Student Grievance and Complaints Policies and Procedures

UNCSA provides several means by which a student may address complaints and grievances. Students are advised to put their concerns in writing and carefully document the events that led to the complaint or grievance. As it is sometimes confusing as to which of the routes listed below should be followed, students are advised to contact the Vice Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Office for advice on the procedure to follow. Concerns should be expressed as soon as possible after the event occurs; some of the procedures have specific deadlines for filing grievances and/or complaints.

A student who believes that he/she has been treated with substantial unfairness should initially attempt to resolve the matter by the end of the academic semester (fall, spring, or summer) following the academic semester when the alleged incident occurred (e.g., if the incident occurred during spring semester, the initial attempt must be completed by the last day of the final summer term) by communicating in writing the allegations to the administrative officer most directly concerned, excluding the person accused of the improper act. Links to the relevant academic and non-academic policies for grievance and complaints are listed below.

This officer is likely to be a Director, a Department Head or Dean. In the case of an allegation against a faculty member, the Dean shall be the first avenue of appeal. The final step in the informal review for all students shall be the Dean or Administrative Cabinet to whom the accused ultimately reports. The officer should attempt immediately to discover the truth of the allegation and in the case of valid complaints, should seek resolution by discussion, counseling, mediation, or agreement of the parties, or by administrative action. The nature of the grievance and any information about it should be treated with the utmost confidentiality and with sensitivity to the issues involved.

At the end of efforts to resolve the grievance, the officer should record the complaint in a written statement identifying the grievant, the conduct complained of, the name of the accused person, the outcome of the information inquiry, and should maintain a copy in the office’s complaint files to be made available to other appropriate officials if needed.

If the issue is still not resolved, utilize our Academic Grievance Procedure and complete the “Grievance or Complaint Information Form,” as outlined in the UNCSA Policy Manual.

COMPLAINT AND GRIEVANCE Regulation 805

Academic Integrity Policy – See the “Appeals” section of the policy
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy/Appeal Process
Final Grade Appeal Regulation - Undergraduate
Final Grade Appeal Regulation - Graduate
Final Grade Appeal Regulation - High School
Non-Continuation Appeal - Undergraduate
Non-Continuation Appeal – High School
Title IX - Discriminatory Conduct
Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Related Misconduct Regulation 121
Judicial Process for Undergraduates
Judicial Process for High School
Involuntary Medical Withdrawal Procedures & Appeal
Appeal for Change and/or Release from Meal Plan
Appeal for Housing Damage Charges form in housing portal (opens in new window)
Application for Release from College Housing in housing portal (opens in new window)
Appeal of State Residency Classification for Tuition Purposes
Parking Citation Appeals

Policies that may affect and/or be related to above Complaints Policies and Procedures

Other Resources

Normal inquiries or concerns such as those involving admission requirements, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to the appropriate office at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

For complaints that do not fall into the categories above, follow the UNCSA Student Grievance Regulation 805.

If you are taking any UNCSA courses, and you have a complaint about your experience with UNCSA, you are first encouraged to follow the UNCSA process for student complaints located in Regulation 805. This process asks that you first try to reach a resolution with the instructor or other party involved in the issue, before taking the issue to the dean, and, finally, the Provost’s Office.

Karen Beres
Vice Provost & Dean of Academic Affairs
1533 S. Main St
Winston-Salem, NC 27127-2738
Telephone: 336-631-1546
Email: beresk@uncsa.edu
Website: UNCSA Student Grievance Policy

If UNCSA’s resolution procedures do not lead to a satisfactory resolution of the grievance, students may utilize:

a. The University of North Carolina System Complaints

Complete the Student Complaint Form (PDF) per the Student Complaint Policy (PDF) and submit the complaint to

North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
c/o Student Complaints
223 S. West Street, Suite 1800
Raleigh NC 27603

Telephone: 919-962-4550
Student Complaint Process website: https://www.northcarolina.edu/post-secondary-education-complaints/

b. SACSCOC Student Complaint Process
UNCSA is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Students may follow the SACSCOC Complaint Procedure. The contact information for SACS is:

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097
Telephone: 404-679-4500
Website: https://sacscoc.org/

c. SARA-NC Complaint Process
UNCSA is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement – North Carolina (SARA-NC) which is the portal for North Carolina. Students may follow the SARA-NC Complaint Process and use the SARA-NC Complaint Form (PDF). SARA-NC does not resolve complaints about student grades and student conduct violations. These complaints fall under the jurisdiction of institutional policy.

The contact information for SARA-NC is:
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
c/o SARA North Carolina
P.O. Box 41349
Raleigh, NC 27629

Telephone: 855.SARA.1.NC (855-727-2162)
Telephone: 919-549-8614, ext. 4667
Email: complaint@saranc.org
Website: http://www.saranc.org

If a student wishes to contact the state portal entities for his or her home state, contact information for state authorization liaisons in each SARA state can be found on the NC-SARA website. State-by-state contact information (PDF) for agencies responsible for receiving student consumer complaints is available online.

Professional Licensure

UNCSA does not offer degrees that lead to professional licensure.