Academic Affairs

Office of the Provost

NC-SARA Student Consumer Information

Virginia Commonwealth University is a participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which establishes national standards for regulating distance education programs and related requirements for consumer protections. This participation allows VCU to provide distance education to students in other NC-SARA member states. As part of this agreement, VCU is committed to providing a clear process for addressing student complaints. 

All Students

VCU believes every student deserves a positive educational experience. The following procedures aim to ensure that when a student’s experience may not be what they anticipate, that concerns and complaints are addressed in a fair and timely manner. Students are encouraged to use the university’s internal complaint resolution process as the first step in addressing any concerns. Based on the nature of the complaint, students should follow the complaint resolution process for the applicable policy in the VCU policy library. 

Out of State Distance Education Students

Only those concerns or complaints resulting from distance education (i.e., online) courses, activities, and operations provided by SARA-participating institutions to students in other SARA states come under the scope of SARA. Complaints about a SARA institution’s in-state operations are to be resolved under the state’s normal provisions, not those of SARA. 

Students living outside of Virginia in a SARA member state should:

  1. As required by the SARA student complaint process, a student must first file and attempt to resolve their complaint at the institution.
  2. Based on the nature of the complaint, follow the student complaint resolution process for the applicable policy in VCU’s policy library. 
  3. For those complaints not resolved at the institution level related to distance education (i.e., online) courses, activities, and operations, students may contact the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), which retains oversight to coordinate the resolution of complaints from students enrolled under the auspices of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). 
  4. For complaints against the university or its officials that remain unresolved after following all applicable university processes, students may follow the SCHEV complaint process and contact them at (804) 225-2600. Please note that complaints about grades or conduct may not be appealed to SCHEV.

Additionally, students can file a complaint using the out-of-state complaint information. Students may also review and follow SARA's complaint resolution policies and procedures by visiting the official SARA Student Complaints website.

Important Considerations 

If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional process for handling a SARA complaint, 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. 

Complaints regarding student grades or student conduct violations are governed entirely by institutional policy and the laws of the SARA institution’s home state.

Students in Non-SARA Member States

After exhausting internal avenues, students residing outside of Virginia in non-SARA member states or territories may file a formal complaint with their home state authorizing agency by using the information below:

California

The California complaint procedures are available on the Department of Consumer Affairs website. Students may contact them at (833) 942-1120 or dca@dca.ca.gov.

Territories

The following U.S. territories do not participate in SARA: American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Federal States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. Students located in one of these U.S. territories may use the out-of-state complaint information.