Request for Complaint Review

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (“THEC”) has the authority to investigate complaints related to certain postsecondary educational institutions to determine whether an institution violated applicable state law, an institution’s internal policies, or State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (“SARA”) policies. THEC investigates complaints from:

  • Authorized Institutions as listed HERE. Pursuant to Rule 1540-01-02-.19(9), any student who files a complaint with THEC, must first exhaust the grievance process at the institution. Parties to the complaint shall be the complainant and any named institution or agent thereof.
  • Tennessee Home State SARA Institutions listed HERE, when:

o   The complaint concerns issues related to SARA,

o   The student resides out of state, is enrolled in a distance education program, and has exhausted the institution’s grievance process, and

o   The filing with THEC is made within two (2) years of the incident about which the complaint is made.

THEC encourages you to email our office at THEC.RCD@tn.gov before submitting the Request for Complaint Review. Be sure to include your name, a telephone number, and the name of this institution in the email. Go HERE to submit a Request for Complaint Review.

 THEC does NOT have statutory authority to review the following types of complaints.

Complaints alleging a violation of federal laws, including violations dealing with the administration or disbursement of Federal Student Aid

Review the website at: https://studentaid.gov/feedback-center/.

Except as noted above for SARA purposes, complaints against Tennessee public higher education institution, including state colleges and universities

Contact the institution or review the institution student catalog or handbook to complete the institution complaint (grievance) process.

Complaints against K-12 institutions, including elementary, middle, and high schools

For complaints against K-12 institutions, contact your local school board or the Tennessee Department of Education ("TNDOE"). The TNDOE main line is 615.741.5158 and the legal department is (615) 741-2921. The website is Education (tn.gov) and a list of departments and contacts is HERE.

Except as noted above for SARA purposes, complaints against institution that are exempt pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-7-2004(a)(6): A list of these institutions is available HERE.

Contact the institution or review the institution student catalog or handbook to complete the institution complaint (grievance) process.