Student Complaint Process

The UVA Wise complaint process for all students is described in the college catalog.

Student complaints not resolved at the institutional level (UVA Wise) may be appealed to the SARA state portal entity – the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The state portal entity has final authority on SARA complaints.

Darlene Derricott
Director of Academic Services
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
101 N. 14th Street, 9th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
804.225.2621
DarleneDerricott@schev.edu
State entity SARA Website 

For a complaint which has not been resolved through these grievance procedures, students residing outside Virginia may file complaint with the state in which you reside. The State Authorization Network maintains a list with student complaint information by state and agency.

Students in California, which is not a member of SARA, may contact the state Attorney General Office of California or the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.

Authorization to Provide Online Education

Virginia is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) and The University of Virginia’s College at Wise is a member through the state portal entity, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

SARA establishes national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education programs among member states. The agreement creates a system for institutions offering distance education to receive authorization from states other than their home state, by placing the responsibility for regulation, quality assurance, and student protection on the institution’s home state. The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) is the organization tasked with implementing SARA.