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External Complaint Processes

Institutions of higher education are required to provide prospective and current students with contact information for relevant external entities tasked with complaint oversight.

If a prospective or current student has a complaint, the student must first go through UMGC's standard procedure for resolution of student grievances before submitting a complaint to an external entity.

Filing Complaints with UMGC's State Approval Agency

UMGC is authorized by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to operate as an institution of higher education in Maryland. UMGC is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which permits UMGC to offer distance education in 48 states and Washington, D.C. SARA stipulates that if a prospective or current student is not satisfied with the outcome of the institution's internal process, the complaint may then be brought to the SARA portal entity in the institution's home state.  Student complaints regarding grades and student conduct penalties may not be addressed through SARA. UMGC's portal entity is MHEC. Find out about UMGC's state authorization.

Students who wish to file a complaint with MHEC should refer to MHEC's website for complete information.

MHEC's contact information is

Maryland Higher Education Commission
6 North Liberty Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Toll-Free: 800-974-0203
Phone: 410-767-3300

Filing Complaints with Your State

Each state's higher education regulatory authority's contact information is provided in the section below entitled Contact Information for State Higher Education Regulatory Authorities. Veteran and other GI Bill®1 eligible students may also contact their state's own State Approving Agency to file complaints after going through UMGC's student grievance procedures.

Contacts for Maryland, Washington, and Virginia students seeking additional assistance with, or to file a complaint regarding, their student loans are also provided in the Contact Information section.

Under SARA, students may choose to work through their own state's portal entity for complaint resolution; however, MHEC is responsible for overseeing the investigation and complaint resolution. Each state’s portal entity can be found on NC-SARA's website by clicking on your state.

Reporting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse of UMGC Resources

UMGC is committed to the responsible stewardship of university resources. Whether you are part of management, a faculty or staff member, a student, or a member of the public, we encourage you to report known or suspected dishonest acts by employees, outside contractors, or vendors to the University System of Maryland Office of Internal Audit here:

University System of Maryland Fraud Hotline

In addition, the State of Maryland's Office of Legislative Audit (OLA) operates a hotline to receive allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse of State government resources. To report fraud to OLA, click the link below:

Office of Legislative Audits Fraud Hotline

Filing Complaints with UMGC's Accreditor

UMGC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), a regional institution accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Learn more about UMGC's accreditation. Prospective or current students who wish to file a complaint with MSCHE should refer to the MSCHE website for complete information.

MSCHE's contact information is

Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street Second Floor West
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680
Phone: 267-284-5000
Fax: 215-662-5501

Contact Information for State Higher Education Regulatory Authorities

Alabama

Alabama Commission on Higher Education
100 North Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36104-3758
Phone: 334-242-1998
Fax: 334-242-0268

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 302000
Montgomery, AL 36130-2000

Alaska

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 110505
Juneau, AK 99811-0505
Toll-Free: 800-441-2962
Phone: 907-465-2962
Fax: 907-465-5316

Arizona

Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
1400 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-542-5709
Fax: 602-542-1253

Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Higher Education
423 Main Street
Suite 400
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-371-2000
E-mail: ADHE_Info@adhe.edu

California

California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: 833-942-1120
E-mail: dca@dca.ca.gov

Colorado

Colorado Department of Higher Education
1560 Broadway
Suite 1600
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 303-862-3001
Fax: 303-996-1329
URL: https://cdhe.colorado.gov/students/how-do-i/file-a-student-complaint

Connecticut

Connecticut Office of Higher Education
450 Columbus Boulevard
Suite 510
Hartford, CT 06130-1841
Phone: 860-947-1800
URL: https://www.ohe.ct.gov/StudentComplaints.shtml

Delaware

Delaware Department of Education
The Townsend Building
401 Federal Street, Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901-3639
Phone: 302-735-4000

Florida

Florida Commission for Independent Education
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-3200
Fax: 850-245-3233
E-mail: Joey.Smith@fldoe.org

Georgia

Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 East Exchange Place
Suite 220
Tucker, Georgia 30084-5305
Phone: 770-414-3300
Fax: 770-414-3309

Hawaii

Hawaii Postsecondary Education Authorization Program
335 Merchant Street, Room 310
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808-586-7327
E-mail: hpeap@dcca.hawaii.gov

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 541
Honolulu, HI 96809

You may file a complaint with the Hawaii Postsecondary Education Authorization Program (HPEAP) after you exhaust all administrative remedies available at UMGC; however, if your complaint involves a violation of state or federal criminal law, this requirement does not apply.

Are you a former student? If it is still within two years after you discontinued enrollment at UMGC, you may file a complaint. If two years have passed, the time within which you could file a complaint has passed; however, if your complaint is related to obtaining transcripts, the two-year restriction does not apply.

STEP 1: Complete and submit the HPEAP complaint form. HPEAP may investigate complaints based on possible violations of Act 180, SLH 2013, or any rules promulgated under this act. HPEAP does not have jurisdiction to consider complaints that infringe on the academic or religious freedom of or question the curriculum content of an institution.

STEP 2: After you complete the HPEAP complaint form, HPEAP determines whether your complaint was properly filed and whether it warrants investigation. If a complaint warrants investigation, HPEAP forwards the complaint to UMGC. UMGC has 30 days to respond in writing to the complaint. During the 30-day period, UMGC, with HPEAP's assistance, may attempt to resolve the complaint with you. If HPEAP determines at any time that the complaint no longer warrants investigation, HPEAP will dismiss the complaint.

STEP 3: If a complaint is not resolved within the 30-day period, HPEAP may dismiss the complaint based on the response of UMGC or investigate and, where appropriate, take disciplinary action in a manner consistent with Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 91.

Idaho

Idaho Private Postsecondary Educational Institutions
650 West State Street, Suite 307
Boise, ID 83702-0037
Contact: Val Fenske, Private Postsecondary and Proprietary Schools Coordinator
Phone: 208-332-1587

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720

Illinois

Illinois Board of Higher Education
1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza
Suite 333
Springfield, IL 62701-1377
Phone: 217-782-2551
Fax: 217-782-8548
E-mail: info@ibhe.org

Indiana

Indiana Commission for Higher Education
101 W. Ohio Street
Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-464-4400

Iowa

Iowa College Student Aid Commission
430 East Grand Ave, Fl3
Des Moines, IA 50309-1920
Toll-Free: 877-272-4456 (Information Service Center)
Phone: 515-725-3400
Fax: 515-725-3401

Kansas

Kansas Board of Regents
1000 SW Jackson Street, Suite 520
Topeka, KS 66612-1368
Phone: 785-430-4240

Kentucky

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
1024 Capital Center Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-573-1555

Louisiana

Board of Regents, State of Louisiana
1201 N. Third Street
Suite 6-200
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 225-342-4235
Fax: 225-342-9318 or 225-342-6296

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 3677
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3677

Maine

Maine Department of Education
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0023
Phone: 207-824-6600
Fax: 207-624-6700

Maryland

UMGC's home state is Maryland. Complaints from students located in any state may be submitted to the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Maryland Higher Education Commission
6 North Liberty Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Toll-Free: 800-974-0203
Phone: 410-767-3300

Student Loan Ombudsman
Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation
Maryland Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
500 North Calvert Street, Suite 402
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-230-6077
Toll-free: 1-888-784-0136
E-mail: studentloan.ombudsman@maryland.gov

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place
Room 1401
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-994-6950

Michigan

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
P.O. Box 30004
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517-373-1820

Minnesota

Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive
Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108-5227
Toll-Free: 800-657-3866
Phone: 651-642-0567
Fax: 651-642-0675

Mississippi

Board of Trustees, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211
Phone: 601-432-6198
Fax: 601-432-6972

Missouri

Missouri Department of Higher Education
205 Jefferson Street
P.O. Box 1469
Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469
Toll-Free: 800-473-6757
Phone: 573-751-2361
Fax: 573-751-6635

Montana

Montana University System
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
2500 Broadway Street
P.O. Box 203201
Helena, MT 59620-3201
Phone: 406-444-6570

Nebraska -

Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
140 N. 8th Street
Suite 300
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: 402-471-2847
Fax: 402-471-2886

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005

Nevada

Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
8778 South Maryland Parkway
Suite 115
Las Vegas, NV 89123
Phone: 702-486-7330
Fax: 702-486-7340

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301-3494
Phone: 603-271-3494

New Jersey

New Jersey Secretary for Higher Education
20 West State Street
4th Floor
Trenton, NJ 08608-1206
Phone: 609-292-4310
Fax: 609-292-7225 or 609-633-8420

Mailing Address:
NJ Higher Education
P.O. Box 542
Trenton, NJ 08625-0542

New Mexico

New Mexico Higher Education Department
2044 Galisteo Street
Suite 4
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100
Phone: 505-476-8400

New York

New York Office of College and University Evaluation
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Room 960EBA
Albany, NY 12234
Phone: 518-474-1551
E-mail: ocueinfo@nysed.gov

North Carolina

University of North Carolina Board of Governors
910 Raleigh Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: 919-962-1000

