SUNY ESF
Student Complaint Information

Student Complaint Information

Students should attempt to resolve any issues or complaints directly with ESF. See the ESF Student Handbook related to student Code of Conduct, bias, and Title IX complaint procedures. Academic and other consumer complaints outside of those in the Student Handbook may be submitted to the Associate Provost of Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School at GradDean@esf.edu.

In the event campus grievance procedures have been followed and all avenues of appeals exhausted and documented, and the issue remains unresolved, a complaint may be submitted to System Administration of the State University of New York. Please note, this does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be fully addressed via campus processes. See the section on Out-of-State Distance Education Complaints for complaints related to distance education programs when a student resides outside of New York State.

ESF is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 1007 North Orange Street, 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801 (www.msche.org). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. In the event campus grievance procedures have been followed and all avenues of appeals exhausted and documented, and the issue remains unresolved, students also may file a complaint with ESF’s accrediting agency. Information and procedures can be found in the Complaints Involving Member Institutions section of the MSCHE Polices, Guidelines, and Procedures webpage.

Out-of-State Distance Education Complaints

New York State is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and ESF has been a participating institution since 2017. SARA participation enables ESF to offer its online courses and programs to students residing in other SARA member states- currently AL, AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, VI, WA, WV, WI, WY. ESF follows policies and procedures outlined within the SARA Policy Manual, which includes addressing student complaints related to distance education and SARA policies. Consumer complaints related to distance education courses, activities, operations, or other SARA provisions may be submitted to the Associate Provost of Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School at GradDean@esf.edu for investigation and resolution. In the event campus grievance procedures have been followed and all avenues of appeals exhausted and documented, and the issue remains unresolved, distance education students residing in a SARA member state may file a SARA complaint to the System Administration of the State University of New York. And, if still not satisfied, a SARA complaint may then be submitted to the New York State Education Department, New York's SARA Portal Entity, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made. Please note, this does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be fully addressed via campus processes, not through the SARA complaint resolution procedures.

California is currently not a SARA member. As an out-of-state public institution without a physical presence in the state, ESF can still enroll CA students in online courses and programs. In the event campus grievance procedures have been followed and all avenues of appeals exhausted and documented, and the issue remains unresolved, online students in California may file a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs.

You can also view a full list of the higher education authorization and complaints portal agency along with SARA affiliation status for each state below.

