Chestnut Hill College participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA). SARA is an agreement between states and U.S. territories that creates comparable national standards for interstate offering of post-secondary distance education courses and programs. The agreement is designed to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by colleges and universities based in another state or U.S. territory.
The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is a private, nonprofit organization that works to expand students’ access to distance education and to improve the regulation of distance education programs. For NC-SARA complaint information, please visit the NC-SARA Directory.
Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Integrity Rules, Chestnut Hill College provides its out-of-state distance education students or prospective students the contact information for filing complaints with each state licensing entity and any other relevant agency that would handle the complaint.
If a student located in a SARA state has a complaint about an institution operating under SARA, complaints must first go through the College's standard procedure for resolution of student grievances. If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional process, the complaint may then be brought to the SARA portal agency in the institution's home state. The state where the student is located also may resolve the complaint. Although students may choose to work through their own state's SARA office for complaint resolution, the SARA office of the state where the provider is located is responsible for staffing the investigation and complaint resolution.
For a state by state listing of licensing and complaint information, see below.
Alabama
Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education – Private School Licensing Division
P.O. Box 302130
Montgomery, AL 36130-2130
https://www.accs.edu/about-accs/private-school-licensure/complaints/
Alaska
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 110505
Juneau, AK 99811-0505
https://acpe.alaska.gov/ConsumerProtection
Arizona
Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
1400 W. Washington Street, Room 260
Phoenix, AZ 85007
http://ppse.az.gov/complaint
Arkansas
Arkansas Department of Higher Education
423 Main Street, Suite 400
Little Rock, AR 72201
https://sbpce.wufoo.com/forms/form-8040-complaint-form/
California
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95833
http://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml
Colorado
Colorado Department of Higher Education
1560 Broadway, Suite 1600
Denver, CO 80202
http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Complaints/default.html
Connecticut
Office of Financial & Academic Affairs for Higher Education
61 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105-2326
http://www.ctohe.org/StudentComplaints.shtml
Delaware
Delaware Department of Education
The Townsend Building
401 Federal Street, Suite 2
Dover, Delaware 19901
www.doe.k12.de.us
District of Columbia
Office of the State Superintendent of Education - Education Licensure Commission
810 First Street, NE, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20002
http://osse.dc.gov/service/education-licensure-commission-elc-public-complaints
Florida
Commission for Independent Education
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
http://www.fldoe.org
Georgia
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 E Exchange Pl. #220
Tucker, GA 30084-5334
Phone: (770) 414-3300
https://gnpec.georgia.gov/student-complaints
Hawaii
HPEAP Administrator
P.O. Box 541
Honolulu, HI 96809
(808) 586-7327
http://cca.hawaii.gov/hpeap/student-complaint-process
Idaho
Idaho State Board of Education - State Coordinator for Private Colleges & Proprietary Schools
650 West State Street
PO Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0037
Illinois
Illinois Board of Higher Education
431 East Adams Street, Second Floor
Springfield, IL 62701-1404
http://complaints.ibhe.org/
Indiana
Academic Programs Manager
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
101 West Ohio Street, Suite 550
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-1984
or
Accreditation Coordinator
Indiana Board for Proprietary Education/
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
101 West Ohio Street, Suite 670
Indianapolis, IN 46204-1984
http://www.in.gov/che/2744.htm
Iowa
Iowa College Student Aid Commission
430 East Grand Ave., FL 3
Des Moines, IA 50319-1920
https://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/StudentComplaintForm
Kansas
Kansas Board of Regents
Private Postsecondary Education Division
1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 520
Topeka, KS 66612-1368
http://www.kansasregents.org/academic_affairs/private_out_of_state/complaint_process
Kentucky
Director of Postsecondary Licensing
1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 320
Frankfort, KY 40601
http://cpe.ky.gov/campuses/consumer_complaint.html
Louisiana
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
P.O. Box 94005
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9005
Maine
Higher Education Specialist
Maine Department of Education
23 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
https://www.maine.gov/doe/cds/dueprocess
Maryland
Maryland Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
200 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
www.oag.state.md.us/Consumer/complaint.htm
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place, Room 1401
Boston, MA 02108
https://www.mass.edu/forstufam/complaints/complaints.asp
Michigan
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
CSCL/Enforcement Division
P O Box 30018
Lansing MI 48909
http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-35299_61343_35395_35396-139958--,00.html
Minnesota
