A student has the right to bring forward a complaint or an item of concern regarding any aspect of his or her educational experience including misapplication of campus policies, rules, regulations, procedures, and/or unfair treatment, such as coercion, reprisal, or intimidation by an instructor or other campus employee. Students should initially, and immediately, discuss the complaint or concern with their instructor or program director.
A grievance is the escalation of the complaint to a next level authority. If the issue is about an academic decision such as a grade, please see the academic appeals process.
A student has the right to submit a grievance with respect to:
- disciplinary action taken for violation of student conduct standards.
- admissions decisions.
- tuition and fees.
- financial awards or policies, including satisfactory academic progress.
- educational policies, procedures, and grading concerns.
Concerns about academic matters should first be addressed through the appeal process; concerns about non-academic matters should first be addressed directly to the head of the department or departments involved.
A student wishing to escalate his or her complaint should follow the steps listed below:
- The first step in the process is to address and resolve the dispute with the person involved through discussion. A student with a grievance or complaint needs to communicate their concerns as soon as possible to achieve a resolution in a timely fashion. If the issue has not been resolved, then the matter should be brought to the attention of the Program Director.
- If the matter remains unresolved, the next step is to submit the issue or concern, in writing (e-mail), to the Campus Review Committee. The written complaint must be submitted within ten calendar days of the incident or notification of any disciplinary action, including termination. The documentation should include a description of the disputed items, the date, or dates when the issue occurred, the reason the student is requesting a review of the decision and the steps the student has taken to resolve the issue. When submitting the documentation, the student should include the relevant factual evidence, such as evidence of extenuating circumstances.
The Campus Review Committee will investigate the student’s concerns, including gathering additional data about the issue or incident, as necessary. The Campus Review Committee will determine if a meeting with the student is appropriate to address the grievance and develop a plan to achieve a resolution.
A response from the Campus Review Committee will be provided to the student within ten calendar days. All decisions will be provided in writing and will be delivered to the student’s e-mail address on record. - If the dispute has not been resolved, or if the student is still unsatisfied with the response in Step 2, the student may take a third step and file the appeal to the Campus President. This appeal must also be in writing (e-mail) and must be received within seven calendar days of being notified of the Campus Review Committee’s decision. The Campus President will conduct further investigation of the issue and will respond to the student within ten calendar days of receiving the escalated grievance. All decisions will be provided in writing and will be sent to the student’s official school e-mail address on record.
- If the dispute has not been resolved, or if the student is still unsatisfied with the Campus President’s decision, the student may file the appeal to the Regional Vice President of Education Affiliates. This appeal must also be in writing and must be received in the corporate office (5026-D Campbell Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21236) within seven calendar days of being notified of the Campus President’s decision. The appeal to the Regional Vice President may also be submitted by e-mail. The Regional Vice President will investigate the issue and respond to the student within seven calendar days of receiving the escalated grievance. All decisions will be provided in writing and sent to the student’s official school e-mail on record.
- If the dispute has not been resolved the student may submit a request for reconsideration of the decision to the appropriate individual/s (depending on the student’s program of study). Medical Assisting students may submit the request for reconsideration to the Chief Transformation Officer at Education Affiliates and nursing students will submit this request to the Corporate Vice President of Nursing. This request for reconsideration must be submitted in writing (e-mail) to the appropriate person within ten calendar days of being notified of the Regional Vice President’s decision. The Chief Transformation Office, or the VP of Nursing, will conduct his or her own investigation of the issue and will respond to the student within seven calendar days of receiving the request for reconsideration. All decisions will be provided in writing and sent to the student’s official e-mail address on record.
- If the dispute remains unresolved after evaluation by the Chief Transformation Officer at Education Affiliates or the VP of Nursing for nursing student disputes, the student may choose to address his or her concerns by directing them to the State Licensing Authority, or the School’s accrediting body. Students who reside out of state may contact any of the agencies listed below or contact the Campus President for information about agencies in their local area.
The address of the state licensing authority is:
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York, 12234
518-474-3852
www.nysed.gov.
National Accreditor Complaint Procedure:
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
ABHES’ online complaint system:
https://complaintsabhes.com
The address of the agency that approves and registers the nursing program is:
Office of the Professions, New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518-474-3852
www.op.nysed.gov.
If the student is dismissed, the student will remain dismissed until the matter is resolved. If the matter is resolved in the student’s favor, the student will be reinstated at the next available course start date. If the student’s eligibility for Financial Aid has been suspended, the student may remain in school during the appeals process.
Grievance Policy For New Jersey Residents
For all types of complaints concerning colleges and universities in New Jersey, the first course of action must be to try to resolve the complaint directly with the administration of the college or university involved. New Jersey residents may file a complaint by following the instructions at http://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/OSHEComplaintInstructions.shtml
Grievance Policy For Pennsylvania Residents
To file a formal complaint against a postsecondary institution, students will have to fill in a complaint form provided by the department according to the type of institution they are in. The complaint form can be accessed on their website by completing the contact us form at https://paggdc.powerappsportals.us/pdecontactus/.
Grievance Policy For Connecticut Residents
If students believe that a school has not fulfilled its promises, they may file a complaint with the Office of Higher Education. Before contacting the Office of Higher Education, students must first exhaust the school’s internal grievance or complaint procedures. To file a complaint with the Office of Higher Education, complete and send in an Initial Review Form that can be found on their website at https://www.ctohe.org/studentcomplaints.shtml. The Office of Higher Education can only act to assure that schools comply with state statutes and policies that it administers. Complaints regarding other issues should be directed to the entity which specializes in those issues.