Northwood places high importance on obtaining feedback from students and responding to areas of concern in a timely manner. Complaints are addressed informally and formally. Each campus /program area has a process for collecting, analyzing and addressing formal student complaints. Formal complaints must be in writing. Northwood logs complaints and ensures timely tracking of response(s) and outcomes for each. The university regularly reviews complaints to determine potential systemic issues/themes and identify opportunities for improvement. Northwood communicates the process through a variety of means including student orientation and Student Handbooks. Students with a formal complaint or wishing to learn more about the complaint process should contact the respective Campus President at the Residential Campuses or the respective Deans of the DeVos Graduate School of Management, Adult Degree Program, or International Programs.
Recent amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 include changes in regulations for State Authorization that may impact online, distance, and correspondence education providers. In compliance with the language passed in the Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) determined that institutions offering distance education must provide enrolled and prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accrediting agency and with the appropriate state agency for handling complaints in the student's state.
Students are encouraged to utilize the institution’s internal complaint procedures prior to filing a complaint with the state agency or agencies. The regulations require states to provide the opportunity for students to lodge the following types of complaints:
- Allegations of state consumer protection violations, including, but not limited to fraud and false advertising.
- Allegations that state laws or rules addressing the licensure of postsecondary institutions have been violated.
- Allegations regarding the quality of education or other accreditation requirements.
| State | State Agency/Resources |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Commission on Higher Education http://www.ache.state.al.us/ |
| Alaska | Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education |
| Arizona | Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Department of Higher Education |
| California | Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education |
| Colorado | Colorado Department of Higher Education |
| Connecticut | Office of Higher Education |
| Delaware | The Delaware Department of Education The Delaware Department of Education will investigate complaints. Such complaints must be in writing and verified by the signature of the person making the complaint. Oral, anonymous or unsigned complaints will not be investigated. Until the web site is functional, please write or call for more information. The Delaware Department of Education; Teacher and Administrator Quality; John W. Collette Resource Center; 35 Commerce Way; Dover, DE 19904. The Delaware Department of Education phone number is 302‐857‐3388. |
| District of Columbia | Office of the State of Superintendent of Education |
| Florida | Florida Department of Education |
| Georgia | State of Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Postsecondary Education |
| Idaho | Idaho State Board of Education |
| Illinois |
Illinois Board of Higher Education |
| Indiana | Indiana Commission for Higher Education |
| Kansas | The Kansas Board of Regents |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education |
| Louisiana | Board of Regents State of Louisana |
| Maine |
Maine Department of Education, Office of Higher Education |
| Maryland | Maryland Higher Education Commission |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Department of Higher Education |
| Michigan |
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Office of Higher Education |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Education |
| Montana | Montana University System |
| Nebraska |
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education |
| Nevada | Commission on Postsecondary Education |
| Iowa | Iowa College Student Aid Commission |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Department of Education |
| New Jersey |
State of New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Higher Education Department |
| New York | New York State Education Department |
| North Carolina | University of North Carolina General Administration |
| North Dakota | North Dakota University System |
| Ohio | Ohio Higher Ed Department of Higher Education |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education |
| Oregon | Higher Education Coordinating Commission |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Commission on Higher Education |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Office of the Attorney General |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Board of Regents |
| Texas |
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
| Utah | Utah Department of Commerce |
| Vermont | Vermont Department of Education, State Board of Education |
| Virginia | State Council of Higher Education for Virginia |
| Washington | Washington Student Achievement Council |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission |
| Wisconsin | State of Wisconsin Educational Approval Board |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Education |
Regional Accreditation Agency
Higher Learning Commission
A Commission of the North Central Association
https://www.ncahlc.org/HLC-Institutions/complaints.html
Specialty Accreditation Agency
Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
http://www.acbsp.org/?page=accred_complaints
