When submitting complaints, there are different avenues for students completing their education in the state of Massachusetts and those completing their education outside of Massachusetts through distance education (e.g. online courses or programs).

As required by the NC-SARA student complaint process, a student must first attempt to resolve and file their complaint at the institution. For complaints not resolved at the institutional level, a student may file an appeal in one of the following ways (dependent on their state of residence):

*Note that complaints regarding grades and general student conduct issues are not governed by this distance education complaint process.

Student complaints not resolved at the institutional level who have followed all grievance procedures and protocols defined by the University and reside in the state of Massachusetts or non-SARA Member States/Territories have the right to file a consumer complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) by using the consumer complaint form. The Massachusetts DHE consumer complaint form should be used by students who are located in:

More information about Massachusetts’ DHE complaint processes can be found here.

Simmons University operates under the approval of “NC-SARA” (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements).  Students based outside of Massachusetts (in a SARA member state/territory) who have a consumer-protection-based complaint regarding a distance education program should first seek to resolve such a complaint within the school in which the student is registered.

Student complaints not resolved at the institutional level who have followed all grievance procedures and protocols defined by the University, and reside in a SARA member state outside of Massachusetts, pursuant to the SARA Complaint Process, have the right to file a consumer complaint with the Department of Higher Education (DHE) by using the SARA complaint form .  The DHE SARA complaint form should be used by students who are located in SARA member states and territories. This includes all students who are located in SARA member states and territories for the purposes of completing out-of-state learning placements, such as internships, practica, clinical experiences, etc. in SARA member states and territories outside of Massachusetts. 

Additional information from the DHE’s SARA complaint website is below.

The SARA complaint process is as follows:

As an additional resource, you may find a list below including contact information for consumer complaints to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.  However, students should follow the complaint procedures outlined above. 

Note: This list includes contact information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and should not be construed as informative of what agencies regulate the institution or in what states the institution is authorized to operate. States, through the relevant agencies or Attorneys General Offices will accept complaints regardless of whether an institution is authorized to operate in that state.  Also, the University does not maintain the state and territory websites, and information may change without the University’s knowledge.

Alabama Community College System
Attn: Division of Academic and Student Affairs
PO Box 302130
Montgomery, AL 36130-2130
Phone: 334-293-4500

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
PO Box 110505,
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0505
Phone: 907-465-6741

Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
1740 W. Adams St., Suite 3008
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-542-5709

Arkansas Division of Higher Education
423 Main St., Suite 400
Little Rock, AR 72201-3818
Phone: 501-371-2000

California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: 833-942-1120

Colorado Department of Higher Education
Commission on Higher Education
1600 Broadway, Suite 2200
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 303-862-3001

Connecticut Office of Higher Education
450 Columbus Blvd., Suite 707
Hartford, CT 06103-1841
Phone: 860-947-1800

Delaware Department of Education
The Townsend Building
401 Federal St., Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901-3639
Phone: 302-735-4000

Florida Department of Education
Commission for Independent Education
325 W. Gaines St., Suite 1414
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-0505

Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 E. Exchange Pl., Suite 220
Tucker, GA 30084
Phone: 770-414-3300

Business Registration Division of the Hawaii Department
of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
PO Box 40
Honolulu, HI 96810
Phone: 808-586-2727

Idaho State Board of Education
State Authorization Program Manager
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0037
Phone: 208-332-1587

Illinois Board of Higher Education
1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333
Springfield, IL 62701-1377
Phone: 217-782-2551

Board for Proprietary Education Indiana Commission for Higher Education
101 W. Ohio St., Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-464-4400

Iowa College Student Aid Commission
475 SW Fifth St., Suite D
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: 877-272-4456

The Kansas Board of Regents
1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 520
Topeka, KS 66612-4240
Phone: 785-430-4240

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
100 Airport Rd.
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-573-1555

State of Louisiana Board of Regents
1201 N. Third St., Suite 6-200
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 225-342-4253

Louisiana Alternate Contact:

Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
P.O. Box 94005
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9005
Phone: 225-326-6464 or 800-351-4889

Maine Department of Education
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0023
Phone: 207-624-6600

Maryland Higher Education Commission
6 N. Liberty St., 10th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: 410-767-3301

Maryland Alternate Contact:

Maryland Office of the Attorney General
200 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-576-6300 or 888-743-0023

