Academic / Administrative Complaints & Appeals

Texas Woman’s University is committed to the fair treatment of all students who have complaints and appeals. The university has traditionally guaranteed students every opportunity for a fair, prompt, and thorough review of complaints and appeals. Students are encouraged to begin resolving a complaint or appeal at the level at which the complaint or appeal originated. Students should follow university procedures and deadlines to advance a complaint or appeal. TWU’s URP: 02.220 Academic Administrative Complaints and Appeals guides students in the complaint and appeal process.

Complaints or appeals at each level must be made in writing no later than 10 class days after the date of the decision at the previous level unless otherwise stipulated in state or federal law. The 10 days for appeal at each level do not include weekends, holidays, or days between academic sessions. The faculty member or administrator receiving the complaint or appeal will respond within 10 class days, not including weekends, holidays, or days between academic sessions. Review and decision may require a longer period of time.

The TWU Academic/Administrative Complaint and Appeal Form [Word] is to be used for complaints and appeals. To select the appropriate office to begin the process, consult the Procedures for Academic/Administrative Complaints and Appeals of TWU Decisions. The procedures provide directions for the sequence of offices each type of complaint or appeal should follow to a final decision. The form may be completed electronically and submitted by email to the appropriate office within 10 days of the occurrence of the complaint. Addendums are permissible to concisely document the complaint and may be attached to the email or delivered to the corresponding office. Please print a copy of the completed document at each level for your records.

Distance Education Students

The United States Department of Education (USDOE) requires that institutions comply with any applicable state approval or licensure requirements in each state in which distance education instruction is delivered. Students have the right to file a complaint against institutions when these requirements are not followed or when students suffer the loss of tuition and fees as a result of unfair business practices. TWU is required to provide both current and prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accrediting body and the appropriate state agency for handling complaints in a student’s resident state.

After exhausting University procedures, students who are unsatisfied with the outcome may then file complaints according to their state of residence.  If the student filing the complaint is located in a state that is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) will notify that state about the complaint. If the student is located in a state or territory that is not a member of NC-SARA, the THECB will not notify that state or territory about the complaint, and the student may themselves contact the appropriate entity in their home state.

1. Find out if your home state is a member of NC-SARA.
2. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
3. Out-of-State Complaint Contacts (For distance education students in non-SARA states.)
4. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools [PDF]