Filing a Complaint About a College or University

For all types of complaints concerning colleges and universities in New York State, the first course of action must be to try to resolve the complaint directly with the administration of the college or university involved. The Office of College and University Evaluation will not review a complaint until all grievance procedures at the institution have been followed and all avenues of appeal exhausted and documentation provided that such procedures have been exhausted. Please note: Every New York State college and the university is required to establish, publish, and enforce explicit policies related to redress of grievances.

Please do not send a complaint to the Office of College and University Evaluation until you have read all of the information below. This will assure that you are sending your complaint to the appropriate agency/office.

The Office of College and University Evaluation handles only those complaints that concern educational programs or practices of degree-granting institutions subject to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, with the exceptions, noted below.

• The Office does not handle anonymous complaints.
• The Office does not intervene in matters concerning an individual’s grades or examination results, as these are the prerogative of the college’s faculty.
• The Office does not handle complaints concerning actions that occurred more than five years ago.
• The Office does not intervene in matters that are or have been in litigation.
• Complaints concerning programs in fields leading to professional licensure (e.g., nursing) should be directed to: Office of the Professions
  Professional Education Program Review
  Education Building, 2 West
  Albany, NY 12234
• A complaint against a college in the State University system should be sent to: State University of New York
  Central Administration
  State University Plaza
  Albany, NY 12246
  • More information about the process for State University of New York campuses

  City University of New York
  Office of the General Counsel
  205 East 42nd Street, 11th floor
  New York, NY 10017

  • Civil rights: a complaint involving discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual harassment, should be filed with the U.S. Office for Civil Rights:

  Office for Civil Rights (OCR) – Enforcement Office
  U.S. Department of Education
  32 Old Slip, 26th floor
  New York, NY 10005 – 2500

  Telephone: 646-428-3900
  FAX: 646-428-3843
  TDD: 877-521-2172
  Email: OCR.NewYork@ed.gov

  • A complaint of consumer fraud on the part of the institution should be directed to the:

  Office of the New York State Attorney General
  Justice Building, Empire State Plaza
  Albany, NY 12223

  • For a complaint about state student financial aid matters, contact the:

  Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
  Customer Communications Center at 1-888-NYS-HESC.

  Complainants should be aware that the Office of College and University Evaluation does not conduct a judicial investigation and has no legal authority to require a college or university to comply with a complainant’s request.

  If your complaint does not fall into one of the exceptions noted above, click here for the Office of College and University Evaluation Complaint Form