The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts, and territories that establishes national standards for the interstate delivery of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. States and institutions, including Hilbert College, that participate in NC-SARA are required to uphold specified standards of performance and consumer protection.
Out-of-state online students retain the right to file a complaint if they believe their rights as consumers have been violated. The initial step in this process is to file a formal complaint directly with Hilbert College. If the matter is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the complaint may then be submitted to the State of New York.
It should be noted that SARA policies do not extend to complaints concerning individual grades or student conduct violations, as these matters fall outside the scope of SARA’s authority.
Complaint Procedures
Student Consumer Complaints
All students who have a complaint against Hilbert College are strongly encouraged to discuss the matter in question with the appropriate Hilbert College departments or employees most directly involved as a first step towards resolution. Hilbert College is committed to the respectful and fair treatment of students and to creating an environment where students can report serious academic and non-academic concerns in a safe and responsive setting. Hilbert College has policies and resources available to guide students on how to report issues of concern in the Student Handbook.
If a grievance does not fall under one of the categories listed in the Student Handbook, students should consult with the Dean of Students or Provost:
Dr. Katelyn Letizia
Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness, Registrar, & Accreditation Liaison Officer
Franciscan Hall
Submit a Complaint
You can review the student complaint process and procedures to understand how to address concerns and complaints, starting with the institution and escalating to your home state’s SARA Portal Entity if needed. For full details, please refer to the NC-SARA Student Complaint Process.
Below is a list of possible examples for students to file complaints against if any of the following are in violation:
- Veracity of recruitment and marketing materials;
- Accuracy of job placement data;
- Accuracy of information about tuition, fees and financial aid;
- Complete and accurate admission requirements for courses and programs;
- Accuracy of information about the institution’s accreditation and/or any programmatic/specialized accreditation held by the institution’s programs;
- Accuracy of information about whether course work meets any relevant Professional Licensing requirements or the requirements of specialized Accrediting Agencies;
- Accuracy of information about whether the institution’s course work will transfer to other institutions;
- Operation of distance education programs consistent with practices expected by institutional accreditors (and, if applicable, programmatic/specialized accreditors) and/or the C-RAC Guidelines for distance education.
Appeal Procedures
If you believe that Hilbert has not adequately resolved your concern, you may submit a complaint to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) by following the procedures outlined on the NYSED website. Furthermore, students retain the right to appeal the institution’s decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident giving rise to the complaint.
NYSED SARA Student Complaint Process
Complaints from students enrolled in courses offered under Hilbert College’s SARA participation must be submitted to the SARA State Portal Entity (SPE), which in New York is the Authorization Unit (IHEAuthorize@nysed.gov).
Contact Us
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Katelyn Letizia, EdD
Interim Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness
