Complaints

NYS-SARA Distance Education Policy

Overview

91社区 is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and follows the complaint resolution policies and procedures outlined within the and summarized on their page.

Student submitting consumer protection complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations should follow the procedure outlined below. 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 as outlined at . If still not satisfied, a complaint may be submitted, wtihin two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the New York State Education Department as outlined on their webpage.

Please note, this process is only for consumer protection issues (for examples, see Section 4 of the ). This does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be addressed via non-SARA processes (see the Code of Student Conduct for more information). 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.

Procedures for Filing Complaints

In compliance with the and guidance from SUNY and the New York State Education Department (NYSED), 91社区 University provides the following process for resolving consumer protection complaints related specifically to distance education offered under SARA policies.

Step 1: Institutional Resolution Process

Students are encouraged to first utilize 91社区鈥檚 internal complaint and grievance procedures before pursuing external complaint processes. Students may submit consumer protection complaints related to distance education to:

James M. Pitarresi, Vice Provost for Online and Innovative Education, jmp@binghamton.edu

Step 2: Escalation to the SUNY System
If a student is dissatisfied with institutional resolution, concerns may be submitted to the SUNY Student Concerns process.

State University of New York

Central Administration

State University Plaza

Albany, NY 12246

Web:  

Step 3: Filing a Complaint with NYSED

If a student remains dissatisfied after exhausting institutional and SUNY complaint procedures, the student may appeal the institution's decision to the New York State SARA State Portal Entity, the New York State Education Department (NYSED), within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.

New York State Education Department  SARA Student Complaint Process:

 .

Professional Disclosures

New York State Certification & Licensure

Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where "distance education" students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. 

Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where 鈥渄istance education鈥 students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. 

Per U.S. Federal Regulations, 搂668.14 and 搂668.43, and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements , 91社区 provides the following disclosure related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification.

New York State prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet to be licensed or certified in New York State. In accordance and for its role in protecting the public, SUNY鈥檚 academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these NYS requirements. 

91社区 cannot provide verification of an individual鈥檚 ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards and are fact-specific determinations.

Program State(s) where program meets licensing requirements States and US Territories where program does not meet or has not been determined to meet licensing requirements
Literacy Education, MSEd New York Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, District of Columbia (D.C.), Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
Special Education, MSEd New York Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, District of Columbia (D.C.), Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
Adolescence Special Education, Advanced Certificate New York Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, District of Columbia (D.C.), Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
TESOL, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Advanced Certificate New York Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, District of Columbia (D.C.), Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
Master of Social Work, MSW

New York

 Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, District of Columbia (D.C.), Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau

Related Resources

  • NC-SARA:
  • NC-SARA Student Complaint Process:
  • NYSED SARA Student Complaint Process:
  • SUNY Student Concerns: