Virginia Wesleyan University participates in federal student aid programs that are authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Participating institutions must be legally authorized to operate with the state in which it is located.
Title 34 CFR §600.9 requires states to have a "process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution including enforcing applicable State laws." Title 34 CFR §668.43(b) requires that institutions: "make available for review to any enrolled or prospective student upon request, a copy of the documents describing the institution's accreditation and its State, Federal, or tribal approval or licensing. The institution must also provide its students or prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accreditor and with its State approval or licensing entity and any other relevant State official or agency that would appropriately handle a student's complaint."
VWU makes every effort to resolve student complaints internally, using policies and procedures outlined by the University and/or by their school/program. It is expected that students will fully utilize any and all of such administrative procedures to address concerns and/or complaints in as timely a manner as possible.
To comply with this regulation, VWU provides the following information to our prospective and current students.
For procedures regarding:
- Academic Grade Appeal: Consult the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Academic Honesty Violations: Consult the Honor Coordinator
- Non-Academic Complaints (incidents of unprofessional behavior and other complaints that are not of an academic grade concern and do not concern allegations of discrimination): Consult the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Nondiscrimination Policy: Refer to the VWU Non-Discrimination Statement
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Refer to theVWU Non-Discrimination Statement
- Harassment or Discrimination: Refer to the VWU Harassment Policy (HR 6.2.1)
- Title IX: Refer to VWU’s Title IX Resources
- Report Sexual Misconduct: Report Sexual Misconduct here
- Whistleblower Policy: Refer to the VWU Whistleblower Policy (HR 5.10)
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): Refer to VWU Privacy Information
- Criminal Activity: Complaints involving matters of a criminal nature, such as assault, battery, and theft, should be directed to the Campus Security. The emergency contact number is x8888 or 757-233-8888. The non-emergency contact number is 757-455-3349 (day) or 757-455-3289 (evening).
In the unlikely event that an issue cannot be resolved by the University, students may file a formal complaint with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). SCHEV can be contacted at 804.225.2600 or through the SCHEV Student Complaint Process at SCHEV.edu.
For online students who do not reside in Virginia, the state agency would generally correspond with the student's state of residence. These agencies should be contacted only after the student has registered a complaint with the University and has not received a response to the request for resolution. Contact information for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories is set forth below.
Once all other avenues have been exhausted, Unresolved complaints also may be filed with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the University's regional accrediting agency. Virginia Wesleyan University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associates, baccalaureate and masters degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Virginia Wesleyan University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).