North Dakota

North Dakota University System
600 E. Boulevard Avenue
Department 215
10th Floor, State Capitol
Bismarck, ND 58505
Phone: 701-328-2960

Ohio

Ohio Department of Higher Education
25 South Front Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-466-6000
Fax: 614-466-5866

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway
Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: 405-225-9100
E-mail: communicationsdepartment@osrhe.edu

Oregon

Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
255 Capitol Street NE
3rd Floor
Salem, OR 97310
Contact: Juan Baez-Arevalo, Director, Private Postsecondary Education
Phone: 503-947-5977
E-mail: juan.baez-arevalo@state.or.us

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126
Phone: 717-783-6788

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education
Shepard Building
80 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: 401-456-6000

South Carolina

South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
1122 Lady Street
Suite 300
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 803-737-2260
Fax: 803-737-2297

South Dakota

South Dakota Secretary of State's Office
Capitol Building
500 East Capitol Avenue
Suite 204
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
Phone: 605-773-3537
Fax: 605-773-6580
E-mail: sdsos@state.sd.us

Tennessee

Tennessee Higher Education Commission
404 James Robertson Pkwy
Suite 1900
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615-741-3605

Texas

After exhausting all UMGC internal complaint procedures, students taking courses in Texas may contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and/or the Texas Attorney General to file a complaint.

Find out more about the rules governing complaints for students residing in Texas.

After exhausting all UMGC internal complaint procedures, online students who are residents of Texas may file a complaint with UMGC's State Approval Agency.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
1200 E. Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78752
Phone: 512-427-6101

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 12788
Austin, TX 78711-2788

Texas Attorney General
300 W. 15th Street
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512-463-2100

Utah

Utah Division of Consumer Protection
160 East 300 South
2nd Floor
P.O. Box 146704
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6704
Phone: 801-530-6601
Fax: 801-530-6001
E-mail: consumerprotection@utah.gov

Vermont

Vermont Agency of Education
219 North Main Street
Suite 402
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: 802-479-1030
E-mail: aoe.edinfo@vermont.gov

Virginia

Virginia State Council of Higher Education
101 N. 14th Street
10th Floor
James Monroe Building
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-225-2600

Scott W. Kemp, Student Loan Advocate
Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
James Monroe Building, 9th Floor
101 N. 14th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
E-mail: scottkemp@schev.edu

Washington

Washington Student Achievement Council
917 Lakeridge Way SW
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: 360-753-7800
E-mail: info@wsac.wa.gov

Stephanie Sampedro, Student Loan Advocate
Washington Student Achievement Council
917 Lakeridge Way SW
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: 833-881-0397
E-mail: loanadvocate@wsac.wa.gov

Washington Workforce Training and Education Commission
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Phone: 360-902-4111
Fax: 360-753-4110

Washington, D.C.

District of Columbia Higher Education Licensure Commission
810 First Street NE
9th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202-727-6436

West Virginia

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
1018 Kanawha Boulevard East
Suite 700
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-2101

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Educational Approval Board
431 Charmany Drive
Suite 102
Madison, WI 53719
Phone: 608-266-1996
Fax: 608-264-8477
E-mail: eabmail@eab.wisconsin.gov

Wyoming

Wyoming Department of Education
2300 Capitol Avenue, #2
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: 307-777-7675

American Samoa

American Samoa Board of Higher Education
American Samoa Community College
P.O. Box 2609
Pago Pago, AS 96799-2609
Phone: 684-699-9155

Guam

Guam Higher Education Agency
University of Guam
UOG Station
Mangilao, Guam 96923
Phone: 671-735-2201

Northern Mariana Island

Northern Mariana Department of Education
CNMI Public School System
Saipan, MP 96950-1250
Phone: 670-237-3027

Republic of the Marshall Islands

Scholarship Grant and Loan Board (Republic of the Marshall Islands)
P.O. Box 1436
Majuro, MH 96960
Phone: 692-625-5770

Federated States of Micronesia

FSM Higher Education Agency
College of Micronesia-FSM
P.O. Box 159
Kolonia Pohnpei, FM 96941
Phone: 691-320-2480

Republic of Palau

Palau Higher Education Agency
Palau Community College
P.O. Box 9
Koror, Republic of Palau 96940
Phone: 680-488-2470

Puerto Rico

Council on Education of Puerto Rico
P.O. Box 19900
Ave. Ponce de Leon 268
Edificio Hato Rey Center Piso 15
Hato Rey, PR 00918
Phone: 787-641-7100

U.S. Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands Department of Education
1834 Kongens Gaden
St. Thomas, VI 00802
Phone: 340-774-2810

1 GI Bill is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available on the U.S. government GI Bill website.

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