Any complaints pertaining to a South Georgia Technical College online course or program should be filed with South Georgia Technical College in accordance with the Student Catalog & Handbook.
Complaints needing further investigation beyond the college level may be submitted to TCSG using the Program Integrity Complaint Form. Before submitting to TCSG, students need to ensure they have followed the institution’s process.
A student may appeal to the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC) if the institution’s and TCSG’s resolution is not satisfactory; however, please note that the Commission will not investigate a complaint unless the student has exhausted all available grievance procedures outlined by the institution. GNPEC does not resolve complaints about student grades and student conduct violations. These complaints fall under the jurisdiction of institutional policy
NC-SARA
South Georgia Technical College has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a nonprofit organization that helps expand students’ access to educational opportunities and ensure more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs.
Recognizing the growing demand for distance education opportunities, higher education stakeholders – including state regulators and education leaders, accreditors, the U.S. Department of Education, and institutions – joined together in 2013 to establish the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), which streamline regulations around distance education programs.
SARA consumer protection provisions require the institution’s home state, through its SARA State Portal Entity, to investigate, and resolve allegations of dishonest of fraudulent activity by the state’s SARA-participating institutions, including the provision of false or misleading information. A student has the right to lodge a complaint or grievance. The student should begin the complaint process with the institution and if resolution is not found, the student would contact the institution’s home state SARA Portal Entity. NC-SARA maintains a directory of State Portal Entity (SPE) Contacts and SARA Student Information Process Information by State. Here is an overview of How to File a SARA Student Complaint. The SARA Student Complaint procedure and policy can be found here. Students can also access the GA-SARA Online Student Complaint Form.
SREB
South Georgia Technical College is a member of Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), one of the four regional compacts which comprise NC-SARA. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. South Georgia Technical College is authorized to provide online education to students who reside in 48 SARA member states. Certain online programs, which include internships, practicums, or other experiential requirements may trigger additional State Authorization requirements.