Student complaints, including claims that their rights under law or university policy have been violated, may be resolved by a two-step process.
Step 1 – All Students:
The initial responsibility for resolving the complaint is located with the institution. Your first step as a student, regardless of location, is to follow UNC Pembroke's Complaint Process. Students should first be encouraged to discuss their complaints directly with the person responsible. If the issue is not or cannot be resolved through discussion with the responsible person, then the student should complete the Student Complaint Form and submit it to department chair or supervisor of the person against whom the complaint is to be made. For more information regarding UNC Pembroke's Complaint Process, please contact the Director of Student Conduct:
Dr. Margaret Dutnell
University Center Annex 207
PO Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372
Phone: 910.521.6851
margaret.dutnell@uncp.edu
www.uncp.edu/campus-life/student-conduct
Concerns should be expressed as soon as possible after the event occurs; some of the procedures below have specific deadlines for filing grievances or complaints.
Step 2 - Your Location Determines Your Next Step:
- Most Out-of-State Students: If a complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting UNC Pembroke's Complaint Process (Step 1), then out-of-state students located in NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) states, which includes all states except California, may submit complaints to SARA-North Carolina. SARA-North Carolina operates under NCSEAA (North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority). Access the Complaint Form at SARA-North Carolina Student Complaint Process web page.
Contact Information for North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority:
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
c/o SARA North Carolina
P.O. Box 41349
Raleigh, NC 27629
Toll-free: 855.SARA.1.NC (727.2162)
Local: 919.549.8614, ext. 4667
Fax: 919.248.6667
- Students located in North Carolina: If your complaint is not resolved at the institutional level (Step 1), then you may refer your complaint to the North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaint Process of the Licensure Division of the University of North Carolina System Office. The policy is at Student Complaint Policy (PDF); the complaint form is linked here: Student Complaint Form.
Contact Information for North Carolina Post Secondary Education Complaints:
North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
c/o Student Complaints
223 S. West Street, Suite 1800
Raleigh NC 27603
Phone: 919-962-4550
Additional Resources:
- Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice. Students can make a complaint with the North Carolina Department of Justice. To access the online complaint form, please Click Here. Students located in North Carolina may call 877.566.7226; outside of North Carolina, please call 919.716.6000. The mailing address is as follows: Consumer Protection, Attorney General's Office, Mail Service Center 9001, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001.
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC expects individuals to attempt to resolve the complaint through all means available to the complainant, including the institution’s grievance procedures, before submitting a complaint to SACSCOC. Complete information about the SACSCOC process at SACSCOC Procedures Complaint - PDF (the complaint form is on the last two pages).
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097
Phone: 404.679.4500
Contact: https://sacscoc.org/contact-us/
- State Portal Entity Contacts. NC-SARA provides a complete list of relevant agencies with contact information for each NC-SARA state.
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity
3005 Center Green Drive, Suite 130
Boulder, Colorado 80301
Phone: 303.848.3275
Email: info@nc-sara.org
Contact: https://nc-sara.org/state-portal-entity-contacts