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 on the Authorized Institutions and Data page. Pursuant to Rules 1540-01-02-.19(8) and 1540-01-10-.07(1), any student who files a complaint with THEC against an authorized institution must first exhaust the grievance process at the institution.
Tennessee Home State SARA Institutions listed on the national page, when:

o The complaint concerns issues related to SARA,

o The student

- is a non-Tennesee resident in a State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement ("Sara") state and is enrolled in a distance education program/course or
- is attending an out-of-state learning placement in a SARA state other than Tennessee

o 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. Submit a Request for Complaint Review

THEC does NOT have statutory authority to review the following types of complaints.
Complaint Type	Alternative
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 contact is on the Department Staff Directory site.
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 on the Exempt Authorized Institutions page.	Contact the institution or review the institution student catalog or handbook to complete the institution complaint (grievance) process.