Online Programs – NC-SARA Student Complaint Process

Queensborough Community College (QCC) of the City University of New York (CUNY) is an approved member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), a voluntary agreement, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), that establishes one set of national standards and regulations for offering out-of-state activities like distance education.

SARA is intended to improve the educational experience for out-of-state distance education students by providing a structured approach to consumer protection and by ensuring that institutions maintain high standards of accountability and transparency.

SARA applies specifically to out-of-state distance education students and provides a framework for addressing consumer protection complaints related to such programs.

Under NC-SARA rules, students have the right to lodge a complaint or grievance if the students’ experience in an online program does not conform to expectations. QCC wants to ensure that all student complaints are addressed fairly and resolved promptly.

Student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of SARA must first be filed with the college to seek resolution. SARA consumer protection provisions require that the college, through its SARA State Portal Entity, investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity, including the provision of false or misleading information.

Students have two years to submit a SARA-related complaint. SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades, and student conduct issues are not governed by this distance education complaint process.

Students may appeal the institution’s decision to the SARA State Portal Entity (New York State Education Department) within two (2) years of the incident about which the complaint is made.   

All student complaints must be filed with the Office of Academic Affairs, by email or hand-delivered, at:

Office of Academic Affairs
Queensborough Community College
222-05 56 Avenue
Bayside, NY 11364
Email:   OfficeofAcademicAffairs@qcc.cuny.edu

For additional information on QCC’s internal complaint procedures, please refer to the College’s official complaint policies here.   

If a student feels that the complaint has not been adequately resolved through Academic Affairs, that student may then appeal to:

City University of New York  
Office of Student Advocacy and Referral  
205 East 42 Street, 11th Floor  
New York, NY 10017  
Email: studentaffairs@cuny.edu  
Website:   https://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/student-affairs/advocacy-referral/  

Students with complaints that have not been resolved through the complaint processes described above may appeal the complaint decision to the New York State Education Department. Please refer to the SARA-Student Complaint Process | New York State Education Department.

New York State Education Department
Office of College and University Evaluation
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518.474.1551
Email:   IHEAuthorize@nysed.gov

Under SARA policies, the State Portal Entity has the obligation to investigate and resolve student complaints. NYSED would only address a complaint after it had already exhausted the QCC and CUNY processes.

Should a complaint not be resolved through the processes described above, the contact information for CUNY’s institutional accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, is:

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
1007 North Orange Street
Fourth Floor, MB #166
Wilmington, DE 19801
267.284.5011
Email:   info@msche.org

For more information, students may access the NC-SARA Student Complaint Process.

Information about the students’ right to appeal may be found at the New York State Education Department’s complaint procedures.

Queensborough Community College (CUNY) Institutional Policy on Determining Student Location  

1. Purpose  In compliance with the United States Department of Education (USDOE) regulations (34 CFR § 668.43) and the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) Manual, Queensborough Community College  must determine the state in which a prospective or currently enrolled student is located for the purpose of issuing required professional licensure and certification disclosures. This policy outlines the procedures by which Queensborough Community College  establishes and tracks a student’s location.  

2. Scope  This policy applies to all prospective and current students applying to or enrolled in credit-bearing programs at Queensborough Community College, particularly those programs designed to lead to professional licensure or certification. Please note that "student location" for the purposes of these disclosures is distinct from a student's legal residency classification for in-state tuition purposes.

3. Determination of Location at the Time of Initial Enrollment.  For prospective students, location is determined at the time of initial application. Queensborough Community College  uses the permanent address provided by the student on their official application for admission to the City University of New York (CUNY). This address is entered into the CUNYfirst Student Information System and serves as the official student location for the issuance of required pre-enrollment professional licensure disclosures.  

4. Determination of a Change in Student Location.  For currently enrolled students, location is determined by the active permanent address on file in the CUNYfirst system.  
   
   Student Responsibility:  It is the official responsibility of the student to maintain an accurate and up-to-date permanent address on record with the College, and notify their Program Director of the change.  
   
   Updating Location:  Students must report a change of permanent address or relocation to a different state by formally updating their profile by submitting an official change of address and personal data form to the Office of the Registrar.  
   
   Date of Determination:  A change of location is recognized by the College on the date the address update is officially processed and recorded in the CUNYfirst system.  

5. Application of Policy to Professional Licensure Disclosures  If a student enrolled in a program leading to professional licensure officially requests a change in their location inCUNYfirstto a state where the program does not meet the educational requirements for licensure, Queensborough Community College  will issue a direct, written disclosure to the student regarding this status within 30 days of the location change being recorded.