Student Complaints

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC)

HSC provides students with a procedure for resolving complaints against HSC faculty, staff, and agents of the university, via the Student Academic Grievance Policy and the Non-Academic Complaint/Grievance Policy, located in the Student Affairs Policy Manual (HSC Policy 7.104). All policies are located at: https://app.unthsc.edu/policies. Students with questions concerning discrimination, grade appeal, academic integrity, disability, financial aid, accommodations, or the Student Code of Conduct and Civility must contact the appropriate academic personnel or compliance officer and refer to the appropriate policies.

The Division of Student Affairs is committed to treating all students fairly and respectfully. Retaliation is strictly prohibited against any person who submits a complaint or encourages another to submit a complaint, who participates in an investigation regarding the complaint, or who seeks assistance or guidance from any HSC department or external official or organization.

To file a complaint, please complete the Student Complaint Form electronically. If you choose to provide your contact information, you will be contacted via phone or e-mail to confirm that the formal complaint has been received.

The Division of Student Affairs will assist the student throughout the complaint process. HSC believes that most complaints can be resolved informally. All university contacts with the aggrieved student will stress the preferred mechanism of an informal solution. A student’s complaint may be withdrawn at any point by the student, thereby halting the complaint.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Complaints regarding Texas public institutions of higher education can be filed with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) at www.thecb.state.tx.us. All current, former, and prospective students may mail the form to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Office of the General Counsel, P.O. Box 12788, Austin, TX 78711-2788 or email it to the THECB at StudentComplaints@thecb.state.tx.us. Facsimile transmissions of the student complaint are not accepted.

All submitted complaints must include a student complaint form and a signed Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA) Consent and Release from, which is at the bottom of the student complaint form. Submitted complaints regarding students with disabilities shall also include a signed Authorization to Disclose Medical Record Information form, which is also at the bottom of the student complaint form.

The Agency does not handle, investigate, or attempt to resolve complaints concerning actions that occurred more than two years prior to filing a student complaint form with the Agency, unless the cause of the delay in filing the student complaint form with the Agency was the complainant’s exhaustion of the institution’s
grievance procedures.

Former students shall file a student complaint form with the Agency no later than one year after the student’s last date of attendance at the institution, or within 6 months of discovering the grounds for complaint, unless the cause of the delay in filing the student complaint form with the Agency was the complainant’s exhaustion of the institution’s grievance procedures.

*19 TX ADC Section 1.112: Institution’s Obligation to Provide Information Concerning the Complaint Procedure

Department of Defense Postsecondary Education Complaint System

The Department of Defense provides a centralized online reporting system for service members and their families to report problems with education institutions. Students or family members can submit a complaint if they believe their school is failing to follow the Principles of Excellence. The online reporting system can be accessed by clicking here.

Accreditation Complaints

Complaints related to accreditation compliance may be reported to the appropriate accrediting agency or the Institution directly. Accrediting agency contact information may be found in the HSC Catalog. Accreditation complaints may also be filed anonymously through the on-line Student Complaint Form or through the HSC Trust Line. Trust Line complaints may be filed through the website or by calling 844-692-6025. Additionally, information for TCOM specific complaints can be found at the TCOM accreditation website.