (Process applicable for institutions not participating in reciprocity through SARA as well as SARA participating institutions.)
Northern Mariana Islands	Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Office of the Attorney General	Online Student Complaint
Ohio	The Ohio Department of Higher Education	Student Complaint Information
	Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools	File a Complaint
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education	Student Complaints
	Oklahoma Board of Career and Technology Education	Comments or Complaints Policy
	The Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools	Comments or Complaints Policy
Oregon	Higher Education Coordinating Commission	Student Complaints
Pennsylvania	Department of Education	Student Complaints
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico Council on Education	Registry of Basic Education Institutions Attachment 7: Complaints [.pdf] (This process can be used more broadly than to just address SARA participating institutions.)
Republic of Palau	Palau State Higher Education Agency	Palau Community College P.O. Box 9 Koror, Republic of Palau 96940 Phone: (680) 488-2470 Republic of Palau Complaint Procedure: Call (680) 488-2470.
Republic of the Marshall Islands	Republic of the Marshall Islands State Higher Education Agency Scholarship Grant and Loan Board	Republic of the Marshall Islands State Higher Education Agency Scholarship Grant and Loan Board P.O. Box 1436 Majuro, MH 96960 Phone: (692) 625-5770 Republic of the Marshall Islands Complaint Procedure: Call (692) 625-5770.
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education	Student Complaint
South Carolina	South Carolina Commission on Higher Education	Student Resources
South Dakota	Secretary of State (South Dakota Attorney General)	Complaint Form (This is a broad complaint form not just to address postsecondary instittutions.)
Tennessee	Tennessee Higher Education Commission	Transcript Requests and Institution Complaints
Texas	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Required Links	Texas Student Complaints Policy
U.S. Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands Department of Education	Virgin Islands Department of Education 1834 Kongens Gade St. Thomas, VI 00802 Phone: (340) 774-2810 Virgin Islands Complaint Procedures: Call (340) 774-2810.
Utah	Utah Division of Consumer Protection	Complaints
Vermont	Vermont State Board of Education	Complaint Resolution of Postsecondary Schools
Virginia	Private & Out-of-State Postsecondary Education, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia	Student Complaints
Washington	Washington Student Achievement Council	Student Complaints
	Washington Workforce Training and Educ. Coord. Board	Resources for Students
West Virginia	WV Higher Educ. Policy Commission	Student Complaint Process [.pdf]
	WV Council for Community & Technical College Education
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Educational Approval Board	File a Complaint
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Education	Private School Licensing (Located under Important Information)