Loyola University Chicago

Loyola Online

Student Complaint Procedure

Students enrolled in online courses and programs are able to follow the same procedure as on-campus students if a grievance with the University arises. The actual procedure will depend on the nature of the complaint, as described below:

  1. Academic Grievances: Student complaints regarding the appropriateness of course grades and accusations of academic dishonesty should follow the procedure outlined at the following links for undergraduate and graduate students.
  2. Financial Disputes: Questions or concerns regarding students’ tuition and fees or financial aid can be resolved by contacting either the Office of the Bursar or Financial Aid.
  3. Students with Disabilities: Loyola provides procedures for resolving disputes related to services for students with disabilities, including complaints that a student has been discriminated against because of his or her disability. To review information about how to file an incident report and about the procedures used to resolve student complaints, visit the File a Report page from the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
  4. Sexual Harassment: Loyola University Chicago is committed to maintaining an environment which respects the dignity of all individuals. Accordingly, Loyola University will not tolerate sexual harassment by or of its students, faculty, or employees. For sexual harassment policy and reporting procedures, please visit this site: http://www.luc.edu/hr/policies/policy_sexualharassment.shtml.

State of Illinois and HLC Complaint Procedure

Loyola University Chicago, as a participant in Title IV Federal Financial Aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, is required to direct students to the Illinois Board of Higher Education for assistance with unresolved complaints. Loyola University Chicago also must make available to students or prospective students, upon request, a copy of the documents describing the institution’s accreditation and state authorization. 

Students may contact the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedure described above by accessing the IBHE online complaint system at http://complaints.ibhe.org/.

Students may also file a complaint with Loyola University Chicago’s accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) by following the HLC’s complaint procedure.

Complaint Resolution Process for SARA States

States operating under the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) have agreed to allow their SARA state portal agency investigate and resolve any complaints that have not been resolved through an institution's own procedures for resolution of grievances. The SARA Complaint Resolution Process is taken directly from Section 4.2 of the NC-SARA State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements Policies and Standards.

Participating SARA States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Students from participating SARA states may contact the Illinois Board of Higher Education (the Illinois SARA portal agency) with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedure described above by accessing the IBHE online complaint system at http://complaints.ibhe.org/.

State Contact Information for Student Complaints

In addition to the above University procedures for addressing student grievances, the US Department of Education requires that each institution offering online programming provide contact information for students who wish to file complaints through their home state. States participating in SARA may file a complaint through the Complaint Resolution Process for SARA States listed above. Contact information for states not participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) can be found below. 

*This list includes contact information for states not participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and should not be construed as informative of the states in which Loyola University Chicago is licensed or required to be licensed. States, through the relevant agencies or Attorney Generals Offices, will accept complaints regardless of whether an institution is required to be licensed in that state.

California

California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education
PO Box 980818
W. Sacramento, CA 95798-0818
bppe@dca.ca.gov
http://www.bppe.ca.gov/forms_pubs/complaint.pdf