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In keeping with our core value of Personal Attention to Students, º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ University seeks to resolve all formal student complaints in a timely and effective manner.

Definitions

Student (for this complaint process only): an individual who is currently enrolled (full-time or part-time) or was enrolled at the institution within the previous academic year.

Parents, relatives, employers, agents, and other persons acting for or on behalf of a Student are not Students within the meaning of this Policy.

What is a Formal Student Complaint?

º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ encourages all students to try to resolve concerns directly with those involved. For example, a concern about an instructor or course should be discussed first with the instructor. If the concern is not resolved at the instructor level, the student should next talk with the department chair or program director before going to the appropriate Dean. The Formal Student Complaint process begins if the issue is not resolved with the person or department responsible for the relevant area of the university (i.e. department chair, associate dean, director).

Formal Student Complaint vs Appeal

º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ has separate policies to appeal for the following areas:

1. Title IX
2. Employment (contact Human Resources)
3. Grade Appeal (contact Academic Affairs)
4. Curricular or graduation requirements (contact Registrar’s Office for Executive Petition)
5. Suspension of Financial Aid (contact Financial Aid Office)
6. Student Conduct

Procedure

If the student concern has not been resolved through direct contact with the parties involved as stated above, a Formal Student Complaint may be initiated through this form with supporting documentation attached.

Who will review?

Formal Student Complaints are received, recorded, and routed to the appropriate member of the university administration. The student may expect to receive an acknowledgement within 10 business days.

Complaints addressed to external accrediting bodies

If on occasion students believe that these Formal Student Complaint procedures outlined above have not adequately addressed the concerns identified, the following independent procedures are provided through external bodies. It should be noted that external agencies rarely review or act on complaints that have not been processed through all appropriate channels at the University.

Formal Student Complaint Form Website

/inside-nwu/formal-student-complaint