Filing Complaints With External Agencies

Institutional Complaints

• The University of Mississippi Medical Center desires to resolve student complaints, grievances, and concerns in an expeditious, fair and amicable manner. To submit a formal student complaint to UMMC, please visit UMMC Student Complaints.

External Agencies 

• Any issue that cannot be resolved internally that does not involve Grade Appeals or Conduct matters, can be addressed by having the individual file a complaint with their state.
• To comply with the Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008, institutions offering education must provide enrolled and prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accrediting agency and with the appropriate state agency for handling complaints in the student’s state.
• For matters unrelated to conduct or grades, students also have the right to attempt to resolve complaints by contacting state consumer agencies or other related bodies as described below if resolution with the institution is unsuccessful.
• Clicking on any state in the list that begins near the bottom of this page displays the state agency responsible for complaints regarding out-of-state online education programs.

Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges

• If a concern cannot be resolved internally, a student may choose to submit Third-Party Comments to the Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), UMMC's regional accrediting agency, by completing and submitting the SACSCOC complaint form. 

Mississippi state residents taking online courses 

State accrediting agency:

If your complaint is not resolved at the institutional level, then you may refer your complaint to the  Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation using the MCCA Student Complaint Form within two years of the incident. If the complaint is outside of MCCA’s jurisdiction, it may be directed to another agency that is authorized to address the concerns, if appropriate. Note: This process is not applicable for matters related to student grades or discipline/conduct matters.

Consumer protection:

MS students taking online courses may also contact the Attorney General:

Mississippi Consumer Protection Division
Office of the Attorney General
State of Mississippi
PO Box 22947
Jackson, Mississippi 39225-2947
Mississippi Consumer Protection Complaint Form

Out-of-state/distance student complaints process

If your complaint is not resolved at the institutional level by filing a complaint pursuant to the UMMC Student Complaint Policy, then out-of-state students residing in NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) states, which includes all states except California, may submit complaints to the MS-SARA portal agent:

NC-SARA Student Complaint

If a student has concerns related to academic or administrative actions at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and has exhausted all administrative remedies without the complaint being resolved internally, the student may file a formal complaint with the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation using the MCCA Student Complaint Process within two years of the incident.

Online students who are residents of states outside of Mississippi may direct consumer inquiries to their state's consumer protection agencies. In addition, online students who are residents of states outside of Mississippi may direct consumer inquiries to their state's portal agencies.

This process does not apply to complaints related to student grades or discipline/conduct matters.

Specific complaints for certain populations

Active duty receiving tuition assistance or spousal assistance

File a complaint with the Department of Postsecondary Education Complaint System.

Veteran using Montgomery or Post 9/11 GI Bill^®

File a complaint with the Department of Veterans Affairs relative to an institution failing to follow the Principles of Excellence relative to recruiting or marketing practices, accreditation, financial issues, student loans, post-graduation job opportunities, or change in degree plan/requirements.

Student with a private student loan

File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Current student receiving federal financial aid

File a complaint with the Department of Education Ombudsman.

Mississippi State Approving Agency (SAA) is the approving authority of education and training programs for Mississippi. Our office investigates complaints of GI Bill beneficiaries. While most complaints should initially follow the UMMC Student Complaint Policy, if the situation cannot be resolved at the school, the beneficiary should contact our office via email at saa@msva.ms.gov.