Complaints Regarding Distance Education
Complaints against an institution operating under SARA policies must first go through the institution’s own procedures for resolution of grievances. Students should first address complaints to the school within Columbia where they are registered. Policies and procedures to each school are provided below:
| Schools with Distance Education Programs | Website |
| Columbia Video Network (CVN) within the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science | https://cvn.columbia.edu/content/distance-learning-student-complaints |
| School of Professional Studies | http://sps.columbia.edu/student-life-and-alumni-relations/distance-education-students |
| School of Social Work | https://socialwork.columbia.edu/complaints-regarding-distance-education/ |
Complaints regarding student grades or student conduct violations are governed entirely by institutional policy and the laws of New York state. If a person bringing a complaint is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional process for handling complaints, the complaint (except for complaints about grades or student conduct violations) may be appealed, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the SARA Portal Entity in the home state of the institution against which the complaint has been lodged.
Emily Sutherland
Supervisor, Higher Education Programs
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518.474.1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov
Additional information about complaint procedures can be found here:
NC-SARA complaint procedures: https://www.nc-sara.org/student-complaints
NYSED’s complaint procedures: http://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/filing-complaint-about-college-or-university