Out of State Complaints

Out-of-State Complaint Procedure for Online Students

SUNY Ulster is committed to investigating consumer protection concerns raised by students in distance learning courses and/or programs, including but not limited to truthfulness in advertising and accuracy of data related to course offerings, job placements, tuition, fees, and financial aid. As part of this commitment, SUNY Ulster is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). 

Consumer protection complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations may be submitted through the SUNY Ulster How Are We Doing Survey. Student complaints submitted to the college will be examined objectively and thoroughly. The VPAA will convene an ad hoc committee composed of representatives from the following areas as applicable: Academic Affairs, Registrar’s Office, Institutional Research Office, Office of Communication and Marketing, Financial Aid Office, and Finance and Administration. The committee will evaluate the merit of the complaint and make any appropriate recommendation(s) for resolution and/or redress to the VPAA. The VPAA will make a final determination and communicate to the student the institution’s official response to the complaint as well as any warranted redress. 

If a student is dissatisfied with the campus-based resolution, a concern may be submitted to System Administration of the State University of New York . And, if still not satisfied, a complaint may be submitted, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the New York State Education Department. Please note, this does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be fully addressed via campus processes, not through the NC-SARA complaint process.

Please note, this process is only for consumer protection issues (for examples, see section 4 of the SARA Policy Manual) and this does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be addressed via non-SARA processes (The Student Rights & Responsibilities section of the college catalog details the Academic Appeals Procedure for students who wish to appeal a classroom situation or grade. Violations of the Code of Conduct, unusual student interactions, and/or behaviors are reported to the Crisis Assessment Referral Evaluation (CARE) Team. Finally, the How Are We Doing? form provides an opportunity for feedback and responses are forwarded to the leadership of the appropriate area.) Additionally, this process is only for distance education students located in another SARA-participating state (as of January 1, 2026, this includes all states except California), whereas other distance education students, including those located in New York State, should follow non-SARA processes (see above).