State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Student Complaint Process for Out-of-State Students in Distance Education Programs
Teachers College is a New York State institution participating in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), and is authorized to conduct distance education activity in other SARA member states under the terms and provisions of SARA. Out-of-state students with consumer protection complaints related to distance education programs should begin by filing their complaint with Teachers College. As detailed in the TC Grievance Guide, students with concerns are encouraged to begin discussions and resolution with people in their departments, programs, and units. If the concern or problem cannot be resolved, students should contact the Vice President for Community & Student Affairs at studentaffairs@tc.columbia.edu
If a student has completed the internal process above and believes that their complaint was not resolved by the institution, students may appeal the institution’s decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made. Information on this process can be found at the following link: https://www.nysed.gov/college-
Important note: SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades and student conduct violations.
Additional information about the SARA Student Complaint process can be found on the NC-SARA website: https://nc-sara.org/sara-