Student Complaints

The University of Connecticut (UConn) participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). SARA allows institutions offering distance education outside of their home state to enroll students under uniform procedures. The initial responsibility for the investigation and resolution of UConn distance education student complaints resides with UConn.

UConn’s Undergraduate Grade Appeal process may be found at: http://catalog.uconn.edu/academic-regulations/grade-information/.

UConn students enrolled in an online graduate program or online graduate-level certificate program may access additional complaint process information by viewing the Complaint, Appeal, and Hearing Procedures of the UConn Graduate Catalog.

If you cannot resolve your complaint with the University of Connecticut:

Pursuant to federal regulations and the terms of SARA, the Connecticut Office of Higher Education is responsible for the investigation and resolution of out-of-state students’ complaints against institutions of higher education based in Connecticut and offering distance education via SARA. Note that issues regarding student life, such as discipline, grading, etc., fall solely within the purview of UConn and are not generally investigated. Additionally, the Office of Higher Education does not investigate anonymous complaints or provide legal advice.

Within two years of the incident complained of, out-of-state students enrolled at in a Connecticut institution (UConn) via SARA may file a complaint in accordance with the following steps:

1. The student must attempt to resolve the complaint by exhausting UConn’s established internal grievance procedures described above. Absent extenuating circumstances, the Connecticut Office of Higher Education will not investigate complaints filed by students who have not first sought a resolution with the institution.
2. If all remedies at the UConn level have been exhausted and the complaint is not resolved, the student may file a complaint with the Connecticut Office of Higher Education. To file a complaint, please follow this link:https://veoci.com/v/p/181953/workflow/gjrt4qhrrvkv . All documentation for review related to the complaint must be provided by the student as part of the filing.
3. The Connecticut Office of Higher Education will process the complaint and provide copies of all documents filed with the complaint to the institution. The institution has 20 days to respond. After receiving a response and conducting an investigation, the Connecticut Office of Higher Education will issue a findings report to all parties. The findings report is final.

If a Connecticut student is enrolled in a distance education program offered by a SARA institution based in another state, the student should contact the portal agency in that state to pursue the complaint process.

For online/distance learning students residing in California, which currently is not a member of SARA, you are advised to contact the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education at:  https://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml.

Connecticut Office of Higher Education Contact:

All correspondence, including institutional applications and student complaints, should be sent via email or post to: Emily.Bjornberg@ct.gov

Emily Bjornberg SARA Coordinator
Office of Higher Education
450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 707
Hartford, CT 06103-1841
860-947-1824 (office)