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 Executive Council Member (Provost, COO, Chancellor, Chief Advancement
Officer, Director, Kenan Institute) 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, please follow the process outlined in the Complaint and Grievance Policy
#805 and Complaint and Grievance Procedure #805. (PDF)
Please note: some items require the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, which can be downloaded from the
Adobe web site.
Academic Integrity Policy – See the “Appeals” section of the policy
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy/Appeal Process
Final Grade Appeal - Undergraduate
Final Grade Appeal - Graduate
Final Grade Appeal - High School
Non-Continuation Appeal - Undergraduate
Non-Continuation Appeal – Graduate
Non-Continuation Appeal – High School
Title IX - Discriminatory Conduct
Sexual Assault Policy and Protocol
Sexual Harassment Policy
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
Appeal for Release from College Housing
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
Alcohol Policy
Technology Use Policy
Intellectual Property (Copyright) Policy
Firearms or Other Weapons
High School Attendance Policy
High School Medication Policy
Policy on Illegal Drugs
Missing Student Notification Policy
One Card Policy
Facilities Use Policy
Records Request Policy
Refund Policy
Smoking Policy
Store Policies
Student's Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Other Resources
High School Bulletin
Undergraduate Bulletin
Graduate Bulletin
College Handbook
High School Handbook
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 Grievance and Complaints
procedure #805 (PDF)
If you are taking any UNCSA courses, and you have a complaint about your experience with UNCSA, you
have two options:
1. You are first encouraged to follow the UNCSA process for student complaints located above.
You may also contact The Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Colleges,
UNCSA’s regional accrediting agency.
2. If you are residing outside of North Carolina while attending UNCSA, in many cases you can
file a complaint in the state where you are residing. As required by federal regulations, we
direct you to a list of resources compiled and updated by the State Higher Education Executive
Officers. (PDF)
North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
If a complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, the student
may file a complaint with the following office:
North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
c/o Cherisa Williams
University of North Carolina General Administration
910 Raleigh Road Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2688
Telephone (919) 962-4621
[email protected]
The student may contact UNC General Administration for further details.