State Authorization Student Complaints for Distance Education State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)

UNCSA is approved by SARA-NC to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. A “State authorization reciprocity agreement”, SARA, is an agreement between two or more States that authorizes an institution located and legally authorized in a State covered by the agreement to provide postsecondary education through distance education or correspondence courses to students in other States covered by the agreement.

Grievance Resolution

As required by Federal regulations, UNCSA provides for current and prospective students the contact information for filing complaints with the appropriate agency in the state where the student resides. For grievances involving any aspect of your online educational experience:

UNCSA strives to providing quality and supportive learning environments, and is committed to responding to complaints promptly. We encourage students to utilize our Academic Grievance Procedure and complete the “Grievance or Complaint Information Form,” as outlined in the UNCSA Policy Manual. 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.