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1078
Mississippi
Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
http://www.ihl.state.ms.us/mcca/downloads/studentcomplaintform.pdf (PDF)
Director
Commission on Proprietary Schools and College Registration
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211
Missouri
Missouri Department of Higher Education
205 Jefferson Street
P.O. Box 1469
Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469
https://dhe.mo.gov/documents/POLICYONCOMPLAINTRESOLUTION-reviseddraft.pdf(PDF)
Montana
Montana University System –Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
2500 Broadway Street
P.O. Box 203201
Helena, MT 59620-3201
http://mus.edu/MUS-Statement-of-Complaint-Process.asp
Nebraska
Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
ATTN: Complaints
P.O. Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
https://ccpe.nebraska.gov/student-complaints-against-postsecondary-institutions
Nevada
Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
8778 South Maryland Parkway Suite 115
Las Vegas, Nevada 89123
http://cpe.nv.gov/Students/Students_Home/
New Hampshire
Division Director
New Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301-3494
New Jersey
Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
20 West State Street
4th floor, PO Box 542
Trenton, NJ 08625-0542
https://www.state.nj.us/treas/highereducation/contactus.shtml
New Mexico
New Mexico Higher Education Department
2048 Galisteo Street
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100
http://www.hed.state.nm.us/students/hed-student-complaint-form.aspx
New York
New York State Education Department
Office of College and University Evaluation
EBA Room 9696
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/spr/COMPLAINTFORMINFO.html
North Carolina
Post-Secondary Education Complaints, c/o Assistant Director of Licensure and Workforce Studies, University of North Carolina General Administration
910 Raleigh Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
North Dakota
Director of Distance Education and State Authorization
1815 Schafer St., Ste. 202
Bismarck, ND 58501-1217
https://ndus.edu/state-authorization-sara/
Ohio
State Board of Career Colleges and Schools
30 East Broad Street, Suite 2481
Columbus, OH 43215
http://scr.ohio.gov/ConsumerInformation/FilingaComplaint.aspx
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education – Academic Affairs Office
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
http://www.okhighered.org/current-college-students/complaints.shtml
Oregon
Director of Private Postsecondary Education
Higher Education Coordinating Commission
1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 100
Eugene, OR 97401
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Education – Postsecondary and Adult Education
Division of Higher & Career Education
333 Market Street, 12th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Rhode Island
Commissioner of Higher Education
RI Office of Higher Education
80 Washington Street, Suite 254
Providence, RI 02903
South Carolina
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education –Academic Affairs and Licensing
1122 Lady Street, Suite 300
Columbia, SC 29201
South Dakota
South Dakota Office of the Attorney General
1302 E. Highway 14, Suite 1
Pierre, SD 57501-8501
https://consumer.sd.gov/complaintform.aspx
Tennessee
Tennessee Higher Education Commission – Division of Postsecondary School Authorization
Parkway Towers, Suite 1900
404 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0830
ATTN: Complaints
https://www.tn.gov/thec/bureaus/student-aid-and-compliance/postsecondary-state-authorization/request-for-complaint-review.html
Texas
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
1200 East Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78752
https://www1.thecb.state.tx.us/Apps/CRAFT/Home/Create
Utah
Utah Division of Consumer Protection
ATTN: Complaint Processor
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Vermont
Postsecondary Approval Coordinator
Vermont Agency of Education
120 State Street, 4th Floor
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
http://education.vermont.gov/documents/EDU-VTAOE-Complaint_Resolution_for_Postsecondary_Education.pdf (PDF)
Virginia
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
101 North 14th Street, 9th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
http://www.schev.edu/
Washington
Washington Student Achievement Council
917 Lakeridge Way SW
Olympia, WA 98540-3430
http://www.wsac.wa.gov/protecting-education-consumers
West Virginia
Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
1018 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Suite 700
Charleston, WV 25301-2800
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Educational Approval Board
201 W. Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor
Madison, WI 53703
https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/SelfService/FileAComplaint.aspx
Wyoming
Wyoming Department of Education
2300 Capitol Avenue, Hathaway Building, 2nd Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002-2060
American Samoa Board of Higher Education
P.O. Box 2609
Pago Pago, AS 96799-2609
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands
P.O Box 501250
Saipan, MP 96950-1250
Federated States of Micronesia – Department of Education
P.O. Box PS 87
Palikir, Pohnpei, FM 96941
Guam Board of Regents
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96923
Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education
P.O. Box 19900
San Juan, PR 00910-1900
http://www.ce.pr.gov/
Republic of the Marshall Islands – RMI Scholarship and Loan Board
P.O. Box 1436
Majuro, Marshall Islands 96960
Republic of Palau – Ministry of Education
P.O. Box 189
Koror, Palau PW 96940
US Virgin Islands Department of Education
1834 Kongens Gade
St. Thomas, VI 00802-674
