Student Grievance Policy
cURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE
STUDENT COMPLAINTS
Complaints to External Agencies
If a student or prospective student believes the College has not adequately addressed concerns, students may file a complaint with the Higher Learning Commission, the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, the Iowa Attorney General, and/or the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights. These agencies may require the student or prospective student to first exhaust the College’s grievance procedures before filing a complaint.
We recommend that students refer to the individual agency’s policies to familiarize themselves with relevant requirements including filing deadlines.
HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION (HLC)
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, Illinois 60604-1411
Phone: (312) 263-0456
Toll Free: (800) 621-7440
Fax: (312) 263-7462
The HLC is an independent body responsible for the accreditation of Mercy College of Health Sciences.
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
Hoover State Office Building
1305 E. Walnut Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0106
Phone: (515) 281-5926
Toll Free: (888) 777-4590
Email: consumer@ag.iowa.gov
The State of Iowa protects its citizens against consumer fraud.
BUREAU OF IOWA COLLEGE AID, IOWA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
400 E. 14th St., Des Moines, IA 50319-0416
877-272-4456
Iowa Department of Education website: https://educate.iowa.gov/
Student Complaints Webpage – https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/student-complaints
Iowa College Aid accepts concerns and grievances from any student attending an Iowa school, regardless of the student’s state of residency, and from an Iowa resident attending any school, regardless of its location.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office for Civil Rights Regional Office
John C. Kluczynski Federal Building
230 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 730-1560
A recipient of federal financial assistance may not retaliate against any person who has made a complaint, testified, assisted or participated in any manner in an investigation or proceeding under the laws listed on the first page of this brochure. If you believe that you have been retaliated against for any of these reasons, you may file a complaint with OCR. Anyone who believes that an education institution that receives federal financial assistance has discriminated against someone on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age, may file a grievance.
Students may also file a grievance with their home state, or the state in which they are participating in a Mercy College of Health Sciences’ program.