The University of Illinois Chicago is committed to respecting all members of the University community and providing a quality educational experience for all students. UIC complies with the U.S. Department of Education regulation that requires institutions of higher education to provide students with information for filing a complaint. The following resources are intended to provide both institutional and external contact information to current or prospective students for filing and/or resolving a complaint.
Code of federal regulations- § 668.43 Institutional information
(b) The institution must 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.
Institutional Resources Heading link
Academic Complaint Resolution
Students are encouraged to contact their college office to seek advice. The Student Handbook, the undergraduate catalog, and the graduate catalog provide guidance on campus-level policy.
If complaints cannot be resolved at the college level or with the help of Student Ombuds Service (see below), the formal mechanism to register student complaints is through the Student Academic Grievance Procedures. These define an administrative process through which students may seek resolution of complaints or grievances regarding academic standing during their enrollment at UIC. Examples of complaints addressed by this process include but are not limited to grade disputes and program dismissals. Note that these procedures may not be used for decisions made as a result of the Student Conduct Process, described below.
Other Complaints Resolution
If a complaint cannot be resolved within the college or the student prefers to speak to someone outside of the college, students have access to several services within the Office of the Dean of Students (DOS). The Office of the Dean of Students provides assistance for issues related to various academic concerns. The Student Assistance area can help you navigate your academic options and make informed academic decisions at UIC.
The Student Conduct Process within the Office of the Dean of Students is also available to any student, university employee, or community member with a complaint about a UIC student. They can file a student misconduct incident report or academic integrity incident report form regarding possible violations of the University Standards of Conduct, which is included in the Student Disciplinary Policy.
The Office for Access and Equity (OAE) strives to increase access to employment, programs, and services in an environment free of unlawful discrimination and harassment. As part of the Office of the Chancellor, OAE is the office charged with reviewing and addressing complaints of harassment and/or discrimination. This includes sex discrimination, sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and retaliation. Students may file a complaint internally using OAE’s reporting page.
UIC is committed to providing and preserving an educational and work environment free from all forms of sex discrimination, sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct (collectively referred to as “sexual misconduct”). The Prohibition of Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct policy addresses all types of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence and domestic violence. Students may access the university’s procedures for Sexual Misconduct Grievance Process (including Title IX Sexual Harassment grievance process) and report an incident online.
Further, UIC is committed to maintaining a barrier-free environment so that individuals with disabilities can fully access programs, services, and all activities at UIC. Students with complaints or concerns about accessibility issues on campus can submit an Online Report of UIC Accessibility Issues available at the UIC Disability Resources website. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) receives these reports and follows up with different units on campus based on the nature of the complaint. If the student experiences discrimination based on disability it should be reported directly to the Office of Access and Equity.
External Resources Heading link
If a student’s complaint cannot be resolved by the University, a complaint may be filed with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), the state regulatory agency for higher education institutions in Illinois. The IBHE Institutional Complaint System provides directions for registering an institutional complaint with the IBHE.
Other types of complaints, including civil rights complaints, may be filed with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.
Students, faculty, staff and members of the public may submit a complaint about the institution to UIC’s institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The HLC complaint process is not designed to intervene in individual matters, but rather to review matters that pertain to the institution as a whole to the extent that such matters relate to the Criteria for Accreditation or other HLC-specific requirements. HLC generally expects individuals to attempt to resolve personal issues through the internal grievance procedures of the institution, and/or other processes if applicable, prior to submitting a complaint to the Commission. HLC does not review the outcomes of institutional grievance processes to either uphold or overturn those decisions. HLC’s policy on complaints provides a full description of the type of complaints that HLC will/ will not review.
Online Education State Authorization and Complaint Resolution
The University of Illinois Chicago is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a private nonprofit organization that helps expand students’ access to educational opportunities and ensure more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs. For more information about University of Illinois System NC-SARA compliance, professional licensure, and complaint procedures, visit the University of Illinois System’s State Authorization webpage.
Students enrolled in Online or Distance Education are encouraged to contact their college office or UIC Online at onlineinfo@uic.edu to seek advice or assistance in resolving their concerns. If the issue cannot be resolved through either of these offices or the resources listed in the sections above, online students may file a complaint with the Illinois Board of Higher Education through the Illinois State Portal Entity Contact. Online students may instead choose to work through their own state’s NC-SARA office for complaint resolution; however, the Illinois Board of Higher Education is responsible for staffing the investigation and complaint resolution. California residents should refer to the California Department of Consumer Affairs website.