Complaint Procedures Overview

JMU strives to provide positive learning experiences for all our students, and we are committed to finding fair and prompt resolutions to student complaints. This page provides procedures you should follow if you have a complaint.

Please try to exhaust all avenues of complaint resolution within JMU before pursuing resolution beyond the University. Please see this flow chart of how pursuing internal resolution should precede pursuing resolution externally.

Procedures for Academic Matters

If you have a complaint about an online course, certificate, or degree program, follow the guidelines below.

1. If your complaint is about a course grade, please see the Grade Review Procedure in the JMU Undergraduate Catalog.

1. If your complaint is not about grades, discrimination or harassment, follow the grievance procedures that apply to you: undergraduate student procedures, or graduate student procedures.
2. If the campus-based procedures noted above have been followed and the complaint has not been resolved, students may complain directly to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
3. If you are an out-of-state student and have a complaint not been resolved through the procedures noted above, you may file a complaint with the state in which you reside. In compliance with Federal Department of Education regulations, we are providing this list of state agencies with contact information for each state: Student Complaint Information by State.

Procedures for Claims of Harassment or Discrimination

JMU students who have experienced discrimination, harassment, or sexual harassment should read and follow the guidelines offered by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.

Other Issues That Could Warrant a Complaint

The non-exhaustive list of items below may help you decide if an issue warrants a complaint or grievance.

• Inaccurate university recruitment and marketing materials.
• Inaccurate job placement data.
• Inaccurate information about tuition, fees and financial aid. See the Cost of Attendance Calculator for the estimated cost of attendance for your program of study.
• Incomplete or inaccurate admission requirements for courses and programs.
• Inaccurate information regarding the institution’s accreditation and/or any programmatic/specialized accreditation held by the institution’s programs.
• Inaccurate information about whether course work meets any relevant professional licensing requirements or the requirements of specialized accrediting bodies.
• Inaccurate information about whether the institution’s course work will transfer to other institutions.
• Operation of distance education programs inconsistent with practices expected by institutional accreditors (and, if applicable, programmatic/specialized accreditors) and/or the C‐RAC Guidelines for distance education.