Complaints Regarding Member or Candidate Institutions
Before filing a complaint against an NWCCU member (accredited) or candidate (pre-accredited) institution, please read the following information.
Complaints regarding NWCCU member or candidate institutions are reviewed in accordance with NWCCU’s Complaints Regarding Member or Candidate Institutions Policy. Key points about the complaint process include the following:
- NWCCU does not provide an appeals process for individuals who have completed an institution’s grievance processes and disagree with the decision. In nearly all cases, NWCCU cannot change an institution’s decision about an individual complainant’s situation (e.g., a grade, admission, disciplinary, employment, or financial aid decision).
- NWCCU does not intervene in ongoing personnel matters or labor negotiations between employees or employee groups and the institution.
- NWCCU reviews complaints only to determine whether an institution may not be meeting NWCCU Eligibility Requirements (ERs), Standards for Accreditation (Standards), or Policies. All complaints are reviewed impartially by Senior Staff against these ERs, Standards, and Policies.
- During the initial review of the complaint, NWCCU staff may reach out to request additional information from the complainant and, in some cases, may ask the institution to share resources (e.g., policies, handbooks) related to the subject matter of the complaint. NWCCU will ask the institution for a formal response only if it determines that the complaint raises questions about the institution’s compliance with ERs, Standards, or Policies.
- Complaints must include evidence (e.g., documents, correspondence, or published policies) showing potential non-compliance with ERs, Standards, or Policies. Complaints that contain only allegations, without supporting evidence, will be closed due to insufficient evidence of non-compliance.
- Complainants are encouraged to select only the specific ERs, Standards, or Policies they believe the institution is not meeting. Selecting every possible ER, Standard, or Policy does not add clarity to the complaint and slows the review process. NWCCU staff will consider any other ERs, Standards, or Policies that clearly apply, so complainants do not need to match their concerns perfectly to NWCCU requirements.
- If a complaint is closed due to insufficient evidence of non-compliance, the complainant will be notified in writing. This decision is final, and the complaint will not be reopened. NWCCU will not respond to further correspondence disputing the decision or seeking further explanation of the decision.
- If NWCCU Senior Staff determine there are potential issues of non-compliance, the issues are referred to the Commission to decide next steps, which may include an institutional report, a site visit, or action on the institution’s accreditation status with NWCCU.
- Complaints must be submitted via postal mail or via the online submission form. Complaints sent by email will not be processed and senders will be directed to the online submission form. Mass email complaints from multiple unverifiable senders will not receive a response but will be reviewed under NWCCU’s Receipt of Unsolicited Information Policy.
To submit a complaint, please click the link below to access the online form.
