Student Complaint Procedure

Complaint Procedures

Any individual who believes that Molloy University has acted contrary to its published standards or believes that conditions at the institution appear to jeopardize the quality of the institution's instructional programs or the general welfare of its students, may file a complaint. Complainants may seek advice about procedures from the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Student Success and Assessment or the Office of Student Affairs. The current Student Handbook located in the Molloy File Library provides students with a link to the information found on this webpage. 

For reporting a potential academic integrity violation, access the Academic Integrity Reporting Form. 

Informal Resolution

All concerned students should make every effort to resolve the matter through an informal resolution  with involved individuals first. Should this fail to resolve the issue, the complainant may meet with the individual's immediate supervisor. If the problem is unable to be resolved at either of these levels, the University informal and formal procedure can be initiated. 

University Informal and Formal Procedure

The University informal and formal procedures to be followed for students are either the Procedures for Student Discipline in Non-academic Areas, Procedures for Student Discipline in Academic areas, or the Grade Appeal Policy, as stated in the current Student Handbook. 

Overview of How SARA Impacts Out-of-State Distance Education Students with Respect to Consumer Protection Complaints

United States federal guidelines require that distance learning and related activities offered to residents outside of an institution’s home state are regulated. To comply with these guidelines, Molloy University has joined the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which establishes a set of recognized standards and regulations for offering post-secondary online education. 

Provisions of the SARA Policy Manual, including those for consumer protection and the resolution of complaints, apply to interstate distance education offered by participating SARA institutions to students in other SARA states. Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations provided by SARA-participating institutions to students in other SARA states come under the coverage of SARA. Complaints about a SARA institution’s in-state operations are to be resolved under the state’s normal provisions, not those of SARA. SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades or student conduct violations. 

NC–SARA Student Complaints Procedure

Molloy University operates under the approval of “NC-SARA”, National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. As required by the NC-SARA student complaint process, a student must first attempt to resolve their complaint at the institutional level. For complaints not resolved within the institution, a student may file an appeal of the institution's decision to the SARA Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made in one of the following ways (dependent on their state residence): 

New York Residents’ Student Complaint Procedure

For New York residents, complaints not resolved at the institutional level may be filed utilizing the New York State Education Department complaint process and form. 

Non-New York Residents’ Student Complaint Procedure (for out-of-state students from SARA member states not residing in New York): 

For non-New York residents located in SARA member states with complaints not resolved at the institutional level, students may appeal to the New York State Portal Entity. 

NC-SARA State Portal Contact
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518.474.1551
IHEAuthorize@nysed.gov 

Complaint Process for Online Students in California

If you are enrolled as an online student residing in California--which is not a member of NC-SARA–-and you have a complaint that cannot be resolved through Molloy’s internal complaint process, you may file a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). DCA will evaluate California resident student complaints, identify the appropriate accrediting agency or governmental entity to handle the complaint, and request a response from the entity regarding the final disposition of the complaint. The address and contact information for DCA are: 

California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: (833) 942-1120
Email: dca@dca.ca.gov
File a complaint with DCA