Student Complaint Policy and Contact Information
Student Academic Complaint Process
At Saint Joseph’s University (SJU), our mission is to provide a rigorous, student-centered education. Should a student or prospective student wish to file an academic complaint against us, the following information is provided to facilitate that process. This process is for course based academic complaints only, with the exception of grade appeals (see Grade Appeal), and does not apply to Academic Honesty violations, which are covered under the Academic Honesty Policy. Nor does it apply to complaints which are covered under the Policy Prohibiting Acts of Bias, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct.
For course related issues, other than a final grade, as a first step, students are encouraged to meet face to face with their instructor to discuss the perceived problem or issue.
If the student does not feel that the complaint has been adequately resolved, as a second step, they may submit a formal written complaint, signed by the student, to the faculty member’s department chair or program director. All such complaints should be archived in the relevant Dean’s Office. The chair should then work with the student and the faculty member to resolve the issue.
If still unresolved, the final level of appeal is at the level of the relevant Dean’s Office. For complaints that reach this level, the Dean will generally hear the student’s complaint and attempt to resolve it. In the absence of the Dean, the designated Associate Dean can fulfill this role.
All complaints that are filed at the department chair, program director or dean’s office level will be archived in the relevant Dean’s Office with documentation of the discussions and/or outcomes.
SJU Contact Information
| Office of the Dean College of Arts and Sciences Phone: 610-660-1282 | Office of the Dean Haub School of Business Phone: 610-660-1645 | Office of the Dean School of Education and Human Development Phone: 610-660-1580 | Office of the Dean School of Health Professions Phone: 215-596-8592 | Office of the Dean of Nursing and Allied Health Phone: 717-947-6136 |
Students may also file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and/or Saint Joseph’s University’s regional accrediting agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Contact information is below.
Pennsylvania Department of Education Contact Information
Pennsylvania Department of Education – Postsecondary and Adult Education
333 Market Street, 12th Fl | Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Phone: 717.783.8228 | Fax: 717.722.3622
Middle States Commission on Higher Education Contact Information
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Telephone: (267) 284–5000
E-mail: info@msche.org Spanish: españolinfo@msche.org
Complete the “Complaints Involving Member and Candidate Institutions Form“.
Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act includes regulations regarding the delivery of distance education to out-of-state residents. The United States Department of Education requires that institutions comply with any applicable state approval or licensure requirements in each state to which distance education instruction is delivered. Students have the right to file a complaint against an institution when these requirements are not followed, or regarding the loss of tuition and fees as a result of unfair business practices.
State Contact Information for Student Complaint Processes available for download.