All higher education institutions that receive federal funds, including those that offer distance education, are required by the United States Department of Education to provide students with appropriate information regarding the filing of complaints.
Students have the right to file a complaint against an institution when federal and state requirements are not followed or when there is a loss of tuition and fees as a result of unfair business practices. Institutions are required to provide both current and prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accrediting body and the appropriate state agency for handling complaints in a student’s resident state.
In general, complaints differ from grievance procedures. Grievance and appeal procedures are integrated within existing policies. They vary based on the nature and context of the concern. The University’s Grievance and Appeal Procedures can be found in each of the Student Handbooks on pages:
Traditional Undergraduate Student Handbook
Please scroll down the Institutional Policies page to locate the Student Grievance Policy section.
Undergraduate Degree Completion Student Handbook (p.40) located on Blackboard under Online Degree Completion Tab.
Graduate Student Handbook
A complaint that cannot be resolved following one of the University’s Grievance or Appeal Procedures will still be received by the University and directed to the person or office most directly responsible for the area of concern. Please use the following contact information to communicate a complaint if you are unsure of the appropriate campus authority to respond to it:
Lesley Villarose, VP for Student Development and Dean of StudentsGardner-Webb UniversityPO Box 7271Boiling Springs, NC 28017(704) 406-2081[email protected]
Students are encouraged to use the institutional complaint form for this purpose.
In most cases, external complaint procedures require that the student exhaust all avenues internal to the institution before a complaint can be filed at the state or accrediting agency level. Gardner-Webb students are therefore advised to first attempt to address complaints through the grievance policies and procedures outlined in their respective Student Handbook.
If you have a complaint about the University’s distance education programs, and you are a resident of North Carolina, you may contact the Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice.
The mailing address of the Consumer Protection Division is:
North Carolina Department of JusticeConsumer Protection Division9001 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, NC 27699-9001(877) 566-7226Website: https://ncdoj.gov/Complaint Process and Form
SARA North Carolina serves as the SARA portal entity for North Carolina with the responsibilities defined by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA). Among the responsibilities assigned to the state portal entity is shepherding the resolution of, investigating and resolving as necessary complaints from distance education students who reside outside of the state and who have complaints regarding the institutions that participate in SARA-NC. Students not residing in North Carolina and enrolled in a North Carolina institution that operates under SARA-NC may submit complaints to SARA-NC only after completing the complaint process established by the institution attended by the student.
Initial responsibility for the investigation and resolution of student complaints resides with the institution against which the complaint is made. Students must exhaust all opportunities for resolution at the institution before filing a complaint with the SARA-NC. Complaints regarding grades or student conduct violations are governed entirely by institutional policy and are not subject to review by SARA-NC.
Students who have exhausted institutional grievance processes and remain dissatisfied with the outcome may file a written complaint with SARA-NC within two years of the incident that is the issue of the complaint. Anonymous complaints will not be reviewed.
Here is the link to and/or information about Complaint Process by state: view link
Students may access the SARA-NC complaint process through the SARA-NC website. Describe your complaint and provide supporting documentation, including the outcome of the institutional complaint process. Follow the instructions on the website to submit your form.
The Student Complaint Form may also be submitted by US Mail to:
SARA North Carolina DirectorNorth Carolina State Education Assistance AuthorityPO Box 41349Raleigh, NC 27629Tel: (855) 727-2162 (toll free)[email protected]www.saranc.org
If a student wishes to contact the state portal agency for his or her home state, contact information for the liaison personnel in each SARA state can be found on the SARA-NC website.
Gardner-Webb University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone Number (404) 679-4500; www.sacscoc.org) to award Associate, Baccalaureate, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. Inquiries to the Commission should relate only to the accreditation status of the institution and not to general admission information. Instructions on how to file a complaint with SACSCOC are available online.
Finally, military personnel who receive tuition assistance have an additional complaint process available. When a school fails to follow the “Principles of Excellence” established by executive order of the President on April 27, 2012, students who are veterans may submit a complaint through this website.
Students who are current military personnel may submit a complaint with the U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs. Complaints to external authorities typically assume that a student has exhausted all internal avenues to resolve a complaint. Veterans and military personnel with questions about their bills or financial aid my contact the Student Accounts or Financial Planning Office at Gardner-Webb.
For questions about undergraduate admissions, please call (866) 498-4625 or email [email protected].
For questions about graduate admissions, please call (877) 498-4723 or email [email protected].
