Student Complaints
Overview
In compliance with U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) rules, an institution offering distance 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. To this end, Piedmont Technical College would like to provide you with information on filing complaints with Piedmont Technical College, our accrediting agency, and with the appropriate state agencies.
Piedmont Technical College Complaint Process
Piedmont Technical College seeks to maintain the highest standards of integrity and fairness in its relationships with students. A student who believes that specific actions, practices, or decisions on academic or non-academic matters have been made or carried out in an arbitrary, discriminatory, inequitable, or inconsistent manner can initiate a complaint. Students have access to procedures for resolving complaints, as noted in the Student Grievance Procedure.
Information about the various types of complaints, along with the steps and form for filing a grievance, can be found in the PTC Student Handbook.
Accrediting Agency Complaint Process
Piedmont Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The Commission expects individuals to attempt to resolve issues through all means available to the complainant, including following the institution's own published grievance procedures, before submitting a complaint to the Commission. Therefore, the Commission’s usual practice is not to consider a complaint that is currently in administrative proceedings, including institutions' proceedings, or in litigation.
In order to be considered, students must follow the process outlined in the Complaints Against SACSCOC Or Its Accredited Institutions Policy Statement.
South Carolina Colleges Complaint Process
In response to the recent Department of Education’s GEN-15-10, all schools that participate in Title IV aid must be properly authorized by a state entity to provide education at a postsecondary level and, where appropriate, the state must have a proper complaint process. The Student Complaint Form for the SC Technical College System can be accessed through the following link: http://www.sctechsystem.edu/students/student-complaint-form.html
All students in South Carolina may file complaints with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Like college accrediting agencies, the SC Commission on Higher Education expects individuals to first attempt to resolve issues through the college’s internal processes. Complaints that have not yet been addressed internally are often sent back to the individual college where the student is enrolled.
In order for complaints to be considered by the SC Commission on Higher Education, a formal complaint must be submitted in writing using the Commission’s Complaint Policy and Form.
Complaint Process for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state distance learning students who would like to file a complaint with a state agency may do so with the state in which they reside. Click on your state below to access the complaint form provided by the state agency responsible for complaints regarding out-of-state distance education programs.
If you have additional questions, please email Karla Gilliam.