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place, Suite 1401
Boston, MA 02108-1696
Phone: 617-994-6950

Michigan Department of Education
PO Box 30008
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517-373-9235

Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Dr., Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 651-259-3975 or 800-657-3866

Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation
3825 Ridgewood Rd.
Jackson, MS 39211
Phone: 601-432-6372

Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development
301 W. High St.
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: 573-751-2361

Montana University System
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
560 N. Park Ave.
PO Box 203201
Helena, MT 59620-3201
Phone: 406-449-9124

Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
ATTN: Complaints
PO Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
Phone: 402-471-2847

Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
2800 E. St. Louis Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Phone: 702-486-7330

New Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301-3494
Phone: 603-271-3494

New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
ATTN: Complaints
P.O. Box 542
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0542
Phone: 609-292-4310

New Mexico Higher Education Department
2044 Galisteo St., Suite 4
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100
Phone: 505-476-8400

New York State Education Department
Office of College and University Evaluation
89 Washington Avenue
EBA Room 960
Albany, New York 12234
Phone: 518-486-3633

North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
910 Raleigh Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: 919-962-4558

North Carolina Alternate Contact:

North Carolina Department of Justice
Consumer Protection Division
Attorney General’s Office
Mail Service Center 9001
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001
Phone: 877-566-7226 or 919-716-6000 (En Español 919-716-0058)

North Dakota University System
Core Technology Services
2000 44th St. SW, Suite 301
Fargo, ND 58103

Ohio Department of Higher Education
25 South Front Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-728-3095

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Pkwy, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104-3603
Phone: 405-225-9100 or 405-225-9142

Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission
3225 25th Street SE
Salem, Oregon 97302
Phone: 503-947-2448

Pennsylvania Department of Education
Office of Chief Counsel
333 Market Street, 9th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Phone: 717-783-6788

Puerto Rico Departamento de Estado
Consejo de Educacion Superior de Puerto Rico/
Puerto Rico Council on Higher Ed.
PO BOX 9023271
San Juan, PR 00902-3271
Phone: 787-722-2121

Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Education Commission
560 Jefferson Blvd.
Warwick, RI 02886-1304
Phone: 401-736-1100

South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
1122 Lady Street Suite 300
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 803-737-3918

South Dakota Board of Regents
306 East Capitol Ave Suite 200
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: 605-773-3455

Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation
Parkway Towers, Suite 1900
404 James Robertson Pkwy
Nashville, TN 37243-0830
Phone: 615-741-5293 or 615-253-8857

Texas Workforce Commission
Career Schools and Colleges-Rm 226-T
101 East 15th Street
Austin, TX 78778-0001
Phone: 512-936-3100

Texas Alternate Contact #1:

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Office of General Counsel
P.O. Box 12788
Austin, TX 78711-2788
Phone: 512-427-6101

Texas Alternate Contact #2:

Texas Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548

Utah System of Higher Education State Board of Regents
60 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1284
Phone: 801-321-7200 or 1-800-418-8757

Vermont Agency of Education
219 North Main St., Suite 402
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: 802-479-1030

Vermont Alternate Contact:

Vermont Attorney General’s Office
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609-1001
Phone: 802-828-3171

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
James Monroe Building
101 N. 14th St., 10th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-225-2600

Washington Student Achievement Council
917 Lakeridge Way SW
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: 360-753-7625

Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Higher Education Licensure Commission
1050 First St. NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-724-7860

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
1018 Kanawha Boulevard East, Suite 700
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-2101

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
Educational Approval Program
P.O. Box 8366
Madison, WI 53708-8366
Phone: 608-266-1996

Wyoming Department of Education
122 W. 25th St., Suite E200
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-7675

American Samoa Office of Protection & Advocacy
Attn: Dr. Peter Tinitali
Executive Office Building
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799
Phone: 684-699-2441

Guam Office of Attorney General
287 W O’Brien Dr.
Hagatna, Guam 96910
Phone: 671-475-3324

State Higher Education Agency, Northern Marianas College
POB 501250
Saipan MP 96950-1250

Northern Mariana Islands Alternate Contact:

Northern Mariana Islands Office of the Attorney General
Juan A Sablan Memorial Bldg.
Capital Hill
Caller Box 10007, Saipan, MP 96950
Phone: 670-234-5498

Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs
Golden Rock Shopping Center,
3000 Estate Golden Rock, Suite 9, St. Croix, VI 00820
Phone: 340-713-2754