Student complaints regarding State Authorization are governed by campus policy.
The Columbia campus has three widely distributed policies regarding student complaints. Student Ombudsmen are also available to help students resolve grievances and maintain policy compliance:

• Ombudsperson for graduate students
• Ombudsperson for undergraduate students:
  Lisa Jerald, Division of Student Affairs, 803-777-4172

Academic Student Complaints

Student Affairs policy STAFF 6.30[pdf] outlines the steps to be taken to resolve complaints about a final grade in a course.

Non-Academic Student Complaints

Student Affairs Policy STAFF 6.27 [pdf] describes the steps to be taken to resolve student complaints other than grading issues.

Students with Disabilities Policy

While policy STAFF 6.27 (described above) specifically addresses complaints by students with disabilities, policies and procedures are listed on the Student Disability Resource Center website, which includes a general complaints and appeals policy. This policy states that the director of the Student Disability Resource Center will assist disabled students with the University grievance procedures.

SC Commission on Higher Education Complaints

The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education website [pdf] includes a complaints document addressing CHE policy and procedures regarding complaints from students against public, independent non-profit, and proprietary institutions of higher education in South Carolina.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Students may also address complaints to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Note that the complaint policy [pdf] only addresses significant, documented, alleged non-compliance with the SACSCOC accreditation standards, policies or procedures.

 

Filing a Complaint with SC SARA Portal Agency

If complaints are not resolved by the University, students engaged in Distributed Learning or Experiential Learning coursework in a non-SC or foreign state should appeal to the SARA state portal agency contact:

Peggy Simons
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
1122 Lady Street, Suite 300
Columbia, SC 29201
803.737.7781
psimons@che.sc.gov 

Filing a Complaint in a Non-SARA State or Territory:

Detailed instructions for filing complaints in a non-SARA state or territory may be found at the links below:

California	Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
Northern Mariana Islands	Northern Marianas Department of Education