State	SARA Member	Agency
Alabama	Yes	Alabama Community College System PO Box 302130 Montgomery, AL 36130-2130 https://www.accs.edu/student-complaints/ Alabama Commission on Higher Education PO Box 302000 Montgomery, AL 36130-2000 https://www.ache.edu/index.php/saraaspa-application-process/
Alaska	Yes	Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education PO Box 110505 Juneau, AK 99811-0505 https://acpe.alaska.gov/ConsumerProtection
Arizona	Yes	Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education 1400 W. Washington Street, Room 260 Phoenix, AZ 85007 https://ppse.az.gov/resources/student-complaint
Arkansas	Yes	Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board Arkansas Department of Higher Education 423 Main Street, Suite 400 Little Rock, AR 72201 https://adhe.edu/students-parents/student-grievance-form
California	No	Complaints California Department of Consumer Affairs Consumer Information Center 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112 Sacramento, California 95834 https://www.dca.ca.gov/consumers/complaints/oos_students.shtml Other Higher Ed California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education PO Box 980818, W. Sacramento, CA 95798-0818 https://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml Attorney General’s Office California Department of Justice Attn: Public Inquiry Unit P.O. Box 9044255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company
Colorado	Yes	Colorado Department of Higher Education 1560 Broadway, Suite 1600 Denver, Colorado 80202 https://cdhe.colorado.gov/complaint-procedures
Connecticut	Yes	Office of Higher Education 61 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105-2326 http://www2.ct.edu/complaint
Delaware	Yes	Delaware Higher Education Office John G. Townsend Building, 401 Federal St., Suite 2 Dover, DE 19901 https://www.doe.k12.de.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=7585&ViewID=ed695a1c-ef13-4546-b4eb-4fefcdd4f389&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=22062&PageID=3062 **SARA Student Complaint Form
District of Columbia	Yes	District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education Higher Education Licensure Commission 810 First Street, NE, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20002 https://helc.osse.dc.gov/topic/helcadmin/community-stakeholders/public-complaints
Florida	Yes	Florida Department of Education Commission for Independent Education 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1414 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400 https://www.fldoe.org/schools/higher-ed/fl-college-system/about-us/concerns-complaints.stml
Georgia	Yes	Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission 2082 E. Exchange Pl. #220 Tucker, GA 30084-5334 https://gnpec.georgia.gov/student-complaints
Hawaii	Yes	Hawaii Postsecondary Education Authorization Program Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs P.O. Box 541 Honolulu, Hawaii 96809 http://cca.hawaii.gov/hpeap/student-complaint-process/
Idaho	Yes	Idaho State Board of Education Attn: State Coordinator for Private Colleges and Proprietary Schools 650 West State Street PO Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0037 https://boardofed.idaho.gov/higher-education-private/proprietary-schools-non-degree-granting/student-complaint-procedures/
Illinois	Yes	Illinois Board of Higher Education 1 North Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333 Springfield, Illinois 62701 https://complaints.ibhe.org/register.aspx
Indiana	Yes	Indiana Commission for Higher Education 101 W. Ohio Street, Suite 670 Indianapolis, IN 46204 https://www.in.gov/che/student-complaints/#:~:text=The%20Commission%20will%20inform%20both,%40che.in.gov.
Iowa	Yes	Iowa Student Aid Commission 430 E. Grand Ave., 3rd Floor Des Moines, IA 50309 https://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/StudentComplaintForm
Kansas	Yes	Kansas Board of Regents 1000 SW Jackson Street, Suite 520 Topeka, KS 66612-1368 http://www.kansasregents.org/academic_affairs/private_out_of_state/complaint_process
Kentucky	Yes	Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Director of Postsecondary Learning 1024 Capital Center Dr. #320 Frankfort, KY 40601-7512 http://cpe.ky.gov/campuses/consumer_complaint.html
Louisiana	Yes	Louisiana Board of Regents P.O. Box 3677 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3677 https://www.laregents.edu/student-complaint-process/ Louisiana Attorney General Office Consumer Protection Section P.O. Box 94005 Baton Rouge, LA 70804 https://www.ag.state.la.us/
Maine	Yes	Maine Department of Education 23 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0023 https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/highered/sara Maine Attorney General Consumer Protection Division 6 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 consumer.mediation@maine.gov http://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/complaints/complaint_form.shtml
Maryland	Yes	Maryland Higher Education Commission 6 North Liberty Street, 10th Floor Baltimore, MD 21201 http://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/Pages/colleges_universities/index.aspx
Massachusetts	Yes	Massachusetts Board of Higher Education One Ashburton Place, Room 1401 Boston, MA 02108 https://www.mass.edu/forstufam/complaints/complaintform.asp#:~:text=Submit%20a%20Complaint&text=The%20Board%20cannot%20provide%20you%20with%20legal%20advice.&text=)%20to%20complete%20and%20return%20via,(617)%20994%2D6963. Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure Office of Private Occupational School Education 1000 Washington Street Boston, MA 02118 https://www.mass.gov/service-details/have-a-complaint-against-a-licensee
Michigan	Yes	Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau Administrative Services Section-Complaint Intake PO Box 30018 Lansing, MI 48909 http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Post-Secondary_Student_Complaints_498839_7.pdf
Minnesota	Yes	Minnesota Office of Higher Education 1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350 St. Paul, MN 55108-5227 http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1078
Mississippi	Yes	Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation 3825 Ridgewood Road Jackson, MS 39211-6453 http://www.mississippi.edu/mcca/student_complaint_process.asp
Missouri	Yes	Missouri Department of Higher Education 205 Jefferson Street PO Box 1469 Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469 https://dhewd.mo.gov/documents/POLICYONCOMPLAINTRESOLUTION-reviseddraft.pdf
Montana	Yes	Montana University System Office of Commissioner of Higher Education 2500 Broadway Street PO Box 203201 Helena, MT 59620-3201 https://mus.edu/MUS-Statement-of-Complaint-Process.asp
Nebraska	Yes	Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education PO Box 95005 Lincoln, NE 68509-5005 https://ccpe.nebraska.gov/student-complaints-against-postsecondary-institutions
Nevada	Yes	Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education 8778 S Maryland Parkway, Suite 115 Las Vegas, NV 89123 http://cpe.nv.gov/Students/Students_Home/
