Student Complaint Procedure
Northwestern University students may file a complaint with the University by following the complaint procedures outlined in the student handbook.
Students may also file a complaint with Northwestern University's accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) by following the HLC complaint procedure.
Online students residing in a SARA state or territory* should attempt to resolve grievances through Northwestern's institutional process for filing a complaint. If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of Northwestern's process, the complaint (except for those involving grades or student conduct violations) may be brought to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. For more information regarding the complaint process for students residing in SARA states, please visit the SARA website.
*Northwestern University is an institutional participant in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). SARA is a voluntary agreement among member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of distance-education courses and programs. SARA membership includes all states with the exception of California, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more about SARA.
California
Online students residing in California may direct unresolved complaints to:
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
District of Columbia
Pursuant to D.C. Official Code §38-1306(c)(4), complaints may be filed by students in the District of Columbia with the Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC, Commission) against postsecondary educational institutions operating in the District of Columbia. See the HELC Public Complaints webpage for details of the HELC process.
For more information, please contact Mearah Quinn-Brauner, Senior Director for Strategy and Policy, at mearah@northwestern.edu.