Student Complaint Information And Procedures – Distance (Online) Education

Revised: 4/17/2026

State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement - SARA

St. Lawrence University is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which has established comparable national standards for interstate postsecondary distance education.

SARA governs the interstate delivery of distance education and certain out-of-state supervised field experiences, including internships.  SARA does not apply to in-person instruction delivered in New York State.

Student Location Determination

SARA authorization is based on a student’s physical location at the time distance education is delivered.

St. Lawrence University determines the primary physical location of a student’s initial location based on the reported permanent (home) address on the admissions application. Following registration in courses, the University determines a student’s location based on the address information maintained in the student information system, Colleague. Students living on campus are determined to be located in New York State.

Students are responsible for maintaining accurate and current address information and must notify the University of any change in physical location during enrollment. The Registrar’s Office provides a Change of Address Form via the RegistrarConnect Student Portal.  Additionally, the institution’s pre-arrival form asks students at the start of each semester to confirm or update their home address.

Distance Learning Complaint Process 

SARA requires the University to provide all students taking courses under SARA's provisions with information on the University’s and SARA's complaint resolution policies and procedures. SARA applies solely to distance education activity conducted across state lines. It does not apply to distance education activities inside New York State. Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses offered to students who are physically located in other SARA states fall under the terms of SARA. A student has the right to lodge a complaint or grievance. Complaints from in-state students are to be resolved under the College's provisions, not those of SARA. Complaints against St. Lawrence University, resulting from distance education courses or activities offered to students in other SARA states, must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution.

Internal Complaint Procedures

St. Lawrence University is committed to ensure that all student complaints are addressed fairly and resolved promptly. Student complaints should be filed with Deborah Richards, University Registrar, and St. Lawrence University’s SARA Principal Contact at drichards@stlawu.edu.  The complaint:

• must be formal and in writing;
• must identify the student making the complaint (not anonymous);
• must state the nature of the grievance and the evidence upon which it is based; and
• must not be a grievance for which a defined policy or process is provided.

The final decision for appeals made in all student academic matters resides with the Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs, who serves as the Chief Academic Officer of the University. If no resolution is found, the student may then file the complaint under the NC-SARA process.

Complaints Not Covered by This Process

SARA provides consumer protection for out-of-state distance education students. However, SARA policies do not cover complaints related to academic grades, student conduct violations, or matters of academic judgment. Students with concerns in these areas should follow the institution's internal grievance process or relevant department/University policies as listed below:

• Grade disputes, academic grievances, and other matters related to a faculty member’s assigned duties. The grievance process for these disputes is found at: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/advising-toolkit/course-related-policies-and-procedures/grade-dispute-academic-conflict-resolution
• Issues related to discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment can be found here: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/title-ix.
• Appeals process to resolve disciplinary sanctions regarding non-compliance with student conduct regulations. The Student Code of Responsibility outlines the appeal procedures for disciplinary sanctions, as found in Section 7: Conflict Resolution and Disciplinary Procedures, within the St. Lawrence University Student Handbook.
• Appeals process to resolve contested parking summonses. The College’s Traffic and Parking Regulations are found at: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/safety-and-security/motor-vehicle-and-parking-policy
• Issues relating to tuition refund appeals. The College’s tuition refund policy is found here: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/student-financial-services/refund-policy
• Requests to have student education records amended. The College’s Student Records Policy is found here: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/registrars-office/ferpa-students
• Other established complaint/grievance processes may be found in the Student Handbook: https://www.stlawu.edu/documents/student-handbook

SARA Complaint Procedure

If a student feels that their grievance has not been adequately resolved, they may appeal the institution's decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident that led to the complaint.  For additional guidance on the SARA complaint process, students can visit the NC-SARA student complaint page at https://www.nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0.

A student enrolled in distance education who resides in a SARA member state may submit their complaint to NYSED following the completion of the internal complaint procedure at St. Lawrence.  https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-student-complaint-process

Non-SARA Member State Student Complaints Procedure

For residents not located in a SARA member state with complaints not resolved at the institutional level, you may contact the appropriate authority in your state of residence.  California is the only state currently not participating in SARA.