USC participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which is a voluntary, interstate reciprocity agreement that establishes comparable standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education. Out-of-state students engaged in distance education/online or experiential learning coursework must first file a complaint with the University. If the complaint is not resolved, students may contact the SC Commission on Higher Education which is the SC SARA portal agency.
Student complaints regarding distance education covered by SARA are governed by campus policy.
The Columbia campus has three widely distributed policies regarding student complaints. Student Ombudsmen are also available to help students resolve grievances and maintain policy compliance:
- Ombudsperson for graduate students
- Ombudsperson for undergraduate students:
Lisa Jerald, Division of Student Affairs, lbj@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-4172
Academic Student Complaints
Student Affairs policy STAF 6.30 [pdf] outlines the steps to resolve complaints about a final grade in a course. Note that complaints regarding student grades or student conduct violations are governed entirely by institutional policy and the laws of the SARA institution’s home state.
Non-Academic Student Complaints
Student Affairs Policy STAF 6.27 [pdf] describes the steps to resolve student complaints other than grading issues.
Students with Disabilities Policy
While policy STAFF 6.27 (described above) specifically addresses complaints by students with disabilities, policies and procedures are listed on the Student Disability Resource Center website, which includes a general complaints and appeals policy. This policy states that the director of the Student Disability Resource Center will assist disabled students with the University grievance procedures.
Filing a Complaint with SC SARA Portal Agency
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) serves as the state’s portal agency for SARA and is the final authority for SARA-related complaints. If the complaint is not resolved or if a person is not satisfied with the outcome of USC’s process for handling the complaint, the complaint (except those about grades or student conduct violations) may be appealed within two years of the incident to CHE by completing and submitting the CHE Student Complaint and Procedures form [pdf].
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
1122 Lady Street, Suite 400
Columbia, SC 29201
Telephone: 803-737-2260
Website: https://www.che.sc.gov or SARA page
Filing a Complaint in a Non-SARA State or Territory:
Detailed instructions for filing complaints in a non-SARA state or territory may be found at the links below:
| California | Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Northern Marianas Department of Education |
See SARA Student Complaints for additional information.