New Hampshire	Yes	New Hampshire Department of Education Division of Higher Education 101 Pleasant Street Concord, NH 03301-3494 https://www.education.nh.gov/pathways-education/higher-education-new-hampshire
New Jersey	Yes	New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education 20 West State Street 4th Floor, PO Box 542 Trenton, NJ 08625 https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/OSHEComplaintInstructions.shtml
New Mexico	Yes	New Mexico Higher Education Department 2048 Galisteo Street Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100 https://hed.state.nm.us/students-parents/student-complaints
New York	Yes	New York State Education Department Office of College and University Evaluation EBA Room 960 89 Washington Ave Albany, NY 12234 http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/spr/COMPLAINTFORMINFO.html *Note special directions for SUNY and CUNY institution complaints
North Carolina	Yes	University of North Carolina General Administration North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints 910 Raleigh Road Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2688 https://www.northcarolina.edu/post-secondary-education-complaints/#:~:text=Information%20about%20Student%20Complaints&text=North%20Carolina%20residents%20may%20call,(919)%20716%2D6000.
North Dakota	Yes	North Dakota University System Director of Distance Education and State Authorization 600 East Boulevard Ave Bismarck, ND 58505-0230 http://www.ndus.edu/system/state-authorization/ *See bottom of page
Ohio	Yes	Ohio Department of Higher Education 25 South Front Street Columbus, OH 43215 https://highered.ohio.gov/students/current-college-students/student-complaints/student-complaints
Oklahoma	Yes	Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education 655 Research Parkway, Suite 200 Oklahoma City, OK 73104 http://www.okhighered.org/current-college-students/complaints.shtml
Oregon	Yes	Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission Office of Degree Authorization 775 Court Street NE Salem, OR 97301 https://www.oregon.gov/highered/institutions-programs/private/Pages/private-postsecondary-complaints.aspx
Pennsylvania	Yes	Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Postsecondary and Adult Education 333 Market Street, 12th Floor Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 https://www.education.pa.gov/Postsecondary-Adult/CollegeCareer/Pages/Students-Complaints.aspx
Puerto Rico	Yes	Education Council of Puerto Rico (Consejo de Educación de Puerto Rico) PO Box 19900 San Juan, PR 00910-1900 http://www.agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/Pages/default.aspx Puerto Rico Department of Justice P.O. Box 9020192 San Juan, PR 00902 https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/submit-complaint
Rhode Island	Yes	Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner 560 Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 100 Warwick, RI 02886 https://riopc.edu/policies/student-complaint-procedures/#:~:text=Written%20complaints%20and%20supporting%20documentation,they%20will%20be%20reviewed%20accordingly.
South Carolina	Yes	South Carolina Commission on Higher Education 1122 Lady St., Suite 300 Columbia, SC 29201 https://che.sc.gov/sites/che/files/Documents/Institutions%20and%20Educators/Complaint_Procedures_and_Form.pdf
South Dakota	Yes	South Dakota Board of Regents (SARA affiliated institutions) 306 E. Capitol Avenue Pierre, SD 57501 https://www.sdbor.edu/administrative-offices/academics/SD-SARA/Pages/default.aspx South Dakota Secretary of State (Non-SARA) 500 East Capitol Avenue Pierre, SD 57501-5070 SOS.EDU@state.sd.us https://sdsos.gov/general-information/postsecondary-education/default.aspx
Tennessee	Yes	Tennessee Higher Education Commission Division of Postsecondary School Authorization Parkway Towers, Suite 1900 404 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, TN 37243-0830 https://www.tn.gov/thec/bureaus/student-aid-and-compliance/postsecondary-state-authorization/request-for-complaint-review.html
Texas	Yes	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 1200 E. Anderson Lane Austin, TX 78752 https://www.highered.texas.gov/student-complaints/
Utah	Yes	Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents Building The Gateway 60 South 400 West Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 https://ushe.edu/office-of-commissioner/state-authorization-ut-sara/ Utah Division of Consumer Protection 160 East 300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 https://db.dcp.utah.gov/complaints.html For complaints related to fraud, false advertising, or other deceptive practices Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities 8060 165^th Ave. NE, Suite 200 Richmond, Washington 98052 https://nwccu.org/tools-resources/complaints/ For complaints related to quality of education or other issues appropriate for the colleges accrediting institution to consider
Vermont	Yes	Vermont Agency of Education 219 North Main Street, Suite 402 Barre, VT 05641 https://education.vermont.gov/documents/postsecondary-program-complaint-resolution
Virginia	Yes	State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 101 N. 14th St., 10th Floor James Monroe Building Richmond, VA 23219 https://www.schev.edu/students/resources/student-complaints
Washington	Yes	Washington Student Achievement Council 917 Lakeridge Way SW Olympia, WA 98502 http://www.wsac.wa.gov/student-complaints Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board 128 10th Avenue SW P.O. Box 43105 Olympia, WA 98504 http://www.wtb.wa.gov/PCS_Complaints.asp
West Virginia	Yes	West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Community and Technical College System of West Virginia 1018 Kanawha Blvd E., Suite 700 Charleston, WV 25301 http://www.wvhepc.edu/inside-the-commission/special-initiatives/state-authorization-reciprocity-agreement-sara/ https://www.wvhepc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Student-Complaint-Process.pdf West Virginia Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division P.O. Box 1789 Charleston, WV 25326 https://ago.wv.gov/consumerprotection/Pages/default.aspx
Wisconsin	Yes	Wisconsin Educational Approval Board 431 Charmany Drive, Suite 102 Madison, WI 53719 https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Programs/EducationalApproval/EAPFileAComplaint.aspx For SARA participating institutions/states: Distance Learning Authorization Board (Higher Educational Aids Board) 131 W. Wilson Street, Suite 902 Madison, WI 53703 http://www.heab.state.wi.us/dlab/students.html#file
Wyoming	Yes	Wyoming Department of Education 2300 Capitol Avenue, Hathaway Building, 2nd Floor Cheyenne, WY 82002-0050 https://edu.wyoming.gov/beyond-the-classroom/school-programs/private-school-licensing/ For SARA participating institutions: Wyoming Community College Commission 2300 Capitol Ave, 5th Floor, Suite B Cheyenne, WY 82002 https://communitycolleges.wy.edu/sara/

Last Updated 9/25/2023

SUNY ESF Student Complaint Information

Out-of-State Distance Education Complaints

Higher Education Authorization and Complaints Portal Agency By State

SUNY ESF
Student Complaint Information